All tagged Bell Pepper

Raw Vegan Pad Thai

Raw Vegan Pad Thai

Chelsea Gloeckner
Blog

This might be one of my absolute favorite ways to eat vegetables!  The Miso Pad Thai sauce alone is worth making- drizzle over greens or roasted vegetables- yum! Perfect for hot weather, this Raw Vegan Pad Thai will satisfy you for lunch or dinner while making you feel light and energized. 

Serves: 2

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 0 minutes

What (your ingredients):

Miso Pad Thai Sauce:

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp coconut aminos or soy sauce

1 tsp miso paste

¼ cup almond butter

3 medjool dates

Juice of ½ lemon

1 clove garlic

¼ cup warm water

Pad Thai:

2 large carrots

1 red bell pepper

2 medium zucchini, julienned

2 small English cucumbers, julienned

1 spring onion, sliced thinly

Toppings: sesame seeds, alfalfa sprouts, pinch of salt

How (your directions):

For the Miso Pad Thai Sauce, add all ingredients to a high-speed blender.  Blend on high for 1 minute until smooth.  Set aside while you prepare the Pad Thai ingredients.

Grate 2 large carrots and add to a large bowl.  Thinly slice 1 red bell pepper and add to the carrots. 

Using a vegetable peeler, julienne 2 zucchini.  When it becomes difficult to julienne the zucchini, dice the remaining zucchini into small pieces.   Add zucchini to the bowl.  

Repeat the julienne process with 2 English cucumbers.  Add cucumbers to the bowl.

Thinly slice 1 spring onion and add to the bowl. 

Pour the Miso Pad Thai Sauce over the prepared vegetables.  Toss gently until all ingredients are evenly coated in the sauce.

Serve immediately by diving the Pad Thai salad onto two plates.  Top with sesame seeds, alfalfa sprouts, and a pinch of salt. 

Tip: if preparing the Raw Vegan Pad Thai in advance, do not add the dressing, as the salt will pull out the water from the vegetables and make the salad soupy and watery.  Dress salad with the Miso Pad Thai Sauce when ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Why (the science):  Every vegetable has a different combination of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, so you’ll benefit from the array of colors in this salad!

Crunchy Curry Salad with Farro

Crunchy Curry Salad with Farro

Chelsea Gloeckner
Blog

Crunchy Curry Salad with Farro is filling salad, heart enough to be a meal on its own, but light and crunchy and crisp.  Refreshing for a hot, summer day!

Serves: 4-6

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

What (your ingredients):

½ cup farro

¼ teaspoon curry powder

¼ teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon paprika

Juice of 1 lime

Juice of 1 lemon

1 head of kale

5-7 radishes

½ large seedless cucumber

1 orange bell pepper

1 shallot

How (your directions):

Heat 5 cups of water in a large pot with 2 teaspoons salt.  Once boiling, add the farro and cook for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, to a large bowl, add curry powder, cumin, paprika, lime juice, and lemon juice.  Stir to combine.

Finely chop kale and add to the bowl with spices.  Massage 2 minutes to soften kale.

Dice radishes, cucumber, and bell pepper and add to kale. 

Mince 1 shallot and add to kale salad.

Once farro is cooked, drain farro, then add to kale salad.  Mix to combine.

Enjoy immediately or store in refrigerator for the next day’s lunch or dinner!

Why (the science):  Spices have anti-inflammatory powers, so combine spices to flavor your meals in replace of adding salt.  If the salad needs salt, add a pinch, but you won’t need a lot with the flavors of curry and cumin 😊 

Pasta Primavera

Pasta Primavera

Chelsea Gloeckner
Blog

Pasta Primavera is a smart dish to encourage more vegetable intake, without feeling like you’re eating a bunch of vegetables😉 It’s a scrumptious sauce with lots and lots of fresh veggies, and I encourage you to use whatever you may have on hand.  Lentil pasta and cannellini beans up the protein significantly.  I serve this Pasta Primavera over fresh zucchini noodles to add even more vegetables and bulk to my pasta portion.

