This hot and sweet peppers recipe will turn a bland sandwich into something spectacular. I love sweet and hot peppers. What I don’t love is the price at the grocery store or rip off restaurants. You can plant an entire garden with only some basic gardening tools and some nurturing attention.
Pork Chops with Sweet and Hot Peppers
- Level: Easy
- Total: 25 min
- Prep: 10 min
- Cook: 15 min
- Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
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4 center cut loin chops, 1-inch thick
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and sliced
4 red hot Italian cherry peppers, sliced
1/2 cup white wine or chicken stock
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley, a handful
Directions
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Season chops with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil to pan — 1 turn of the pan. Add chops and cook 5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a platter and cover with foil. Return pan to heat and add more extra-virgin olive oil and bell peppers. Saute, stirring frequently, 5 minutes. Add hot cherry peppers and a splash of their brine to the pan, cook a minute. Add wine or stock and scrape up pan drippings. Arrange peppers over chops and serve.
Quick Pickled Peppers
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: ½ pound pickled peppers 1x
- Category: Pickles
- Cuisine: Mexican
Learn how to make homemade, spicy and sweet, gourmet jalapeño and bell pepper pickles! It’s super easy and the pickles will keep in the refrigerator for months.
INGREDIENTS
- ½ pound jalapeños (choose larger jalapeños for less spicy pickles)
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar)
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons honey or sugar of choice
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- First, prepare your peppers: Wear gloves to prevent your fingers from feeling burned. For less spicy pickles, use a paring knife to remove the jalapeño membranes and seeds before slicing (this is a lot of work, so I just pulled out the larger membranes from my sliced pickles). Slice the pickles thin with a mandoline or chef’s knife. If you’re still concerned about the spice level of the pickles, run the sliced jalapeños under running water in a colander to try to knock off any remaining seeds. (Beware, those pepper fumes made me cough.) Slice off the top of the bell pepper and remove the seeds and membranes. Chop the bell pepper.
- Combine the prepared peppers and smashed garlic in a 28-ounce (1.75 pints) or larger glass jar. In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, honey and salt. Bring the mixture close to a boil on the stove, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sweetener into the liquid. Remove from heat and carefully pour the liquid over the peppers. Use a butter knife to pock down the peppers so they all fit and there aren’t any hidden air pockets.
- Let the pickles cool to room temperature in the jar, then screw on a lid and refrigerate the pickles. Depending on how thinly you sliced the peppers, they could be ready to eat immediately or might need a couple of days in the refrigerator before they taste fully pickled (just sample one every now and then to find out!). They are best when relatively fresh, but keep well for at least a month.
NOTES
MAKE IT VEGAN: Substitute maple syrup, agave nectar or sugar for the honey.
3-INGREDIENT PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL BALLS (3 FLAVORS)
These 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls are the easiest energy balls to snack on.
All your need to make these oat balls 3 wholesome ingredients and 15 minutes.
WHAT ARE OATMEAL BALLS?
Oatmeal Balls, also called oatmeal energy balls or oatmeal energy bites, are bite-size raw balls made of oats, nut or seed butter, and unrefined sweetener.
Some oatmeal balls also include dried fruits, chocolate chips, or flavors like vanilla extract and cinnamon.
Oatmeal energy balls are perfect for a post-workout snack to quickly refuel on carbs and proteins.
They are also great for fixing a sweet craving and a healthy snack on in the morning or afternoon.
HOW TO MAKE 3-INGREDIENT PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL BALLS
These balls can be prepared in just about 15 minutes as long as you have the right ingredients.
INGREDIENTS
All you need to make no-bake peanut butter balls are:
- Natural Peanut Butter – it means a fresh jar of creamy peanut butter with no added oil or added sugar. Almond butter also works.
- Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats or quick oats or 50% of each. All oat options work but give different textures.
- Maple Syrup – Use natural maple syrup or brown rice syrup for low-GI energy bites. Other options are agave syrup or coconut nectar.
PREPARING OATMEAL ENERGY BALLS
Start by adding all ingredients into a mixing bowl and stirring with a spatula to combine them together.
Your peanut butter might be a bit hard, not runny which can happen if your jar has been opened for a while and stored at room temperature.
Then, microwave the peanut butter with the liquid sweetener for 30 seconds in a microwave-safe bowl.
Stir the peanut butter maple syrup mixture until it is smooth and creamy.
If your peanut butter is already runny, pour it directly into the mixing bowl and top it with the maple syrup.
ROLLING ENERGY BITES
You can place the mixing bowl in the fridge for 20 minutes to make the balls easier to roll. Or, lightly oil your hands with coconut oil.
Then, scoop about 1 1/2 tablespoon of batter and roll into a ball between slightly oiled hands to prevent the batter from sticking to your hands.
Place each energy bite on a plate covered with parchment paper or in a sealed container.
Repeat until all the energy balls are formed.
Transfer the oatmeal energy balls into the fridge in a sealed jar or cover the plate with plastic wrapping to prevent the peanut butter bliss balls from drying.
ADDING FLAVORS
You can tweak these peanut butter oatmeal balls by adding simple ingredients to create a range of flavors.
The best additions are one or two of the below:
- 1/2 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract.
- 1 teaspoon of Cinnamon.
- 1/4 cup of Chopped Nuts like walnuts, pecans, or almonds.
- 1/4 cup of Dark Chocolate Chips
- 1/4 cup of Seeds like pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or hemp seeds for a boost of protein.
- 1/4 cup of dried fruits – chopped apricots, dried cranberries, dried raisins.
MAKING PROTEIN OATMEAL BALLS
To add protein to this simple recipe, you can add one of the below ingredients:
- 1/4 cup of Hemp Seeds.
