Trader Joe’s had red bell peppers on sale this week for 69 cents each! Can you believe it?! I bought 10. And in all my years of making, demonstrating, and inhaling roasted red pepper hummus, I’ve never actually roasted my own red peppers. Can you believe THAT? So today I broke the trend for my New Year, New Food Resolution, and got my red on in prep for Valentine’s Day. Here’s what resulted:

Roasted Reds
Makes 4 servings

5 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1” square slices
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup chopped basil
1/8 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Evenly distribute sliced red peppers into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with garlic powder, basil, and salt. Bake for 60 minutes, stirring once halfway through.

Add a half-cup of these to any hummus recipe, tower them on top of whole wheat pasta, or down ’em as a simple side dish.

Nutrition Information Per Serving: 74 calories, 4 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 108 mg sodium, 10 g carbohydrates, 3.5 g fiber, 0 g sugar, 2 g protein, 175% vitamin A, 473% vitamin C, 2% calcium, 5% iron

What the critics said:
Bitchin’ Dietitian: “What took me so long? These are scrumptious!”
Bitchin’ Husband: “Can these substitute for red velvet Valentine’s cake?”
5-Year-Old: “Mom, you forgot to give me red peppers!” (after eating her whole serving)
3-Year-Old: “Now can I play with my Nerf dart guns?”
1-Year-Old: (if he could talk) “Easier to chew than the raw ones, but a little harder to throw. I’m going to have to think about this.”

Looks like these heart-healthy red peppers are a perfect way to show your body some love this Valentine’s day. What red creations do you and your cupid adore?