Stuffed Peppers

Reasons why you want to eat bell peppers:

1. Because they’re delish
2. Because they’re colourful and colourful = fun
3. Om nom nom nom – Oh, sorry, I was eating a bell pepper and forgot that I was typing
4. Bell peppers were named by Christopher Columbus and Christopher Columbus is cool

There are also many other very important reasons to eat bell peppers:

1. They are LOADED with vitamins.  A red bell pepper contains almost 300% of your daily Vitamin C intake (needed for proper absorption of Iron) and 105% of your daily Vitamin A intake.  They are also a great source of Magnesium and Vitamin B6 – this combination has shown to decrease anxiety.
2. They contain tons of Antioxidants, which keep your body the power house that it is.  Antioxidants play a large part in conquering illness and studies have shown they help treat depression, as well as prevent further harm to your body if you have Crohn’s disease. They are also a great source of Lycopene, which has been shown to lower risk of certain cancers. 
3. They increase your metabolic rate, in other words, they help burn calories.  One bell pepper contains only about 30-40 calories so this is a delicious choice for the weight conscious person.  They are also low in fat and cholesterol free.

Now I’m not the type of person who can sit and chew on a bell pepper for a half hour, but if you are, all the power to you.  So I’ve found various ways to cook peppers and my favourite way is to stuff them.  Stuff those babies like you stuff a turkey on Thanksgiving when your mother-in-law is in town.

Stuffed Bell Peppers:

Ingredients:

-4 bell peppers (preferably red)

-1 cup of cooked rice or Quinoa

-1 pound of lean ground turkey

-2 garlic cloves

-1/2 cup chopped onion

-1/2 cup diced tomatoes

-olive oil

-Salt and pepper

(Now, I will say that this is the most simple stuffed pepper recipe.  I would encourage you to add things like zucchini, mushrooms, celery, carrots, etc., and any spices that you like – for example, cumin, basil, cayenne, thyme, sage, or cilantro etc.)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cut top off bell peppers and dig the crap out of the inside and chuck it in the garbage 
3. In a pan fry oil, ground turkey, crushed garlic, onion, and tomatoes (and any other veggies or spices you add) until browned.  Add salt and pepper.
4. Scoop mixture into the bell pepper halves.  Place peppers into casserole dish and cook for 30 minutes.  If you would like, you can also melt cheese on top. 

Now the BEST part about bell peppers is that you don’t lose any nutritional value by cooking them.  So cook those bad boys up like no tomorrow and enjoy.