Hot and healthy cheese-stuffed peppers

Make plenty of Chef Nancy Waldeck’s sweet peppers stuffed with melted cheese – they’ll disappear fast! Kitchen smidgen from Chef Nancy:

Did you know that not only do peppers add flavor and a “kick” to your dinner, but they are also a health food? A great source of vitamins A and C, they are packed with a chemical component called capsaicin, which has been studied for its value in killing cancer cells, maintaining cardiac health and lowering blood pressure. The hotter the pepper, the more capsaicin, so the more heat you can stand, the better. Plus, peppers are a great, low-calorie, easy way to bump up your metabolism. It just doesn’t get much better in a single veggie!

Ingredients:

16 to 20 small sweet peppers
8 ounces light ricotta cheese
4 ounces feta cheese
2 tablespoons nonfat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or hot sauce
1 large egg
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons whole wheat panko crumbs

Step One

Preheat your oven to 350F. Cut off the tops of the peppers and remove any seeds. Grill the peppers on a grill pan over high heat until grill marks appear.

Step Two

In a food processor, puree the cheeses, seasonings, egg and one tablespoon of olive oil. Stuff each pepper with the cheese mixture and dip the end in the panko crumbs. Place in a 9x12 casserole dish and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Bake for 20 minutes or until the peppers are warm and the cheese is melted.

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