Chili: 5 benefits and healthy recipes

A crunchy, acidic, sweet vegetable, pepper can be found in various shades and most Brazilians’ stews or salads. In addition to being great for those looking to lose weight, its peculiar flavour has made it the darling of many recipes.

On top of that, its consumption can still reduce bad cholesterol and prevent cancer! Need more reasons to add this fruit to your diet? Discover all the benefits and learn how to make delicious dishes using green, yellow and red peppers.

Please take the opportunity to ask questions about this vegetable and its contraindications and learn some curiosities. Good reading!

The Top 5 Benefits of Bell Pepper

Pepper contains appropriate levels of vitamin C, vitamin A and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus and iron, adding numerous benefits to the body’s health. Know the main ones:

1- Fights bad cholesterol

The lycopene in peppers is a powerful antioxidant capable of reducing cholesterol levels. This substance reduces the imbalance in LDL particles (low-density lipoproteins, also called “bad cholesterol“). LDL is responsible for cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attack and stroke.

2- Prevents cancer

Also, thanks to its composition rich in antioxidants, pepper can act against the formation of diseased cells, which cause cancer, mainly fighting prostate cancer, according to the Ministry of Health.

The antioxidants present in the plant act as a defence for the body, neutralizing free radicals – unstable molecules that multiply quickly and that damage healthy cells in the body – which cause the weakening of the immune system and premature aging of organs and tissues.

3- Strengthens the immune

The pepper is a reference when it comes to vitamin C. It is one of the vegetables with an expressive amount of this nutrient. And it is from it that its consumption strengthens the immune system.

The vitamin C in peppers helps the body’s cells grow and stay healthy. It is needed to fight infections, facilitate iron absorption and strengthen the immune system, acting against colds and flu.

4- Vision Health

Another compound in abundance in peppers is vitamin A. It is essential to ensure the eyes’ health, maintaining good vision and hydration of the ocular surface. This vitamin prevents diseases such as blindness and night blindness.

5- Slims down

Did you know that chilli is thermogenic? That’s right. It is from the pepper family, and although it doesn’t burn as much as its sisters, it has thermogenic property, which speeds up the metabolism, facilitating fat burning.

It is also low in calories, with green pepper being the most sought after to compose a diet, having just over 20 calories in 100 grams.

Nutritional table

* Daily reference values ​​based on a 2000kcal or 8400kj diet. Your daily values ​​can be higher or lower depending on your energy needs. Data taken from TACO, revised and expanded edition.

Revenues

The pepper is used in many dishes and can be served in salads or as part of recipes such as moqueca or fish stew. Also, as the main dish, as in the case of peppers stuffed with meat or chicken.

Stuffed peppers with ground beef

Ingredients

• Four red, yellow and green peppers
• Three tablespoons of oil
• Two chopped garlic cloves
• One chopped onion
• 500 g of ground beef
• Salt and pepper to taste
• One tablespoon of chopped parsley
• Three tablespoons of chopped green olives
• Two chopped cooked carrots
• Oil for anointing.

Preparation mode

Cut the caps off the peppers and remove the seeds. In a pan, saute the oil, garlic and onion. Add ground beef, salt, pepper and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the parsley, olives and carrots.

Mix all the ingredients. Stuff the peppers and close them with the reserved lids, securing them with toothpicks. Arrange the peppers in a greased tin and place them in a preheated medium oven for about 25 minutes, turning them halfway through.

Salad

Ingredients

• Two units of green pepper
• Two teams of red pepper
• 1 unit of sliced ​​onion
• Two garlic cloves
• Olive oil to taste
• White pepper to taste
• salt to taste
• White vinegar to taste.

Preparation mode

Remove the skin from the peppers (scraping over the fire) and cut into strips. Mash the garlic cloves with salt and pepper to taste, add a little vinegar, add the onion, and add the pepper and oil. Tip: It is ideal to accompany barbecue, steak with rice or bread.

Braised

Ingredients

• One red pepper
• One onion
• Two garlic cloves
• Two tablespoons of oil
• Salt and black pepper to taste.

Preparation mode

Cut the bell pepper into thin strips, removing the seeds. Cut the onion into thin half-moons and saute them with the oil and the chopped garlic cloves. Add the peppers, season with salt and pepper to taste and saute for another 5 minutes until very soft. It can be served with mashed potatoes.

In the chicken

Ingredients

• 1kg of diced chicken breast
• Salt, black pepper and chopped green scent to taste
• Four tablespoons of oil
• One chopped onion
• 3 crushed garlic cloves
• ½ diced green pepper
• ½ diced yellow pepper
• ½ diced red pepper
• ½ cup (of tea) of hot water
• One tablespoon of cornstarch
• ½ cup (of tea) of soy sauce.

Preparation mode

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil over high heat in a saucepan and brown the chicken. Place over medium heat and add onion and garlic and saute. Add the peppers and saute for another 2 minutes.

Add the water and cook for 5 minutes over low heat. Dissolve the cornstarch in the soy sauce and add to the stir-fry, stirring until slightly thickened. Sprinkle with a green scent.

How to skin the chilli?

There are two ways to remove the skin from the pepper: the first is using fire, and the second is using ice.

Using fire

Pierce the pepper at the end where the stem is. For this, use a barbecue fork. Place the pepper on a hot stove and wait until its surface is entirely sung. Remember to flip to get a smooth effect. Then let it cool and remove the skin with your hands.

Using ice

Cut the peppers by removing the ends and seeds. In a saucepan, boil water and place the peppers; leave for 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of water and ice cubes. Remove the skin.

How to freeze?

There are also two methods. It will depend on whether the pepper will be in pieces or whole.

In pieces

Sanitize and cut into strips, cubes or slices. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the pepper pieces without touching. Put the baking sheet in the freezer for 1 hour. Afterward, place the pieces frozen in a pot or bags suitable for frozen foods and return them to the freezer.

I complete

After sanitizing, wrap the whole pepper in plastic film and place it in the freezer.

Is pepper fruit?

The pepper, scientific name Capsicum annuum, is the fruit of the pepper tree, or pepper tree, and is originally from southern Mexico. It has a cone shape of variable sizes, and colours can be green, yellow, red, orange, cream and even purple.

This vegetable is cultivated from North to South of Brazil – highlighting the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais regarding production volume.

Curiosity: Paprika, a spice often used in cooking as a condiment, is obtained from dried and ground red peppers.

How does the pepper turn yellow?

The pepper is born green and can be harvested early or left to ripen when it turns red or yellow.

Why are green peppers indigestible?

Because it is harvested while still green, this pepper has an intense and acidic flavour that can cause discomfort during digestion. This effect can be mitigated by skinning the vegetable.

Contraindications

People who have gastric or intestinal problems should avoid consuming green peppers.

Can you eat pepper during pregnancy?

Pregnant women who have digestion problems should avoid this fruit.