I’ve Been Craving Spices Recently…Here’s What I’ve Been Doing to Spice Up My Recipes (no pun intended)
I’ve always joked with my family because, for some odd reason, my whole family is extremely sensitive to spice, and I, being the unique human I am, absolutely LOVE spicy foods. Maybe I was adopted??
Recently, i’ve noticed that my tolerance for spicy foods has increased significantly and I have been adding different things to my meals to spice it up… I add red pepper flakes (a classic), hot sauce, siracha, etc…
Here are a few of my favorite spicy meals that I can only occasionally cook when i’m alone and am not feeding anyone else :)
1) My version of Gigi Hadid’s Spicy Penne Alla Vodka (without the Vodka)
Ingredients
1 box Rigatoni
2 cups tomato sauce (I love Rao’s)
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tbsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 shallot - diced
Parmesan
Parsley
EVOO
Directions
Boil Pasta until al dente and reserve pasta water. In a pan, drizzle generously with olive oil, add the diced shallot and minced garlic and cook until translucent and fragrant. Add tomato paste and mix until combined. Add tomato sauce, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Mix! When the pasta is al dente, add it into the sauce along with some chopped parsley and parmesan. Enjoy!
2) Spicy guacamole
Ingredients
2 avocados
1 jalapeno - discard some seeds, but keep some for spice!
1/2 onion - diced
1/2 beefsteak tomato - diced
2 limes - juiced
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp hot sauce of choice
Directions
Mash avocado. Add lime, tomato, onion, jalapeno, salt, and hot sauce. Enjoy!
3) Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Cauliflower
Ingredients
2 heads of cauliflower - cut into medium-sized florets
2 tbsp butter - melted
1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Sauce
2 tbsp Cornstarch
Directions
Set oven to 400 Degrees. Combine the cornstarch and two tablespoons of the water and mix. Toss the cauliflower florets into the cornstarch mixture. Drizzle sheet pan with olive oil and pour the cauliflower onto the sheet pan. Bake until crispy and golden brown, about 15 mins. When cooked, let sit for 5 mins to cool down slightly. In the meantime, combine the melted butter, buffalo sauce, honey, and the last two tablespoons of water together. Pour the mixture over the cauliflower and toss until combined and all the cauliflower is coated. Serve and enjoy!
4) Hot Honey Salmon
Ingredients
1 filet of salmon
1/4 cup Mike’s Hot Honey
2 tbsp EVOO
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place salmon on a parchment paper lined baking tray and coat it with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Coat the salmon with the Hot Honey and cook in oven for appox. 12-15 mins. Serve and enjoy!
5) Homemade Spicy White Pizzas
Ingredients
Store bought pizza dough (I love Trader Joe’s pizza dough the best!)
1 cup ricotta
1 tbsp agave
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 large yellow onion (sliced)
Mike’s Hot Honey (garnish)
Directions
Bring your pizza dough to room temperature. In the meantime, caramelize your onions: slice the onions relatively thinly and sauté them in a pan on medium-high heat with some olive oil. When they become soft and translucent, add the agave and brown sugar and mix until it evaporates into the onions. Turn the heat off and move the pan with the onions off of the burner they were cooking on. For the ricotta, mix it vigorously with a pinch of salt and a few cracks of black pepper until it becomes a whipped consistency.
Assembling the pizza: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll out your dough until its approximately 1/3 of an inch thick. Don’t worry if there are holes. Transfer the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Start by spreading on your ricotta and top it with the caramelized onions. To finish, drizzle on some Mike’s Hot Honey and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Enjoy!
