10,000 pepper recipes

Quick Chinese-style chicken stir-fry with shredded breast, bamboo shoots, zucchini, and bell peppers tossed in chili bean sauce and dark soy for a fiery weeknight dinner.

Grilled chicken breast sandwiches stacked with smoky home-roasted red peppers, peppery arugula, ripe tomato, and a tangy Dijon-mayo sauce on toasted bread. The marinade does its work overnight.

Curried shrimp in coconut milk with a freshly toasted and ground spice blend of cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and dried chiles. Poblano peppers and tomatoes round out this aromatic, from-scratch curry.

Southwest torte in a cornmeal-oregano crust filled with cheddar, corn, bacon, olives, red bell pepper, and eggs in half-and-half custard. A Tex-Mex quiche that slices like a savory pie.

Gloria's black bean soup simmers dried beans low and slow, then gets stirred thick with a blended sofrito of peppers, onion, garlic, cumin, and oregano. A rich, Cuban-style puréed bean soup.

Cajun shrimp jambalaya simmers smoky ham, the Holy Trinity of onion, celery and bell pepper, tomatoes and converted rice in bacon drippings before folding in shrimp at the end. A one-pot Louisiana classic.

Mexican beef salad with seared round steak strips, hominy, olives, and Monterey Jack over lettuce and tomato in a cumin-oregano vinaigrette. A Tex-Mex taco-salad alternative.

Meatless potato and pinto bean chili spiked with jalapeño, cumin, allspice, and chili powder in a chunky tomato-vegetable broth. Filling, vegan, and on the table in an hour from one Dutch oven.

Eggplant kottu with boiled eggplant and mashed chickpeas in a ground coconut-cumin-green chile paste, tempered with mustard seeds and bay leaves. A South Indian vegetarian comfort dish.

Pork shoulder chili with pinto beans, green olives, and olive juice for a briny twist. Slow-simmered with chili powder, paprika, celery seed, and Tabasco.

Portuguese-style poached chicken breasts in a saffron-tomato sauce with garlic, hot sauce, and ground clove. A bright, low-fat one-pan dinner in 45 minutes.

Mole de guajolote is a traditional Mexican turkey in mole sauce made from scratch with ancho, mulato, and pasilla chilies, chocolate, sesame seeds, peanuts, and warm spices.

Unsloppy Joes are vegetarian sloppy joes with kidney beans, crushed tomatoes, chili powder, and diced vegetables served in hollowed-out kaiser rolls. Low-fat, hearty, and mess-free.

No-mayo rainbow coleslaw with cabbage, cherry tomatoes, carrots, and red onion in a tangy apple cider vinegar dressing spiced with turmeric, cayenne, and warm spices.

McIlhenny's crawfish etouffee smothered in butter with the holy trinity, crawfish fat, Tabasco, and fresh lemon juice. A rich, roux-free Cajun classic that's even better the next day.

Chinese-style tofu stir-fried with salted black beans, mashed red beans, garlic, green chili, and soy sauce. A savory, protein-rich vegetarian main dish.