I used to think I didn’t like spicy foods but as I get older I find myself appreciating them a bit more. Here are two recipes I’ve tried lately that really bring the heat:
Chipotle Lentil Pasta
Sweet and Spicy Cauliflower
Chipotle Lentil Pasta
If you’re bored with the same old spaghetti and ready to try something different you might enjoy this recipe for Ziti With Chipotle Lentil Tomato Sauce from the Vegan Richa blog.
I’ve written about my love for chipotle peppers before. There’s something about this sweet, smoky, and spicy condiment that hits my taste buds in all the right places.
The recipe calls for fresh tomatoes. You could make it with canned tomatoes but I am lucky to live in a town that has the only indoor year round farmer’s market in my state. Local growers are producing tomatoes and greens all year long and I was able to purchase fresh tomatoes here in the Midwest in the middle of March. I love that!
I added a generous amount of sliced sweet mini peppers to increase the veggie content and used shells instead of ziti because that’s what I had on hand. If you wanted to make a non vegan version you could substitute cooked ground beef, turkey, or chicken for the lentils.
Like many savory stew and soup recipes this tasted even better the next day.
Sweet and Spicy Cauliflower
Cauliflower is enjoying a moment these days. Many people are using it as a low carb substitute for potatoes or rice. Yes, it’s white and although we’ve been taught to “eat the rainbow” cauliflower doesn’t pale in comparison to other vegetables. It’s a surprisingly good source of vitamin C and protein. It also belongs to the “cruciferous” family of vegetables that may protect against cancer.
In this recipe from The Fitchen, cauliflower florets are glazed with a combination of Sriracha (another very spicy and popular condiment I am learning to appreciate), maple syrup, and soy sauce before baking in the oven. One word of caution – the sodium content is a bit high here. You can balance that by making sure that the rest of your meal is very low sodium and watching the sodium level in other meals during the day.
I used a large Ziploc to combine all the wet ingredients. Add the cauliflower, zip the bag, and toss everything around to coat the florets evenly before spreading on your sheet pan.
These two recipes will definitely warm you up. If you try them let me know how you liked them.