- 1/4 cup of Chia Seeds.
- 1/4 cup of Flax seeds or ground chia seeds.
- 2 tablespoons of protein powder – This dries out the recipe, and you will have to add water or almond milk to make the dough comes together.
STORAGE
These 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls can be stored for one week in the fridge in an airtight container.
It’s also possible to freeze them if you made a very large batch and keep them frozen for up to 3 months.
ALLERGY SWAPS
You can use this recipe and adapt it to any food allergy you have. Below I listed some options for you to try:
- Gluten-Free – pick certified gluten-free oats or use quinoa flakes or puffed quinoa instead of oats.
- Sugar-Free – a sugar-free liquid sweetener works well like Monk fruit syrup.
- Nut-Free – use seed butter instead of peanut butter like sun butter, tahini or pumpkin seed butter.
- Low-Carb – swap the oats for a mix of almond flour, sliced almonds, and shredded coconut. Use a sugar-free sweetener
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Below I listed the answer to your more frequent questions on these oatmeal energy balls.
CAN I USE ALMOND BUTTER?
Yes, you can replace peanut butter with fresh creamy almond butter.
Since almond butter is a bit thicker, microwave with the sweetener to soften for about 30 seconds in a microwave-safe bowl.
Then add the oats.
CAN I FREEZE PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL BALLS?
Yes, you can freeze no-bake peanut butter balls for up to 3 months in a sealed jar.
Thaw at room temperature or in the fridge.
CAN I ADD PROTEINS TO OATMEAL BALLS?
Yes, the best way to up the protein content of these energy balls is to add high-protein seeds like chia seeds, hemp seeds, or flaxseed.
Protein powder will work as well, but it dries out the recipe making the balls fragile and crumbly.
CAN I ADD FRUITS OR CHOCOLATE CHIPS?
Yes, absolutely up to 1/4 cup of your favorite dried fruits or chocolate chips add a lovely flavor and texture to the energy bites.
WHAT CAN I USE INSTEAD OF OATS?
Many kinds of cereal are gluten-free and oat-free like puffed quinoa, puffed buckwheat, or quinoa flakes.
All these gluten-free options work very well as a swap for oats in the same ratio.
Different Types of Peppers to Add to Salads, Stir-Fries, and Other Tasty Recipes
Whether your dish calls for spicy chili peppers or sweet bell peppers, these picks bring the flavor (and heat).
All types of peppers are a part of the Capsicum family, which includes both the sweet peppers as well as the hot and spicy ones, often referred to as chili peppers. Fun fact: the heat of a pepper is measured using Scoville heat units (SHU), and this scale goes from o, think bell pepper, to the X Pepper which clocks in at over 3,000,000 (ouch!).
Below we broke down each type of pepper, and included their SHU measurements, so you can know exactly when and how much heat you’re adding to a dip or skillet supper. Just be warned that the heat can still vary from pepper to pepper, so one jalapeño could taste milder compared to another.
Quick tip for those who can’t handle the heat: have some dairy, like yogurt or milk, nearby to help balance the spicy heat in chilis. If you want to simply take the spice level down a notch, remove and discard the seed and whitish ribs before using it.
1
Bell Pepper
These big sweet peppers come in a rainbow of colors (green, red, orange, yellow, purple and more). Because of their size and mild-sweet taste, they are perfect to stuff, but are also incredibly versatile, adding flavor to any dish they are used in.
SPICE LEVEL (SHU) – o
2
Mini Sweet Pepper
These tiny peppers look and taste similar to bell peppers but are smaller, have less seeds to dig out and are often slightly sweeter. Use them as scoops for your favorite dip or roast or sauté them like you would a bell pepper.
SPICE LEVEL (SHU) – 0
3
Cubanelle Pepper
Also known as the Italian Frying Pepper, this sweet pepper packs a touch of heat. This light greenish-yellow in pepper is long, has a slight wrinkle to its thin skin and is widely used in cuisines of Cuba, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic. Because of the thin skin they are ideal for quick frying, but they can be roasted as well. Up your pizza game by throwing a sliced one of these on top.
SPICE LEVEL (SHU) – 100 to 1000
4
Banana Pepper
These peppers got their name for their long curved shape and yellowish hue. They are tangy but mild and are most often found pickled for piling on sandwiches.
SPICE LEVEL (SHU) – 0 to 500
5
Cherry Pepper
Cherry peppers or Pimento (or Pimiento) are red, heart-shaped peppers that are mild, sweet and smell like a supercharged red bell pepper. They are most often found jarred, and can add sweet pepper flavor to a dish similar to roasted red peppers.
SPICE LEVEL (SHU) – 100 to 500
6
Poblano Pepper
Although hot, poblano peppers are on the mild end of the spicy pepper scale. Poblano peppers are thick and meaty just like a bell pepper, but have a slight kick. Because of their size, they are great for stuffing. They are also good for roasting, grilling and sautéing. They are one of Mexico’s most popular pepper — and when they’re fully ripened and then dried, they are anchos.
SPICE LEVEL (SHU) – 1000 – 1500
7
Jalapeño
Jalapeños are the king of spicy peppers. Not because they are the spiciest (in fact they are relatively moderate on the Scoville scale compared to most), but because of their popularity and availability. They do pack some heat, but the palatable kind. Guacamole wouldn’t be complete without it.
SPICE LEVEL (SHU) – 2500 – 8000
8
Fresno Pepper
They might look like a red jalapeño, but they are a bit more complex overall and have a bit more heat. Fresnos get a bit fruitier and smokier in terms of taste as they mature. If you are looking to switch things up, give these a go.
SPICE LEVEL (SHU) – 2500 – 10,000