Hot or Sweet, Peppers are amazing!!

Posted on by Sam Boyd

I love peppers.  Specifically the mini peppers that you get at the store that are bite size.  But any size pepper will do nicely, any color as well.  The vibrant colors of peppers are awesome and if you ever have a chance to add them to your pictures, you should.  After all, why do you think that one weird guy from Iron Chef bit into a bright orange pepper.  It was vibrant and looked exotic.  And as we get ready to embark in cleanse land again, I am thinking about foods that I love that make a detox easier and more appealing.  But the appeal of bell peppers goes way beyond their stunning good looks.

First, peppers are low in calories! So, even if you eat one full cup (which is about 8 mini-peppers) you get just about 45 calories. Bonus: that one cup will give you more than your daily allowance of Vitamin A and C!

Second, they contain plenty of vitamin C, a super powerful antioxidant, which powers up your immune system and keeps skin youthful.  The highest amount of Vitamin C in a bell pepper is concentrated in the red variety, but all peppers are loaded with it.

Third, the red bell peppers contain several phytochemicals and carotenoids,  particularly beta-carotene, which lavish you with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory benefits, vision improvement (certain enzymes in bell peppers, such as lutein, protect the eyes from cataracts and macular degeneration later in life), and capsaicin.  The capsaicin in bell peppers has multiple health benefits. Studies show that it reduces ‘bad’ cholesterol, controls diabetes, brings relief from pain and eases inflammation.

Fourth, if cooked for a short period on low heat, bell peppers retain most of their sweet, almost fruity flavor and flavinoid content, which is a powerful nutrient.  The sulfur content (which also tends not to cook out) in bell peppers makes them play a protective role in certain types of cancers.

Fifth, The bell pepper is a good source of Vitamin E, which is known to play a key role in keeping skin and hair looking youthful.  Bell peppers also contain vitamin B6, which is essential for the health of the nervous system and helps renew cells.

So make sure you really love your peppers and include them in your diet as much as you can.  You will be rewarded with both taste and health.

Mango Chicken with Grilled Carrots

Posted on by Sam Boyd

Ingredients:

1.  Between 8-12 chicken drumsticks or breasts

2.  4 Mangoes

3.  1lb carrots, halved, cut into 4 inch pieces

4.  1/2 teaspoon of the following dried seasonings:  pepper, thyme, dill, basil, sage, mustard seed, clove, allspice, star anise, chives and 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, veggie broth

5.  1 tablespoon salt

6.  1 cup hot water

7.  2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, lime juice

8.  10 mini sweet peppers

Recipe:

1.  Combine water, all dried spices and all wet ingredients into a blender/ninja cup and blend until all the spices are shredded

2.  Split this mixture into 1/2 cup batches

3.  Combine 1/2 cup spice mixture and drumsticks into a Ziploc bag to marinade for a few minutes

4.  Take the other half of the spice mix and combine in a new blender cup/ninja cup/whatever will blend with the mangoes, blend until smooth.

5.  Liberally salt your carrots and peppers then  place on indirect heat on the grill, come back inside

6.  Move your Chicken to a bowl, throw away this marinade, you don’t want salmonella

7.  Put chicken on the grill and grill until done (mine took about 18 minutes on medium fire)

8.  Pull your peppers off when you put the chicken on, they will burn otherwise

9.  Cut your peppers into 1/4 inch slices

10.  The carrots should be done about the same time as your chicken.

11.  I pulled the chicken off and put in a bowl with the mango sauce while I got my plates ready

12.  I plated in this order (bottom to top):  carrots, sauce, chicken, sauce, peppers, chives over the top to make it purty.

13.  This made enough to take 2 extras to work.  Enjoy.

 

Big Ole’ Mess

Posted on by Sam Boyd

This is a big mess of stuff that may or may not go together in the true culinary sense of the word.  However, in the kitchen where the rest of us live and eat, this works well.

Ingredients

1. 2 medium onions cut into 1/2″ sections

2. 4 ounces of uncased chorizo sausage, cooked and drained

3. 1 cup of mushrooms, cut into 1/2″ sections

4. 2 red, yellow, or orange peppers, cut into 1/2″ sections

5. 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2″ sections

6. 1/2 cup vegetable broth

7. 1 cup of broccoli florets, cut small enough to be in a bite

8. 1 tablespoon of salt

Recipe

1. In a large pan, put onions, chorizo (already cooked and drained) mushrooms, and peppers over medium high heat and add salt, cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.

2. Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil

3. Add sweet potatoes, lid and turn to medium heat for 10 minutes

4. Unlid, stir well, add broccoli and relid quickly.

5. After 5 minutes, turn heat off and let sit for 5 minutes.

6. This makes either two big servings or 4 smaller servings. Originally I was going to add come shredded cheese to the top of it, but it turns out not to need and is plenty full of flavor.