Tag Archives: peppers

Lemon Marinated Antipasto

September 28, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Great as an appetizer, a snack, a lunch side – and this antipasto does not skimp on the ingredients…olives, sausage, cheese, peppers, oh my ! This is very lemony – if you prefer, you can substitute vinegar for the lemon.

12 servings
220 calories per serving

1 lb. spicy turkey sausage
1 T oil
½ c oil
2 t grated lemon zest
½ c lemon juice
2 T chopped basil
½ t oregano flakes
1 t parsley flakes
½ t basil flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz. roasted red peppers, drained and cut into small strips
12 oz. mozzarella cheese cut into cubes
1 c pitted kalamata olives

Cook sausage in 1 T oil until done. When cool, cut into slices. Whisk oil, lemon juice and spices with garlic. Layer sausage, pepper strips, cheese and olives in 2 quart size jars and pour over the dressing. Cover and chill 1-2 days. Try to remember to shake the jars a bit each time you open the frig those 1-2 days – that way the lemony marinade coats all the bits of goodness. Let stand at room temp 30 minutes before serving.

(you don’t need the jars – you can do this in a bowl or even a zip loc bag !)

Dinner, Kid Friendly, Sides

Rice and Veggies

September 9, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Since your carbs and veggies are together in one dish, this recipe is a great side dish to complete a fish or chicken dish. It has just the right amount of veggies and a lovely mild flavor.

6 servings
147 calories per serving

1 T oil
1 c chopped onion
½ c chopped carrots
1/2 c chopped celery
½ c chopped red peppers
14.5 oz. chicken broth
1 ½ c Minute white rice, raw
1 c frozen peas
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in skillet and sauté onions, carrots, celery, peppers, salt and pepper for 7 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil and stir in the rice and peas. Cover and simmer 5 minutes then remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes so liquid is absorbed.

Dinner, Sides, Vegetables

Sauted Peppers and Onions

August 11, 2010 admin 1 Comment

Regular bell peppers will do fine here, but I often like to mix in fryers, and special varieties that you find at farmer’s markets. At the very least, I try to mix colors of the store bought peppers to make this a colorful dish. At only 38 calories per serving (which is a WHOLE pepper and ¼ of an onion), don’t be afraid to have an extra portion ! This is great next to steak and even next to hot sandwiches.

4 servings
38 calories per serving

4 bell peppers, varied colors, cut into thin strips
1 large onion, sliced thin
1 T oil
Pam
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
hot water

Place oil in large skillet and heat to medium high. Put onions in pan and saute 5 minutes. Move onions to the side, remove pan from heat and spray skillet with Pam. Return to heat and add peppers to skillet. Let cook down a little and then season with all the spices. After about 5 minutes, lower heat to medium and continue cooking to desired doneness. I like mine pretty soft and let them cook a good 20 minutes. If you do the same, you will likely need to add a couple tablespoons of hot water a couple times during the cooking process so that the veggie stay moist and do not burn.

Appetizers, Italian, Sides, Snacks

Provolone and Peppers

July 21, 2010 admin Leave a comment

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This is a great side and also a great quick appetizer. The melted cheese and pesto make such a nice accompaniment to the sweet red pepper.

8 servings
65 calories per serving

2 small red bell peppers
1 T oil
2 T basil pesto
2 oz. provolone cheese in 8 slices

Quarter peppers and remove seeds. Brush outsides with oil. Fill insides with pesto and cheese. Heat grill. Grill peppers 5-7 minutes or until cheese is softened. You can also broil these for a few minutes if you do not have a grill.

Chicken, Dinner, Summer

Lemon Pepper Chicken

July 14, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Lemon Pepper is a great spice for poultry – and when I do a grill basket version of this chicken recipe, I really pour it on !

4 servings
243 calories per serving

12 oz. chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
4 c mix of sliced onion, yellow bell peppers, and halved mushrooms
2 T oil
1 T lemon pepper seasoning
1 t finely shredded lemon zest
Lemon wedges
Pam

Heat grill. Toss shrimp and 1 T oil. Mix veggies and 1 T oil and seasoning.

