Meatless Monday – Red Bell Pepper Tapenade

 

A fantastic achievement extraordinaire, which I am sooo ecstatic to share with you today!

I create, invent and eat delicious food everyday in my heavenly aroma-filled kitchen and so now, I bring you my latest Plant Fire baby- the Red Bell Pepper Tapenade!

Ok, you must be thinking, what is really a Tapenade?

A tapenade usually has olives, as it’s major component- that is as far as the Southern France region of Provence is concern.

But for my Meatless Monday offering, I decided to make my very own Las Vegas Tapenade combining the nutrient-packed red bell pepper and the succulent kalamata olive as the main ingredients- taking on this gastronomic adventure this spring!

But before we hit the road with this appetizing recipe, let me tell you some nutritional benefits of our rockstar ingredients.

The sweet, fruity tasty red bell peppers are rich in carotenoid phytonutrients and contain almost eleven times more beta-carotene than green bell peppers as well as one and a half times more vitamin C. As a food that is rich in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients, red bell peppers would be expected to provide us with important anti-cancer benefits. Now, what more can you ask for?

Kalamata olives offer many health benefits. Olives are an excellent source of monounsaturated fats. Consuming this type of fat may help lower your cholesterol levels. You can also benefit from the vitamin E in kalamata olives. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant by reducing the effect of harmful free radicals in your body, and helps protect your heart and joints. Need I say more?

Are you ready for the best tasting Red Bell Pepper Tapenade Ever?

Red Bell Pepper Tapenade

Ingredients
1 cup canned red bell peppers
1 cup pitted kalamata olives
½ cup chopped parsley leaves
3 tbsp red wine vinegar

Instruction
1. Preheat broiler. Place bell peppers on baking sheet, and broil 10 minutes, or until blackened on all sides, turning occasionally. Transfer to paper bag or bowl, close or cover with tight lid, and cool 5 minutes. Remove skin, core, and seeds, and coarsely chop. Set aside.

2. Process olives, parsley, and vinegar in blender until finely chopped. Transfer mixture to large bowl, and fold in chopped bell peppers. Season with sea salt and pepper, if desired.