Serves: 4-6

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

What (your ingredients):

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 red onion, finely diced

1 orange bell pepper, diced

1 head broccolette, diced

¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning

Pinch of paprika

Pinch of salt

2 handfuls kale, chopped

1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 jar marinara sauce (I used a rich tomato sauce with Barolo wine)

12 oz. lentil Sedanini pasta (or any short pasta shape)

3 zucchini, spiralized

How (your directions):

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add red onion, bell pepper, broccolette, Italian seasoning, paprika, and salt.  Stir and sauté for 5 minutes.

Add chopped kale and sauté for 2 minutes.

Stir in cannellini beans and marinara sauce.  Heat through while pasta cooks, about 5-6 minutes.

Drain pasta and add to primavera sauce.

In each pasta bowl, place several curls of spiralized zucchini.  Ladle pasta and primavera sauce over fresh zucchini noodles.

Enjoy!

Why (the science):  Lentil pasta is high in protein (13 grams protein per serving!) which makes it a nutritious way to enjoy pasta and reach satiety sooner than you would with a white pasta.

 

Anti-inflammatory Curry

Anti-inflammatory Curry

Chelsea Gloeckner
Blog

When I’m feeling the aches of the flu or a bad cold, I crave a meal that can fight the inflammation in my body.  This Anti-Inflammatory Curry is quick and easy enough to make when you’re sick (yes, I know from experience) but is light and easy on the stomach, since it’s not spicy.  So often curries are heavy and fatty, but this curry is more like a broth.  Pairs perfectly with a side of brown rice!

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

What (your ingredients):

1 teaspoon coconut oil

2 bell peppers, medium diced

1 block extra-firm tofu, cubed

1 head broccoli, cut into florets

2 large carrots, diced

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

2 tablespoons red curry paste

1 15-oz. can coconut milk

Brown rice to serve

How (your directions):

In a large skillet, heat coconut oil over medium heat.  Add bell peppers and tofu, then sauté for 5 minutes.

Add broccoli florets, diced carrots, and minced ginger.  Sauté for 5 minutes.

Add red curry paste and coconut milk and stir to combine.  Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook on low heat for 20 minutes.

Serve over brown rice, and salt to taste.

Enjoy!

Why (the science):  Curries make powerful anti-inflammatory meals because they so often include foods to reduce oxidative stress in the body.  Coconut oil, broccoli, turmeric, and ginger are all found in this recipe, which means this curry battles oxidation and inflammation in a variety of ways.

Shakshuka-Eggs Poached in a Tomato Stew

Shakshuka-Eggs Poached in a Tomato Stew

Chelsea Gloeckner
Blog

Shakshuka is the fancy name for a one-skillet dish of eggs poached in a tomato stew or sauce.  While shakshuka originated in North Africa, it is now a breakfast favorite in Israel.  While you can certainly wow your friends and family at a weekend breakfast or brunch, I prefer to make it as an easy weeknight dinner.  Shakshuka is warm and comforting at the end of a workday 😊  Serve with crusty bread, or my favorite way, over brown rice with a drizzle of good olive oil!

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes

What (your ingredients):

1 tablespoon avocado oil

2 shallots, thinly sliced

1 zucchini, diced small

1 yellow squash, diced small

1 bell pepper, diced small

5-6 Roma tomatoes, diced small

1 head of kale, roughly chopped

 Salt

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon cumin

1 15-oz. can tomato sauce

½ cup water

4 eggs

How (your directions):

In a medium cast-iron skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Add shallots and cook 3-4 minutes until translucent.

Add diced zucchini, squash, pepper, tomatoes, kale, and salt.  Sauté for 5 minutes until vegetables begin to brown slightly.

Add garlic and cumin and sauté for 1 minute.

Add tomato sauce and ½ cup water, then simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Using the back of a wooden spoon (or just a spoon or ladle), create four wells for the eggs.

Crack an egg carefully to keep the yolk intact and gently allow egg to slip into one of the wells.

Repeat for remaining three eggs.

Cover and allow to simmer until eggs are cooked to desired doneness (about 10 minutes).