Spray grill basket with Pam and heat. Add chicken and cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add veggies and cook 6 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in juice of one lemon. Serve topped with lemon zest.

Dinner, Italian, Sides, Vegetables

Roasted Peppers and Garlic

June 18, 2010 admin Leave a comment

When you roast peppers, you make them ultimately sweet and bring out tons of natural flavor. When paired up with some simple oil, garlic, and seasoning, you get quite a treat !

If you only have one color pepper, don’t let that hold you back from roasting them up. In the line up of most sweet to least sweet, you have the red, orange, yellow and green bell pepper. All have a very distinct flavor and all are delicious ! I add a bunch more garlic to these than the recipe calls for – just because 🙂

4 servings
97 calories per serving

1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
2 T oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
½ t oregano flakes
Coarse salt
Ground pepper
Handful of basil leaves

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Halve the peppers and remove the seeds. Place cut side up on a cookie sheet and drizzle with oil. Add garlic slices to pepper halves along with oregano, salt and pepper. Roast 35 minutes or so (or until skin starts to blister) and then remove from oven and sprinkle with a handful of fresh torn basil leaves.

Beef, Dinner, FiberGourmet, Italian, Kid Friendly, Pasta

Beef and Tomatoes over Fettucine

May 19, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This was much like eating pepper steak over pasta. The flavors mingled together well and this was a very tasty twist on a beef stir fry.

4 servings
270 calories per serving

2 c uncooked FiberGourmet fettucine noodles
1 T oil
1 c frozen stir fry pepper and onions
1 lb. thinly sliced beef
14.5 oz. canned diced tomatoes, undrained
1 t garlic powder
¼ t pepper
½ t salt
Fresh basil leaves, chopped

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Heat oil and meat 5 minutes then stir in peppers and onions and cook 3-6 minutes, stirring frequently. Then mix in tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper and cook 2 minutes. Stir in pasta and cook 2 minutes to heat through. Garnish with basil.

Asian, Dinner, Sides, Vegetables

Sesame Pea Pods

May 17, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Crunchy, lite and colorful – – this makes a great side to just about any dinner.

6 servings
45 calories per serving

1 T sesame oil
½ lb. snow pea pods, strings removed
1 T sesame seeds
1 medium yellow bell pepper cut into thin strips

Heat oil in a skillet and add pea pods and oil and cook 2 minutes. Stir in pepper and cook 2 minutes more.

Dinner, Sides

Lentil and Corn Pilaf

April 26, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Lentils are healthy and filling, but it seems you either like them or you don’t like them – – there is no in between. I think it’s because of the dry consistency. I am a lentil lover 🙂 If you’ve never had them, give them a try ! They’re in the bean family and they are very tasty.

7 servings
130 calories per serving

2 c water
1 c dried lentils, sorted and rinsed (sorted means taking out any small rocks or bad lentils)
1/2 c chopped red or orange bell pepper
1 c corn kernels
3 T chopped parsley
¾ t chili powder
½ t garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring water to a boil and add lentils. Reduce heat and cover and simmer 20 minutes or until lentils are tender and if there is any water remaining, drain it the stir in the rest of the ingredients and cook on low 3-4minutes or until all is heated through.

Salads, Sides, Vegetables

Broccoli Salad

April 18, 2010 admin 2 Comments

Pre cooking the broccoli and cauliflower change this up nicely from your typical salad where the veggies are served raw. With the dressing, this tasted much like a mild giardiniera.

4 servings
49 calories per serving

¾ c broccoli florets
¾ c cauliflower florets
½ c celery slices
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 T oil
3 T white vinegar
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper
1/8 t garlic powder
1/8 t onion powder

Place broccoli and cauliflower in a dish with ¼ c water, cover with plastic wrap and microwave 4 minutes to soften a bit. Drain and add the pepper and celery. Mix the dressing and pour over the veggies and chill an hour or more to mix flavors.