Spice It Up: 9 Jalapeño Recipes (Gluten Free)

Recently I have come into the possession of quite a few jalapeños from SpaceGirl Organics. For a while The Man and I brainstormed about what I would do with all of these jalapeños, but somehow the ideas kept coming! We started by talking about salsas, sauces, stuffed peppers, and then moved on to ideas about jalapeño breads, jalapeños for breakfast, pickled peppers, jams, and could we do a dessert?! Oh, and what about a margarita with a kick?! The ideas kept coming! We reined ourselves in a bit and decided to stick with some tried and true recipes. We hope you like it!!

Mango Salsa
Mango salsa always makes me think of the Bahamas and eating at a little cafe by the ocean. But serious who couldn't love it with the flavors of the sweet mango, the freshness of the cilantro and then the kick from the pepper.  It almost seems like they were made for each other.

• 1 Jalapeño, dices finely
• 1 Mango, cubed
• 1/4 Red Onion, diced finely
• Cilantro, chopped
• Juice of 1 lime
• Splash of Olive Oil

This is as easy at it gets! You simply mix all the ingredients into a bowl and enjoy! Serve it on top chicken or fish or use it as a dip for chips. 

If you like it more spicy, include the seeds of the jalapeño and if you would like a more mild version, then simply use your knife to remove the seeds before you add the pepper to the mango salsa. Yummy!!

Spicy Chicken Chili 
This is one of our favorite fall meals and it's actually pretty simple to make regardless of the plethora of ingredients. Chili is a comfort food that just makes me feel so good. This chili is packed full of shredded chicken and comes with a kick that warms you from the inside! You can adjust the heat by using 1 pepper instead of 2 and, of course, removing the seeds.

• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 TBSP ghee (or butter/oil)
• 1 lb shredded chicken, cooked
• 4 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano, chopped
• 2 jalapeños, finely chopped
• 2 serrano peppers, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups of crushed organic tomatoes with juices
• 2 cups of chicken stock (homemade is best!)
• 1- 15 oz can black beans, low sodium, rinsed
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• Salt to taste

Toppings Optional:

• Cilantro
• Sour Cream
• Cheddar Cheese
• Avocado

Instructions:

• In a large sauce pan, heat up the ghee (butter/oil) over med heat and add the chopped onion. Cook until the onion is soft, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant. 
• Add the chicken and stir in the spices (chili powder, cumin, oregano). Toss to coat and then add the diced peppers (jalapeño and serrano), tomatoes, and the chicken broth. 
• Bring to a boil, cover and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 20-25 minutes.
• Stir in black beans and salt and pepper. Continue to cook until the chili reaches the desired consistency, approx 15-25 minutes. Stir in cheese, if desired, and serve with toppings of your choice. 

Organic Jalapeño Cornbread (Gluten Free)
This is what you make to go with Spicy Chicken Chili!

As a woman raised by many generations of southern women my bones are practically made of chicken and dumplings, fried chicken, collards, grits and cornbread. It is also an absolute requirement to make cornbread in a cast iron skillet. I don't know what happens if you don't use one, but I'm not about to find out. It's kind of like going against the Bible. You just don't do it.

Ever since I've been unable to eat gluten I have been desperately attempting to recreate southern meals and by God-- we love carbs! It's a challenge! I've been experimenting with cornbread and The Man will tell you that I've had a lot of trouble getting the texture and taste right. This cornbread has the texture and feel of corn bread and the flavor profile reminds me just a bit of Cheddar Bay Biscuits with a kick and that makes me happy. 

Dry:
1/4 c sifted coconut flour
⅓ cornmeal
1 TBSP Tapioca Flour, sifted
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Chipotle Chili Powder
1 tsp Garlic, powdered
1/3 c Sharp Cheddar Cheese (don't be afraid to use more)

Wet:
4 Eggs
1/3 c Butter, melted
1/4 c Buttermilk
1 TBSP Raw Honey
1 jalapeño, diced finely


Preheat oven to 400 F. Place cast iron skillet in oven to warm up.

Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl, taking care to sift the coconut flour. It really makes a difference!

In a second bowl mix the wet ingredients and whisk to combine. Add the wet to the dry and stir to combine.

Remove the cast iron skillet from the oven carefully. Add a bit of butter or ghee and tilt the pan to coat it in the melted fat. Add the batter before the cast iron gets cold. If you're in doubt-- put the pan back in the oven for 30 seconds or so to warm up. You should hear a nice sizzle when you pour the batter in the pan.

