Bringing the Heat: Exploring more ways to use my Ají Limo peppers! {Stir Fry, Soup, & Chili}
Happy Wednesday my friends! I told you I had lots of yummy stuff to share with you this week, so I am back today to show some more of the ways I have used the spicy Ají Limo peppers I found at the farmers market about three weeks ago. Though they are native to Peru, the farmer that I bought them from had an aunt bring him some seeds and they did really well for him for his first crop here in Georgia. I am not one to really like super spicy dishes, but I have come to appreciate the use of a bit of heat in my meals when appropriate. It's also a lot of fun to explore how a new ingredient can bring a different flavor to the table!
I first shared about these peppers in my cauliflower tacos post, but have since been using them anywhere I would normally use other hot peppers or even instead of cayenne or another ground pepper variety. After our heat going out on us last week, I was actually really happy to have some spicy food to warm my body up from the inside in a very chilly house. 😜
The first time I used the peppers I erred on the side of caution and only used one, and it lent just a bit of heat to the whole dish. Since @dksart likes spicy food I decided to throw in two to my next dish--a veggie stir fry. Oh wow, that definitely turned out a lot warmer than my taco relish! The veggie mix consisted of mushrooms, rainbow chard, daikon radish, bell pepper and the hot peppers with a little ginger, tamari and rice wine vinegar. It was delicious, but bordered on being too hot for me. I definitely cleared out my sinuses eating this one. Whatcha think @puravidaville? I know you like a little heat.
I toned it down for the next meal and used a few in a big pot of soup. You all know I am a huge soup fan, so I didn't want to ruin a big bowl of goodness with too much heat. Luckily I made such a large batch it dialed it back to just a hint of heat this time around.
This soup was actually really fantastic. Loaded with a ton of vegetables and chickpeas, this was a great light and nutritious meal to eat the week after Thanksgiving. Not that we overindulged, but this time of year it doesn't hurt to stay on track just in case some holiday goodies jump on my plate some time soon...
If you want to check out the full recipe for the soup click here. I didn't actually write anything up for the stir fry since it was just the last of a bunch of veggies tossed together, and then I also didn't write up my last dish to share with you--a spicy adzuki bean chili. Perhaps I'll make a few tweaks to this one and type it up since I've still got a few of those sassy little peppers to use up!
I can't recall if I've ever used adzuki beans in a chili before, but I had some left that I bought a while back. Beans can last for quite a while once dried, but they do tend to get hard after a while which takes them longer to cook. I try to use mine up regularly so I never end up with a tough batch. Also I just like to use different ones to keep my meals interesting since there are so many varieties to enjoy!
One of my favorite things to put in chili is actually a cup or so of dark beer. I never thought of it until trying out an awesome tempeh chili recipe a few years back. The alcohol all cooks off, but it leaves a nice malty flavor behind that adds some depth to your chili. This brand is local and almost all of their beers are vegan-friendly (if not all)! I used some pureed butternut squash, bell peppers, onions, a few Ají Limos, tomatoes and spices, as well. This was another sizzling spoonful! Luckily I made this during our "no heater" week, so there was one night it was downright cold in the house and working through a bowl of this warmed me right up for a bit.
I actually just found out that due to some really nasty predicted weather for Saturday morning my local farmers market is going to be closed. I'm a bit sad, but happy that they won't have to set up and stand out in some really rainy and cold conditions. I am truly so lucky that I have such a fantastic market that stays open pretty much year-round. The good thing is I tend to buy so much each week that I actually still have some vegetables like squash, kohlrabi and cabbage left from last week that are still plenty good to use. Oh, and some beets. Yeah, I think I'll survive a week without them. But just one, so I hope the weather clears up for the next week!
I hope you are all enjoying a happy and healthy week!
Yummy! Never heard of those peppers before, had to google them. I am kinda the same. I appreciated spicy food but not too much or too hot! Have a lovely day!
I had never seen them before until my farmer buddy told me about them and brought his haul to the market! I think he was excited to see what I would do with them so he would have some more ideas to give people to buy them. Apparently one of the local chefs got some and fermented them for a really spicy condiment! We quick pickled a few for my boyfriend and even that made them way to spicy for me! He'll take a few weeks to go through the tiny batch we did so he still has some taste buds left, haha!
That is incredibly yummy trio and it's okay for me if it is little bit on the hot side, but not too much, lol. And chili with dark beer wow, you really are an expert!!! I will have to try that. Your chili looks fantastic. Well done Katie 🍒 🍌🍑🌿🍍🍓🍇
It's been fun to play around with the peppers, and I'm glad they are not too far over the edge (though I skirted that line with the stir fry and chili!). You should definitely try some good dark beer some time in the chili. I just make sure to let it cook for at least an hour to really develop all those yummy flavors, but it adds such a nice flavor to the overall effect. A wonderful dish for these cold winter evenings ahead!
Great tip Katie and I will try it for sure. I keep my eyes open for those peppers too, but I don't recall seeing them yet.
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Delicious, all of your dishes!
Thank you! The fun in the kitchen never ends. :)
Bring on the heat @plantstoplanks! I like my eyes to sweat and my mouth to feel like it’s eating the sun :). Haha
Your farmers market runs longer than ours does. I think last week was was when we noticed it was dunzo. Big fat boo to store bought produce. It did make me cruise across town to a fancy health food store and peruse their isles though. I could only buy a bag full of stuff for the prices are pretty steep. Shhh… don’t tell Dandays :)
It’s been rainy and cold here too, so chili looks good hmmm kkkk. That sucks your heat went out, that stupid Murphy can be such a nuisance. Always fun checking in with ya my friend 😉
You would have enjoyed the chili, then! It definitely packed a punch. We are pretty lucky with the market here. Besides a few weeks off during the holidays, it pretty much runs year-round. It will get a little sparse the next few months, so I'll be resorting to the grocery store here soon.
I'm kind of sad to return my sister's heated blanket to her today when I go for my Friday visit to see my niece. She was nice enough to lend it to me last week when we were still living in the ice box, but even now it's so cozy to use while winding down at night. Maybe she'll get the hint for a good gift idea, haha! 😜
Is she your younger or older sister? If younger than go ahead and keep it 🤡. Haha
I hear what you’re saying, we are already a couple weeks into the grocery store produce… big booooo! This week alone I went to 4 different grocery stores to get my shopping done. I wanted to get the best quality organic produce and bin deals I could get, I also needed normal things like hummus and such, then I finished it off with the toilet paper protein bar store. The last store was out of spinach and lettuce so I had to stop at a fancy 4th store to grab those items. Out of all of those stores the farmers market produce is still the best. Dang it …
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I've never heard of those peppers @plantstoplanks, I'm a spicy food lover, looks and sounds great!
I hadn't either until my farmer brought them around. It never ceases to amaze me how many different varieties of fruits and veggies there are across the globe!