A fun appetizer for the Fourth of July. This recipe comes to us from Get Your Rear in Gear “Ask the Trainer” expert Chris Freytag. Chris has graciously provided us with several seasonal recipes from her Choose This! Cookbook. We will share others with you this summer.
These smothered nachos are actually made with sweet and crunch red bell pepper pieces in place of high-calorie and high-fat tortilla chips.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Serves: 8
Calories: 160
Fat: 9.5g
Protein: 8g
Carbs: 9g
Fiber: 5g
You need:
6 red bell peppers
8 oz pepper-jack cheese, shredded
½ (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
½ cup fresh salsa
4 green onions, thinly sliced
Fat-free sour cream, if desired
Steps:
Preheat broiler to high. Slice bell peppers into bite-sized pieces, discarding stems and seeds.
Spread the cut bell peppers across a large sheete pan and cover with the ½ of the pepperjack cheese.
Place sheet pan under broiler and broil until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.
Top with black beans, corn, and all remaining cheese, and return to the broiler to melt the second layer of cheese. Cool until chees I completely melted and the edges of the peppers are beginning to brown, about 3 minutes.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with the sliced green onions before serving along side salsa, for dipping. You may serve with fat-free sour cream, if desired.
Red Bell Peppers make a sweet and crisp substitution for tortilla chips in this recipe, saving a ton of calories and drastically boosting nutrition at the same time. Bell peppers are loaded with vitamins A and C and several phytochemicals that can help protect cells from damage.
Go HERE To purchase the complete cookbook.
For more nutritional tips from Chris visit her website.