Serve hot over brown rice with a drizzle of good olive oil and a sprinkle of salt!

Why (the science):  You may know that tomatoes are rich in lycopene, which is protective against prostate cancer, but did you know that the more processed the tomato is, the more lycopene there is?  Canned tomato sauce and tomato paste have a higher lycopene content than raw tomatoes!

Easy Tomato and Bell Pepper Pasta Sauce

Easy Tomato and Bell Pepper Pasta Sauce

Chelsea Gloeckner
Blog

This Easy Tomato and Bell Pepper Pasta Sauce is seriously the easiest and quickest pasta sauce ever.  Chop some tomatoes and bell peppers, simmer, add a punch of flavor with pesto and-BOOM!-dinner is ready!  Yep, that’s all it takes to make a dinner that doubles as a hot or cold pasta salad to take to work/school for lunch during the rest of the week 😊

Serves: 6

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

What (your ingredients):

1 lb. short pasta

2 cups tomatoes, roughly chopped (I used yellow/red/orange cherry tomatoes and orange heirloom tomatoes)

1 yellow pepper, roughly chopped

1 orange pepper, roughly chopped

½ cup water

Pinch of salt

1 tablespoon pesto

How (your directions):

Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt to the salinity of the ocean (this ensures flavorful cooked pasta).  Cook pasta according to pasta directions, then drain and set aside.

In a large saucepan, add tomatoes, peppers, a pinch of salt, and the ½ cup of water. 

Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove lid and reduce liquid slightly for 5 minutes.

Transfer sauce to blender and add pesto.  Blend on high until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Pour sauce back into the saucepan and mix pasta into sauce over low heat, to finish heating through.

Serve immediately!  Also delicious cold for lunch 😊

Why (the science):  Bell peppers are full of vitamin C, A, and folate!  Not to mention, this Easy Tomato and Bell Pepper Pasta Sauce has ZERO sugar, a characteristic hard to find in most store-bought pasta sauces.

 

Strawberry Pepper Gazpacho

Strawberry Pepper Gazpacho

Chelsea Gloeckner
Blog

Strawberry Pepper Gazpacho is sweet with a kick!  The strawberries balance the spiciness of the jalapeno, and the peppers add body and texture to this bountiful summer soup.  I poured my gazpacho into two clean pasta sauce jars, making these the perfect grab-and-go meals or afternoon snacks.  Because it can be enjoyed cold or room temperature, strawberry pepper gazpacho can be enjoyed anywhere, be that work, school, outdoor festival, or picnic!

Serves: 2

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 0 minutes

What (your ingredients):

1 lb. strawberries, rinsed (keep the green stems on!)

1 yellow pepper

1 orange pepper

6-8 small tomatoes

1 jalapeno, veins and seeds removed

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

How (your directions):

Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until almost smooth but leaving a little texture.

Serve immediately or keep in the fridge for 4 days.

Enjoy!

Why (the science):  With colors like orange, yellow, and red, this soup is truly overflowing with vitamin C and antioxidants 😊

 

*Recipe updated from Purple Carrot

Spring Rolls with a Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce

Spring Rolls with a Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce

Chelsea Gloeckner
Blog

Spring rolls are the perfect grab-and-go lunch for a busy work or school day.  You can assemble them the night before, place them in an airtight container with a separate container for the dipping sauce, and take them with you the next day- no heating required!  While spring rolls can be $7-9 from a grocery store counter, you can make these for nickels and pennies 😊

Serving Size: 6 Spring Rolls (Serves 2-3)

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 3 minutes

What (your ingredients):

45 grams Instant Vermicelli Rice noodles

6 sheets Rice Paper

1 cup of our favorite sliced veggies! Carrots, Radish, Cucumber, Bell Pepper, Cabbage, etc.

1 Avocado, thinly sliced

Mint or Basil leaves

2 tablespoons peanut butter (I use Justin’s Honey Peanut Butter for added sweetness.  Hint: Add one teaspoon of honey or maple syrup to dipping sauce if using a plain peanut butter)

1 teaspoon sriracha

1 teaspoon soy sauce

How (your directions):

Spring Rolls:

Soak rice noodles in boiling water for 3 minutes, then rinse with cold water.  Drain and set aside on paper towel.

