Peppers - Some Like it Hot!


Peppers
Peppers come in quite a selection of colors, flavors and heat. They are crunchy, sweet and hot. They can be eaten raw or cooked. They can be sautéed, steamed, stuffed, pickled, roasted in an oven or charred directly over a fire for added flavor. They can be added to salads, crudités platters, soups (you can make an entire soup around them or just add them for flavor), stir fries, sandwiches, omelets, wraps, made into a sauce or dip, and the hot peppers add zest to any meal. Peppers are part of the nightshade family. They start out green and will ripen into red, yellow, orange, and even purple! Mature peppers have more nutritional value. Green Bell Peppers have a stronger flavor while the mature colorful selection are sweeter. Hot peppers are milder when green and immature and get hotter as they ripen into their color. Bell Peppers are one of the most highly contaminated with pesticides so they are an important organic choice.

Yellow Peppers are high in Vitamin C and contain the antioxidant beta-carotene (gives them their yellow glow) as well as B6. They have a distinctive color and are even more festive with partnered with red peppers. A soup with these peppers is a rich wonderful yellow color and quite unique. Roasted Yellow Pepper Soup and Roasted Tomato Soup with Serrano Cream Roasted Yellow Pepper Soup Stuffed Yellow Peppers Festive Red & Yellow Pepper Dip Red & Yellow Pepper Omelet Halibut with Yellow Pepper and Coconut Sauce Charred Yellow Pepper Sauce by Bobby Flay Roasted Red & Yellow Peppers Stuffed with Cherry Tomatoes, Onions and Basil Grilled Flank Steak with Yellow Peppers
Red Peppers are crunchy, sweet and are a colorful addition to any meal. Red Peppers are actually mature peppers (they start out green) and have more vitamin C than the green youngsters. Cilantro & Red Pepper Swirl Soup
Orange Peppers add a delightful color contrast, crunch, and sweetness to any meal. Mix with red and yellow for a confetti of color and add to a salmon salad.
A favorite amongst our regular, mixed mini-peppers include Red, Yellow, and Orange Sweet Mini-Bell Peppers. They are sweet, gorgeous, and delicious! Perfect size for snacking on and adding to that crudités platter or slice them for your salad or stuff them and bake or grill.
Purple Peppers are a bit stronger, not sweet.
Green Peppers are immature peppers; they are picked early to retain their sharper flavor. While lower in vitamin C, they are higher in polyphenols.
Hot Peppers like Jalapenos
Facts:
Nutritionally: Low in calories and is high in vitamin C and antioxidants as well as being a good source of B6 and potassium. They are a good source of fiber, folic acid, vitamin A and vitamin K. Bell Peppers lower Homocysteine levels and therefore reduce cardiovascular risk. In addition, Red Peppers contain Lycopene.

How to choose: Choose peppers with colorful glossy smooth firm skin free of blemishes with green fresh stems.
How to store: Store them in the vegetable compartment of the fridge.
Fun Facts: All peppers start green and ripen to bright reds, yellows, oranges, and purples. Peppers are actually fruit! The white ribs inside a pepper that we all trim away actually contain heart healthful bioflavonoids so use them in your soups! Sure, we all know that the spice Cayenne Pepper is from peppers but did you know that Paprika comes from pepper too? Bell Peppers from Holland are prized for their beautiful uniform shape. Hot Peppers - With hot peppers a good rule of thumb is, the smaller the pepper the hotter and the brighter the pepper the hotter (reds are hotter than greens). The seeds are really hot in the hot pepper. Never touch your face (eyes, mouth) when cutting hot peppers until you wash up. If you do, you will never make that mistake again!
Cooking Tip: You can freeze Bell Peppers whole for use later.
Links: Chile Head Chiles Add Heat, Best Dressed Meals