Ring in the Benefits of…Bell Peppers!

Here’s hoping 2012 finds you happy and healthy. And this year, you can resolve to be more adventurous in your cooking by using healthy ingredients that taste terrific.

What better way to “ring” in the New Year than with bell peppers? You can grill ‘em, toss ‘em into salads, or eat ‘em as is. Bell peppers not only taste great, but they also offer amazing health benefits. For one-third the calories of an orange, a bell pepper packs twice as much vitamin C, an antioxidant that gobbles up cell-damaging free radicals. Vitamin C may also help lessen the severity and duration of a cold.

To be a pepper person, whip up this dee-lish dish:

Unstuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients:

2 cups of sliced green bell peppers

1 cup of sliced green onions

½ cup of sliced celery

1 tablespoon of olive oil

4 ounces of lean ground beef

½ cup of water

¼ teaspoon of dried thyme

¼ teaspoon of salt

2 cups of cooked rice

Instructions:

Sauté the peppers, onions, and celery in the oil until the vegetables soften. Crumble the beef into the pan and brown it. Stir in the water, thyme, and salt. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes, until the water evaporates. Add the rice, stir, and serve.

Happy New Year!