Grilled Red Peppers and other Summer Vegetables with Yogurt Sauce
One of my favorite lazy ways to prepare fresh summer vegetables is cooking them on the grill. It’s so easy and the perfect way to take advantage of the summer bounty of peppers, squash and onions. Making a big batch ensures you have a stash for a quick pasta salad or sandwich.
Recently, I joined a new weekly food blogging group that will feature a different Power Food each week based on the book Power Foods: 150 delicious recipes with 38 Healthiest Ingredients from the editors of Martha Stewart’s Whole Living Magazine. Power Foods are foods that are outstanding in the amounts of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, essential fatty acids, fiber and more, that help fight disease and promote good health.
This week, we’re featuring Bell Peppers as a Power Food.
Red Peppers and Other Summer Vegetables ready for the grill
Bell peppers are surprisingly a Power Food. Although I have used roasted peppers as the main ingredient in Muhammara, a roasted red pepper dip, and Roasted Red Pepper Carrot Pesto, I usually use red bell peppers in stir-fries, as crudite dippers, or as part of a medley of grilled vegetables.
So, what makes Bell Peppers a Power Food? Bell peppers are packed with carotenoids, which help boost the immune system and fight cancer and heart disease. Interestingly enough, orange peppers are a top source of lutein and zeaxanthin (more than any other fruit or vegetable), which are important for good vision, and red peppers contain beta-carotene, important for night vision.
Bell peppers are exceptionally high in vitamin C and vitamin A. One cup of raw bell peppers provides 195.8% Daily Value vitamin C and 57.6% Daily Value vitamin A. They are also high in vitamin B6, folate, fiber and vitamin E.
It’s best to eat bell peppers raw or just cooking them for a short period of time as higher heat cooking can damage some of the delicate phytonutrients in bell peppers. Whoops! See, I learned something. Although I do love roasted and grilled bell peppers, it’s better to enjoy them raw in a salad or in a stir-fry where they are barely cooked.
Here’s a Power Salad I made last night for the kids, full of Red Peppers, Yellow Peppers, Tomatoes, Avocados, Cucumbers, and Romaine Lettuce. I took a picture with my phone and posted it on Facebook.
Power Salad with Red and Yellow Bell Peppers, Tomatoes, Avocados, Cucumber and Romaine Lettuce
Grilled Bell Peppers and Summer Squash
Ingredients
- 2 Bell Peppers cut into 2" pieces
- 2 Summer Squash cut lengthwise into 1/2" slices
- 1 Zucchini cut lengthwise into 1/2" slices
- 1 Onion sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano thyme or rosemary (use fresh if you have it)
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Yogurt Sauce for serving optional
Instructions
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Gently toss vegetables with olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper.
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Grill on a sheet of aluminum foil until done, about 10-12 minutes, turning pieces halfway through.
Check out what these other bloggers have cooked up for this week: (If you’re interested in joining our group, contact Mireya from My Healthy Eating Habits.
Alyce –Â More Time at the Table
Ansh –Â Spice Roots,
Casey –Â Bookcase Foodie
Jill –Â Saucy Cooks
Martha –Â Simple-Nourished-Living
Mireya –Â My Healthy Eating Habits
Sarah –Â Everything in the Kitchen Sink
Bambi – Adobo Down Under
This post has been linked up to Beyond the Peel’s “Keep It Real” Thursday event, This Chick Cooks Whole Food Wednesdays event, Kelly the Kitchen Kop’s Real Food Wednesday event.
Most often at the farm stand we see green or red peppers, but in the market, I find yellow, orange and purple ones, too. Are they equally nutritious? (sorry if this is a duplicate comment; not sure it saved the first time!)
Compared to green peppers, red peppers have nine times the amount of carotene and twice the vitamin C of green peppers. Red peppers also contain the antioxidant lycopene. Generally speaking, the more colorful the vegetable. I read somewhere that yellow peppers do not have as much vitamin A as red peppers.
I would always give my mom a hard time when she made bell pepper dishes, until one day I breathed in the aroma of roasting bell peppers. That was it. I was hooked for life. I love grilled bell peppers. Lovely Lovely dish, Jeanette.
Grilled or roasted bell peppers are hard to resist. I had the same experience when I first tried roasting bell peppers.
There is nothing like roasting vegetables to get the full measure of them. This is a good combination of vegetables. Your salad looks delicious, as well.
Thanks for such an informative and colorful post Jeanette! While the raw peppers do maintain all of the nutrients, I am going to assume that if I just ate 2-3 portions of those delicious grilled peppers I can make up the difference!
I think eating vegetables is a plus when you enjoy what you’re eating, so I’m with you. I love my roasted red peppers, but I will try to throw them in raw in salads.
Beautiful post–love the colors! Happy Friday, Jeanette.
i’m all about simple veggie dishes! yay for grilled delights!
This is my kind of recipe 😉 It looks gorgeous, thanks for sharing!
// Anne – lesquatresaisonsblog.blogspot.dk
I absolutely love salads made from grilled vegetables, especially when they’re marinated with garlic and herbs. I’ll give this one a try soon after getting home to my outdoor grill.
I love your varieties on the mixed veggies! Yes, I love the charred flavor from the grill as well. So easy to prepare and so flavorful. 🙂 Hope you’re enjoying your weekend.
I do love grilled vegetables in the summer – they’re so versatile too. I grill extra and keep them in the refrigerator for sandwiches and quesadillas for the kids.
I love bell peppers, actually just had some stir-fries with black fungus. Love yours with summer squash too. Very fresh and healthy.
NOW THAT is my kind of salad! Delicious. Looks like summer in a bowel! 🙂
Sounds awesome, my kind of salad!
This looks and sounds wonderful! I can’t wait to give this recipe a try!
What a colorful informative post, Jeannette. I learn so much every time I visit your site. A huge fan of grilled vegetables, I also try to keep extras in the fridge for salads, sandwiches and pastas. Can’t wait to try your Power Salad.
There is just NOTHING better than grilled summer veggies, especially red pepps. Just coaxes out all that juicy sweetness… Now I just need to get a grill, the George Foreman can’t compete. And yes, I still break out the Foreman from time to time!
Roasted peppers are at the top of the yummy list. I didn’t know they were a power food! Great excuse to eat more of them!