Recipe Box # 12 - Red Pepper Coulis on Zucchini Swirls

One week, our Power Food vegetable was the bell pepper. I use a variety of colored peppers and my favorites are the yellow, red and orange. Green peppers finds a place in certain dishes but have a slightly bitter taste. The brighter colors are sweeter which is proven by my grandchildren who love peppers only if they are the "pretty" shades.

There are many health benefits in eating these lovely vegetables. " Bell pepper is not only an excellent source of carotenoids, but also a source of over 30 different members of the carotenoid nutrient family. A recent study from Spain took a close look vitamin C, vitamin E, and six of these carotenoids (alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin) in all commonly eaten foods and found that only two vegetables contained at least two-thirds of all the listed nutrients. One of these foods was tomato, and the other was sweet bell pepper! Bell pepper alone provided 12% of the total zeaxanthin found in the participants' diets. (Bell pepper also provided 7% of the participants' total vitamin C intake.) WH Foods

Without much effort, I probably used bell peppers in about 10 dishes, during the week. While, I am aware, I have peppers on hand, I did not think about how often, I reach for one and add it to a salad or stir fry it for our favorite dishes or roast it. Roasting peppers make them even more delicious than they are fresh from the plant. We have a small garden and we usually try to fit in a few pepper plants.

My recipe for the coulis comes from one of my favorite books, The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen by Levana Kirschenbaum. In most of the recipes, I had looked at, for the coulis, the red peppers were roasted but I had already made this using the raw pepper. I had some left after using it with the zucchini and it adds flavor to many dishes.

I have this neat machine which makes long, very long swirls from vegetables. I broke my long swirl into shorter pieces for the simple purpose of eating. If spaghetti can be messy, picture several feet of zucchini swirl. I cut them down to about 2 inches a piece. Straight ribbons could be used as well as thin sliced zucchini.

Red Pepper Coulis on Zucchini Swirls


1 red pepper, cut into chunks

1/4 cup basil leaves

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoons paprika (try smoked for more flavor)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne sauce

salt and pepper, to taste

Put ingredients into a food processor and run for at least a minute until smooth. Mine is not as perfectly smooth as the recipe called for which we prefer.




Mireya is the originator of the group. If you are interested in participating, please contact her. Mireya - My Healthy Eating Habits

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