It’s a good thing we bought pepper starts instead of growing our peppers from seeds. The summer is nearing its end and we are just starting to pull our peppers out from the garden for culinary use. We planted our peppers back in April and it has taken them over four months to grow and change color! I don’t mean to sound impatient but when you are growing your first garden, four months is a long time to wait!
Aaron and I enjoyed our first “Baby Bell” last Sunday in our morning scrambled eggs. As a sign of our impatience, the red pepper was mostly green when we picked it. Was it worth the wait, you ask? I think it was but can’t tell you it tasted any different than other peppers I have purchased from the grocery store. All I know is that the cost to grow this pepper was much less than buying a pepper at the store and we had the pride of growing it ourselves. What a great opportunity for a Master Card commercial…red pepper from the grocery store…2 dollars. Bell pepper seeds at the green house…1 dollar. The pride of growing your own peppers…priceless!
As we continue to wait for our remaining peppers to reach fruition, I think about recipes to make their growing graduation more of a celebration. Below is a recipe that I am considering. It’s a healthy one!
Stuffed Peppers
5 Bell Peppers
1 pound of ground turkey breast
1 cup of cooked brown or wild rice
1 egg white
½ chopped onion
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 Tablespoons ketchup
1 pound of Italian stewed tomatoes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cut tops off peppers and clean out seeds.
- Steam peppers until slightly soft.
- Mix remaining ingredients except stewed tomatoes and spoon in to peppers.
- Place peppers in a greased casserole dish and pour stewed tomatoes over the top.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes.
Nutrition info per serving: calories 250, carbohydrates 25 grams, fiber 5 grams, protein 25 grams, total fat 6 grams, sodium 470 milligrams
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