Place in the oven at 400F and cook for approx 20 minutes. When it's done remove from skillet and put it on a cookie rack to cool.

Once cooled, I like to slice it like a pie and serve it with warm chicken chili! Yum!!

Jalapeño (Diablo) Deviled Eggs 
I LOVE deviled eggs. It has been one of the staples of my southern diet and it has always been a popular request item with the men in my life. I make this recipe for BBQs and the summer holidays quite a bit because they are just spicy enough to make everyone happy. But if you want to play it safe and remove the jalapeño completely then you'll be making my momma's deviled eggs. Yum! Or you can add more if you want to clear out your sinuses. :)

serves 3-4 people (or just me)

• 4 eggs
• 2 TBSP mayo
• 1 heaping tsp yellow mustard
• 1/2 jalapeño, diced finely
• salt and pepper

Optional toppings:
Bacon
Paprika
More Jalapeño

I prefer to bake my eggs in the oven: see my post Hard boiled eggs in the oven

After the eggs have cooked, cooled and been peeled, cut them in half and remove the yolks, placing them in a small bowl. Add the mayo, mustard, jalapeño and salt and pepper. Mix completely.

Place the yolk mixture back into the egg whites. Top with desired toppings and serve.

Cilantro Lime Chicken with Peach Salsa

You can't go wrong with peach salsa. It's a bit neglected as people use the more popular mango and pineapple salsas, but I just can't understand why it's not used more. It's delicious!! If you want to impress someone then try this recipe because I bet it's not something they've had before!

Chicken:

• 1 lbs chicken tenders
• Juice of 1lime
• 1/4 c Olive oil,
• 1/4 c water
• 1/4 c cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 shallot, chopped
• 1/2 jalapeño, diced

Let the chicken marinade for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator.

Drain chicken of marinade and then cook in oven for 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes until no longer pink.

Roasted Peach Salsa:

1 peach, quartered
1 jalapeño, halved
12 cherry tomatoes
5 tomatillos, halved
1 shallot, halved
3 cloves of garlic
1/4 c cilantro

Additions:
1/2 peach, diced
1 tomatillo, diced
1/2 jalapeño, finely diced

With the oven on broil, place ingredients on a roasting pan for approx 10 minutes or until some of the skins have slightly charred, but not burned.

Removed from the oven and let cool. Place in a food processor and blend until the salsa has a slightly chunky consistency-- approx 8-10 pulses. Place in a small bowl and then add diced peach, tomatillo and jalapeño, stir to combine.

You can use peach salsa as a topping on meat, as salsa for a burrito/tacos or serve with chips as a dip.

Spicy Stuffed Mushrooms
This has to be one of my favorite recipes. It's so simple and incredibly yummy! The stuffing inside the mushrooms is very reminiscent of spicy spinach and artichoke dip. The difference is that instead of mayo and sour cream I use goat cheese which gives it more richness, a little less sweetness and a bit more tang. Yum!!

• 1 cup spinach, raw and roughly chopped
• 1 package of button mushrooms, stems and gills removed
• 2 oz artichokes (marinaded in olive oil), chopped
• 1 jalapeño, finely diced
• 2 oz goat cheese
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
• salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400F

Place the mushrooms cap side down, drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven for 10 minutes.

While they cook heat a skillet over medium heat and drizzle about 1 TBSP olive oil in the pan. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, stirring frequently.

In a small bowl, add the spinach, goat cheese, artichokes, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

When the mushrooms are done remove from oven and carefully flip them over and fill the caps with stuffing. Return to the oven for approx 2-3 minutes to heat up the spinach and artichoke mixture.

Serve warm.

The Man's Manly Salsa
The Man has been making his own burrito bowls and he has been slowly adjusting bits and pieces of his recipe trying to find his own personal masterpiece. He has agreed to share with you his personal recipe for the salsa portion of his Burrito Bowls, but the rest will have to wait! It's a secret!!!

• 2 Large or 3 small tomatoes, diced
• 1 Yellow onion, diced
• 1 Green bell pepper, diced
• 1 Green onion, diced
• 1 Jalapeños, finely diced
• 1 Serrano pepper, finely diced
• 1 Mango, cubed
• 1 15 oz can of white beans, drained and rinsed
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 TBSP Olive oil
• Cilantro, chopped

This is easy as mix everything in a bowl and go. :)

This is awesome served with chips as a spicy dip or mixed with rice and served with shredded chicken like a burrito bowl.

I hope you enjoy these recipes and this post spices up your week! :)

Do you want more pepper recipes?
Molho Picante