290 hot red pepper recipes

Pon pon chicken (bang bang chicken) shreds poached chicken over salted cucumber ribbons with a warm sesame-soy-ginger dressing. Classic Sichuan cold-plate appetizer or main.

Mandarin shrimp stir-fry made entirely in the microwave with broccoli, bell peppers, and a glossy orange marmalade glaze spiked with ginger and soy sauce. Ready in 30 minutes over rice.

Kennebunk relish is a New England-style garden relish with green and red tomatoes, cabbage, peppers, and onions in spiced vinegar. An old-fashioned canning recipe with sweet-tangy heat.

Spanish rice made with brown rice, fresh pureed tomatoes, bacon, green peppers, and a touch of molasses. Simmered on the stove then baked until tender and deeply flavored.

Chilled Bloody Mary soup with sauteed vegetables, tomato juice, Tabasco, and Worcestershire, served with a shot of ice-cold vodka at the table. A crowd-size cocktail in a bowl.

Lentil vegetable soup with sun-dried tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, spinach, and a hit of hot sauce. One-pot, naturally vegan, 32g fiber per serving, ready in 80 minutes.

Basic peanut-style dipping sauce (no actual peanuts) with cashew butter, tahini, coconut milk, lime, miso, and ginger. A richer, Thai-leaning satay sauce for grilled skewers, coconut shrimp, or crudités.

Vegetarian five-pepper chili with three dried beans, fresh tomatoes, and dry-roasted spices. A meatless chili built on jalapeno, Hungarian, Cuban, and cheese peppers for layered heat.

Vegetable gumbo is a lighter, meatless take on the Cajun classic: the holy trinity simmered with okra, corn, tomatoes and paprika, thickened naturally by the okra. No roux, no meat, just hearty vegetable comfort.

A rustic Italian-style soup packed with chickpeas, escarole, brown rice, and corn in a lemony tomato broth. Low-fat, high-fiber, and feeds a crowd.

Crispy cumin-spiced corn fritters fried golden and served with a zesty orange marmalade dipping sauce spiked with ginger, mustard, and hot pepper. Sweet heat in every bite.

A spicy vegetable stew - easy to make. Some find that the flavors of the vegetables don't stand out unless you put in a lot of tabasco. But not everyone likes it hot. Just add enough to make the stew seem spicy to you.

Spinach moong dal: tender yellow split mung beans simmered with spinach, tamarind and turmeric, finished with a sizzling tadka of mustard seeds, fenugreek and dried chiles. South Indian comfort food.

Spicy black-eyed peas simmered with cumin, chili powder, dry mustard, canned tomatoes, and Tabasco. A quick Southern side dish served over rice or with grits.

Sweet and sour pasta salad with kamut spirals, kidney and black beans, red pepper, scallions, and basil. A protein-packed vegan picnic salad that holds up beautifully for make-ahead lunches.

A good spring dinner selection, light and healthy.