Peppers for Summer. Salad Nicoise

Pick of the Week: Peppers
From the Zone Diet

Red and yellow bell peppers are always expensive in the winter, at upwards of $3 per pound. In summer, take advantage of the fact that these colorful, healthy, and crunchy veggies are abundant (and affordable) at both farm stands and grocery stores.

Here's how to enjoy these favorable carbs:

• For a satisfying snack, make your own antipasto platter: Dip strips of 1 whole pepper into 1/4 cup of hummus, adding 3 olives and 1 ounce of mozzarella cheese.
• To dress up a plate of broiled fish or chicken, create a "confetti" of colorful peppers by dicing them as small as possible, then sprinkling them on top of the dish.
• Try this Zone-friendly recipe, based on the French Salad Nicoise, featuring yellow peppers:

Salad Nicoise

Ingredients
1 small new potato
1 small head red leaf or green leaf lettuce, washed, patted dry, and shredded
2 cups of cucumber, peeled, quartered, thinly sliced
1 tomato, cut into wedges
2 yellow bell peppers, seeded and diced
3/4 cup sweet onion
1 ounce nonfat Swiss or cheddar cheese
2 slices Fat-Free Yves Veggie Deli slices
1 hard-boiled egg, quartered
1 tablespoon Nayonaise (tofu mayonnaise)
1 to 2 tablespoons purified water
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Pinch of salt, to taste
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried basil

Instructions
1. Scrub potato with cold water and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Put into small saucepan and cover with an extra inch of water. Bring to boil. Turn heat down to medium, to a slight rolling boil, and cook potatoes until they feel tender when poked with a fork, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and cool.

2. Arrange lettuce leaves on a serving plate. Top with cucumber, tomato, yellow pepper, and onion. Layer on sliced potatoes, then cheese. Roll up individual "deli" slices and arrange over cheese. Arrange egg wedges around salad.

3. In a small bowl, combine Nayonaise, water (add more or less for desired consistency), mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper, and basil. Pour over salad. Serve.

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