Mediterranean Mixed Pepper Salad

Serves 4

A simple mouth watering salad that tastes fresh and sweet. The Mediterranean is known for its fresh wonderfully tasty ripe produce. To make a great meal you need great ingredients and on the Mediterranean they only use the best. Which is why their food is so delicious and this mixed pepper salad is no exception. 

The other thing Mediterranean’s know a thing or two about is how to enjoy a long healthy life and their diet plays a massive roll. Fresh vegetables and olive oil taste delicious but also does wonders for your body. Bell peppers are sweet crunch and full of vitamin A and C. Vitamin C reduces cholesterol which reduces risk of heart disease.  Vitamin A and C are also important for a healthy immune system.

For those of us adverse to the idea of Botox, the not very secret secret of fabulous youthful, glowing, skin is a vitamin A rich diet.  Vitamin A which is found in bell peppers and other orange and dark green fruit and vegetables are an antioxidant, which flushes out free radicals. Free radicals cause so much damage to our bodies inside and out, vitamin A protects our skin against free radicals and toxins which cause wrinkles. A delicious easy way to take pre-emptive action against wrinkles is to enjoying a Mediterranean mixed pepper salad. If you think you are too young to worry about wrinkles vitamin A also reduces acne.

Olive oil with herbs, lemon juice and garlic makes a beautiful fragrant dressing. The olive oil and garlic adds a rich deep flavour that goes perfectly with a crunchy fresh salad particularly bell peppers and lemon brings out the flavours of all the other wonderful ingredients. Mediterranean Mixed pepper salad looks stunning, the colours are beautiful, so it is perfect to serve as a summer side dish and as peppers are available all year round this recipe still taste great in winter. If you’re not into fad diets but trying to lose weight or lower your cholesterol and generally want to be good to yourself a Mediterranean diet is wonderful. Low in fat, full of vitamins, very nutritious and the fat in this diet is from olive oil or fish oil so is great for your body. 

Ingredients

• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 yellow bell peppers
• 150 ml or ¼ pint olive oil
• 1 onion thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 Lemon
• Chopped fresh Basil for garnish
• Salt and pepper for seasoning

Method

• Grill the peppers skin side up, until they begin to blister. Remove peppers and let cool.
• Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a frying pan and fry onions on medium heat, until golden.
• When peppers are cooled peel skin and slice into thin strips.
• Add the peppers, onions and all of the oil into a bowl. Squeeze some lemon juice in and season to taste. Mix well cover and let marinate for 2-3 hours. Occasionally stirring mixture.
• Just before serving add the basil.