Fill a large bowl with warm water.

When ready to assemble, soak one rice paper sheet in warm water for 20 seconds until pliable then lay flat on work surface.

Fill with favorite sliced veggies, a few rice noodles, 2-3 thin slices of avocado, and 2-3 mint or basil leaves.

Roll spring roll like a burrito, then repeat with remaining 5 rice sheets.

Dipping Sauce:

Combine 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, 1 teaspoon sriracha, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and 2-3 tablespoons of water. 

Whisk until smooth.  Thin with extra water if desired.

Why (the science):  Spring rolls with the spicy peanut dipping sauce create a balanced meal of fiber-rich and water-rich vegetables, carbohydrates from the rice noodles and rice paper, and healthy fats from avocado and peanut butter.  Not to mention, they are incredibly refreshing on a warm Spring day!

Mexican Veggie Hash

Mexican Veggie Hash

Chelsea Gloeckner
Blog

One of my favorite brunch items to order is a potato hash with eggs, so when I decided to make hash at home, I was surprised at how easy it is to create!  What makes a hash extra awesome is that you can use any combination of veggies you have in your kitchen 😊  I like to serve mine with a squeeze of lime, half of an avocado with sea salt, and a perfectly fried egg.  Hash makes great leftovers for work or school the next day- just serve over rice, or fill a few tacos with the hash and a sprinkle of cheese.

What (your ingredients):

4-5 Yukon gold potatoes

1 large sweet potato

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 red onion

1 green bell pepper

1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 teaspoon cumin

Pinch of salt and freshly cracked pepper

Toppings: avocado or guacamole, salsa, lime, fried egg, cilantro, cheese, etc.

How (your directions):

Preheat oven to 400° F.  Grease 2 large baking sheets with oil or line with a silicone mat.  Set aside.

Using the dicing blade on a food processor, or using a sharp knife, dice the potatoes into a small dice, keeping the dice size consistent for even roasting.

Toss potatoes with 1 teaspoon olive oil and evenly distribute between the 2 baking sheets.

Roast for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large fry pan, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium heat.  Add diced red onion and sauté for 5 minutes.  add bell pepper and sauté an additional 5 minutes.

When potatoes have finished roasting, add potatoes to the fry pan.  Add black beans, cumin and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Press mixture firmly so that a golden crust can form on the hash (like making a crunchy paella).

Serve hot with your favorite toppings- I highly recommend avocado and a fried egg so that the yolk can act as a sauce!

Why (the science):  Potatoes and beans create a complete protein, meaning that this dish can be vegan (skip the egg) and you still get all 13 of the essential amino acids your body needs!

Fairytale Eggplant in a Balsamic Reduction with Oven-Roasted Peppers

Fairytale Eggplant in a Balsamic Reduction with Oven-Roasted Peppers

Chelsea Gloeckner
Blog

Fairytale eggplant is officially the most adorable vegetable because of its tiny size and purple-white stripes!  But there’s another reason to love this little eggplant: it does not have the bitterness that a typical Italian eggplant that you find at the grocery store has (you know the ones…those giant dark purple eggplant giants).  Fairytale eggplant has very few seeds, the culprit for eggplant bitterness.  Between the smell of homemade roasted peppers, the sweetness of a balsamic reduction, and the punch of peppery oregano, you will be transported straight to an Italian kitchen.  Buon appetito!  

Sausage and Mushroom Stuffed Peppers

Sausage and Mushroom Stuffed Peppers

Chelsea Gloeckner
Blog

I grew up eating stuffed peppers made with love by my mom, and it was the first dish I cooked when I moved into my very first apartment after college!  I've since updated the classic with a healthy twist, which has surpassed the original!  When your mom makes the lightened version and exclaims, "I'll never go back to making the old version again," then you've successfully developed a mouth-watering and time-saving dinner that anyone can make :) Serves 4