On our family day (Sunday) we hit Whole Foods. It really is one of my happy places - which may be sad but it is very true. And I have confessed that my favorite place to stand in this grocery store is right in front of the peppers. Usually it is just visually appealing with all of these bright NATURAL colors blending and mixing. The sight alone puts a little pep in my step. Also they tend to have eggplants and summer squashes nearby mixing in those luscious purples and bright yellows and greens. Eat your heart out Da Vinci :) Well as a family we visited this section to pick out this week's produce. I tend to like sweeter flavors, but my husband likes spicy! And before I met my hubby I thought I liked spicy - I like a dash of cayenne and mild salsa spicy. My hubby is the guy who orders nuclear wings off of a menu to just "try" them and see if they really are hot. I now realize I don't really like "Spicy" I like spices not heat that leaves your mouth numb and tears streaming down your face. That is not enjoyable in my opinion. Together we chose the Fresno Pepper.
It's cute. It's small - it appears friendly , but it is not! The Fresno Peppers we picked up were bright red in color like a red bell pepper. I enjoy red bell pepper - raw, sauteed, broiled, in salads, with a little dip. I enjoy this type of pepper - crisp, with a little kick (very little) and some sweetness. I thought the Fresno Chili Pepper would be similar. It is not! It appears to be cousins with a jalapeno at least shape and size-wise. I enjoy the occasional jalapeno pepper (especially if you make it a jalapeno popper :) But that isn't a very healthy version of this produce. My husband starts chopping up the fresno as we planned to use it in a dish we make called chili rice which goes nicely with our turkey taco dinner.
As he is chopping I grab a SLIVER to try the pepper raw. Now this sliver comes from the top of the pepper where the seeds hang out. Now it probably wouldn't have seemed so spicy had I not prepared myself mentally for the sweetness of a bell pepper. I would say my taste of a fresno is at least double if not triple the heat of a jalapeno. And that one bite made my lips tingly. For a good ten minutes I could tell exactly where I licked my lips after trying this chili pepper. I was nervous to try this pepper in the rice. But as we approached dinner I scooped up the chili rice (the red specks were prettier than our usual yellow green specks) and hoped for the best. Chopped up and cooked I could barely register the chili's heat. Occasionally a bite or two of the rice would end with a satisfying tingle of heat but a vast improvement of trying the Fresno Chili Pepper raw. If you like the spicy and want a vitamin C boost to give you a little Pep in your step give the Fresno a try. And I have no problem picking this chili up for future recipes. But for raw snacking I am sticking with my bell peppers :)
May your HealthFULL journey surprise you, delight you, and give you a little pep in your step! 'Til we meet again. . .
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