All vegetables in the CAPSICUM (pepper) family are known to be good sources of many vitamins and other phytonutrients (fightin’ nutrients). These are great for your health. A recent bit of buzz says that cayenne pepper helps your circulation and has additional abilities. I won’t go into those claims here, but I will take you on a tour of the family.

Bell Peppers

Bell peppers come in green, yellow, orange, red, purple, white... These crunchy, sweet beauties are good raw, in salads, as part of a crudites (raw veg) tray, cooked in stir-frys, or stuffed with rice or couscous… If you use some of several colors of pepper, you get an assortment of nutrients as well. Paint a pretty picture with a palette of peppers!

Paprika

Ubiquitous in Hungarian cooking, paprika comes in several different varieties. Most well-known are sweet paprika, hot paprika, and smoked paprika (my favorite). The type to use depends on the dish you are making, but I like to put the smoky kind on vegetables, in sauces, and all kinds of foods — even popcorn.

Cayenne

A must for chile con carne, and a necessity for many Indian dishes. Keep a shaker of cayenne on the table to add excitement to eggs, sauces, sandwiches, and even water, if you are so inclined.

Pepper Flakes

I love to sprinkle this on pizza, spaghetti, and other Italian dishes. Good on pretty much any main dish, if you want to add a bit of heat with some texture into the bargain.

Dried Peppers

Add to soups and stews, or grind up as a substitute for flakes or cayenne powder.

Fresh Hot Peppers

Many kinds, many colors. Remove the seeds for less heat. Scrub your hands thoroughly before you touch your eyes or other sensitive areas. Otherwise, the pepper oil will HURT! You may want to wear rubber gloves while removing seeds. Jalapeno poppers would be just a blob of cheese without the jalapenos!