Happy Tuesday friends! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed the summer like weather. I am happy to announce that I am officially done with my first year of graduate school! It seems like just yesterday I was applying to the program. I hope that you will continue to take this journey with me and we can learn about nutrition together.
Today I wanted to share with you a delicious stuffed mini pepper recipe I learned to make at Pensacola Cooks. This is a great summer time appetizer that is easy and nutritious. You can choose whatever cheese you want to stuff the peppers with but I always use goat cheese. The cheese I used was purchased at the Nashville Farmer’s Market. Goat cheese has less lactose and casein then cow milk cheese so its a better option nutrition wise.
Ingredients
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
4 teaspoons Virgin Olive Oil (divided)
25 mini bell peppers (washed)
10 ounces goat cheese (room temperature)
4 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)- optional
2 tablespoons chives (chopped)
Black pepper (to taste)
*You may use any fresh herb you like in place of chives.
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium/low heat. Add panko crumbs and sauté until crumbs are golden brown.
3. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Slice peppers in half lengthwise, taking care to leave the stems intact whenever possible.
5. Remove spongy ribs and seeds.
6. Arrange peppers on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with remaining 3 teaspoons of olive oil and set aside.
7. In a small bowl, mix together goat cheese, cream cheese, herbs, and pepper with a fork until well combined.
8. Spoon or pipe the cheese mixture into the hollowed out peppers.
9. Sprinkle toasted panko bread crumbs evenly over peppers and bake for 12-15 minutes or until peppers are tender and the goat cheese is warm.
Nutritional Facts About Mini Peppers
Whether mild or fiery, peppers are nutrient-dense. They are one of the richest sources of vitamins A and C. Just a cup a day can provide more than 100% of your daily needs.
Both hot and sweet peppers may enhance weight loss efforts. Research has shown that capsaicin—the substance that gives hot red peppers (or chilies) their kick, and boosts our
metabolism—keeps immature fat cells from developing into full-fledged ones. And a study presented in April found that a compound in some sweet peppers (called CH-19 Sweet), which resembles capsaicin, provides similar positive metabolic effects—minus the burning mouth and lips.
Another benefit of capsaicin: A study in the British Journal of Nutrition showed that adding hot chilis to daily meals may protect against the buildup of cholesterol in the blood compared with eating a bland diet. (The hotter the chili, the more capsaicin.)
OMG these look absolutely divine! I just spent a ton of quality time looking over the blog in recent weeks; I’m liking your balance 🙂 Hope you’re doing well! Blogger/real friend date soon 🙂 xo, Nicole
Aww thanks Nicole for such kind words! You always inspire me! 🙂 YES a date is needed very soon please! Xoxo