Miller County Newsletters
Haley's Comment
Bell Peppers are a Great Addition to Meals
July 25, 2007
We may use bell peppers frequently, but have you ever stopped to consider
where they come from or how they got their name? It was Christopher Columbus and
his explorers who discovered sweet and hot peppers in the West Indies and took
samples back to Europe in 1492.
Peppers quickly became popular in Europe as a food, spice and condiment.
Twenty years later, travelers found bell pepper varieties growing throughout the
West Indies, Central America, Mexico, Peru and Chili. Since then, peppers have
been introduced to many other parts of the world, including Africa and Asia.
Christopher Columbus and his Spanish explorers named the peppers as they were
searching for peppercorn plants that produced the spice known as black pepper.
Of all the sweet peppers, the bell pepper has to be the most popular. Bell
peppers can be found in red, orange, green, purple, brown and even black. What
are mostly found in our area is green, red and orange.
The variety of the pepper and the stage of ripeness determine the color and
flavor of each pepper. A red bell pepper is simply a mature green bell pepper.
Bell pepper flavor becomes sweeter and milder with age.
If you want a pepper with a little more spice, you might want to try Jalapeno
or Serrano, which are cousins to bell peppers. These varieties of peppers are
smaller than bell peppers, but contain a lot more heat. Where bell peppers are
in the heat range of 0, Jalapeno can range from 2,500 to 8,000 in heat, and
Serrano ranges from 8,000 to 22,000 in heat on the Scoville Heat Unit. Scoville
heat units measure the spiciness in peppers.
What makes bell peppers so great? They add color, texture and flavor to
pizza, salads and other ethnic foods. They are easy to use since they mix with
almost any type of food, such as rice, fish, pasta, as well as other vegetables.
They are versatile and can be eaten stuffed, roasted, stewed, pickled and even
raw.
If all that doesn’t make peppers great, add that they are also rich in
vitamins and minerals. Peppers are high in Vitamin C and are a good source of
beta carotene, potassium, folic acid and fiber. Vitamin C, also known as
ascorbic acid, is needed for growth and repair of tissues in the body. It helps
to form collagen, a protein used to make skin, scar tissue and blood vessels,
and is also needed for cartilage, bones, teeth and healing wounds. Peppers are
one of the highest sources of Vitamin C.
They are a wonderful fit into MyPyramid. The green triangle of MyPyramid is
the vegetable section. Vegetables may be raw or cooked; fresh, frozen or canned.
The daily vegetable consumption per person varies depending upon your age,
gender and level of physical activity. For an average 2,000 calorie diet, it is
recommended having about two and one half cups of vegetables per day. If you do
not want to measure that out, it would be equivalent to the size of a baseball
or the size of your fist.
Bell peppers are available year round in supermarkets, farmers markets and
roadside stands from May through December. The green bell pepper is usually the
least expensive. If buying other colors, try to purchase them on sale.
When looking for bell peppers, select peppers with deep color, glossy skin
and firmness. Avoid those with flimsy sides, those that are wilted, those that
have cuts and tears in the walls and those with watery spots on the sides.
Store your peppers unwashed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Peppers
will stay fresh for about a week. Green bell peppers will stay fresh longer than
the yellow and red ones.
When ready to use your bell peppers, wash fresh peppers gently under cold
running water to remove any dirt. Use a paring knife to cut around the stem and
then gently remove it. To cut the peppers into strips, cut the pepper in half
lengthwise, clean out the core and seeds, and then, cut into desired sizes and
shapes. Peppers can be diced, cut horizontally into rings or left whole for
stuffed peppers after carefully removing the seeds from the inner cavity.
With now being the season for bell peppers, why not purchase some from the
farmers market and enjoy their nutritional value, taste, flavor and color.
If you would like a free handout to learn more about bell peppers, contact me
at the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service in Miller County at
400 Laurel, Suite 215 in Texarkana, call 870-779-3609, or e-mail
chaley@uaex.edu.
If looking for a healthy entrée for dinner tonight, consider Chicken Pepper
Steak. You can have it on the table in 45 minutes or less, and it has only 250
calories per serving. Serve it with rice or pasta, and you have a well-balanced
meal.
Chicken Pepper Steak
Non-stick cooking spray
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
One half teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons minced garlic
One half cup light soy sauce
1 large onion, sliced
2 tablespoons corn starch
One and one half cup water
1 bell pepper, sliced
4 tomatoes, chopped
On a plate, season chicken with salt and onion powder. Spray large skillet
with non-stick cooking spray and place chicken in skillet. Cook for about 5 to 7
minutes, add minced garlic, 4 tablespoons soy sauce and half the sliced onion.
Cook until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear or until a meat
thermometer reaches 165 degrees.
Dissolve cornstarch in water in a small bowl, and blend into the chicken
mixture. Stir in 4 tablespoons soy sauce, bell pepper, tomatoes and remaining
onion. Simmer until gravy has reached desired consistency.
Serve over cooked rice or pasta.
We appreciate your feedback!
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