Tag Archives: spicy

Hot Pepper Giardiniera

This hot pepper mixture is a delicious topping for sandwiches, wraps, salads, eggs, and more! It is basically a Chicago-Style giardiniera, which is condiment typically higher in oil, lower in vinegar, and made with smaller pieces of vegetables. Italian style giardiniera tends to be lower in oil (if any at all) and larger chunks, so it is more of a pickled vegetable appetizer or side.

You can adjust the spice level of this recipe. To make it milder, remove some or all of the hot pepper seeds and/or replace some of the hot peppers (especially the serranos) with bell pepper or other veggies like celery.

This recipe is adapted from a recipe on fundiego.com, which intends to replicate the hot pepper mix from a sandwich chain called Potbelly.

Hot Pepper Mix

Course Condiment
Keyword condiment, easy, gluten-free, plant-based, spicy, topping, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Brining and marinating time 2 days 12 hours
Total Time 2 days 12 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound jalapenos quartered and sliced, seeds removed if desired
  • 1/2 pound serrano peppers quartered and sliced, seeds removed if desired
  • 1 cup cauliflower cut into tiny florets
  • 2 carrots peeled and finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup salt
  • 1 cup canola oil or other neutral flavored oil
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

Instructions

  1. Combine jalapenos, serrano peppers, cauliflower, and carrots in a medium bowl or container. Sprinkle the salt over the vegetables, then add enough water to cover everything. Stir to disperse the salt. Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours.

  2. Drain and rinse the vegetables.

  3. In a medium non-reactive bowl (such as glass, stainless steel, or ceramic) combine the remaining ingredients. Add the vegetables and stir to combine. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 2 days to allow the flavors to combine.

  4. Optional: transfer the hot pepper mixture to smaller jars, or keep it in the container it marinated in. The pepper mixture should last about 4 weeks in the refrigerator.

  5. Stir the peppers and allow the excess oil to drain back into the jar when serving. Add the hot pepper mixture to sandwiches, wraps, salads, pizza, eggs, pasta, or whatever else you'd like!

Recipe Notes

To make this recipe less spicy, remove some or all of the seeds from the jalapenos and serrano peppers. You can also substitute bell pepper for and equivalent amount of jalapenos or serrano peppers. 

You can add other ingredients such as sliced green olives or chopped celery.

Cajun Meatloaf

Cajun Meatloaf - healthy, less fat, natural ingredients. GuessWhosCooking.com This recipe goes great with Cauliflower Mash!

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Coconut Oil

1/2 Cup Bell Peppers, Finely Chopped

3/4 Cup Yellow Onion, Finely Chopped

1/2 Cup Celery, Finely Chopped

1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 Tbsp Hot Sauce (Tabasco preferred)

2 tsp Garlic, Minced

1/2 Tbsp Salt

1 tsp Black Pepper

1 tsp Cayenne (Red) Pepper (less if you don’t want it to be spicy)

1/2 tsp Ground Cumin

1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg

1/2 6-oz. Can Tomato Paste (5 Tbsp)

1/2 Cup Light Coconut Milk (or milk if you tolerate dairy)

1/2 Cup Almond Flour (most other flours would probably work too – wheat flour, cashew meal, etc.)

2 Organic Eggs, Lightly Beaten

2 lb. ground meat, organic preferred.

I’ve successfully tried the following combinations:

  • 1 lb ground beef (93% lean) + 1 lb ground pork
  • 1 1/2 lb ground beef (93% lean) + 1/2 lb ground pork
  • 1 lb ground pork + 1 lb ground turkey
  • 2 lb ground chicken – it is a little dry but still flavorful

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Preheat a frying pan on medium-high heat. Melt coconut oil in pan, then add bell peppers, onion, celery, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and garlic.

2. Add salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin, and nutmeg, and cook for about 5-6 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

3. Add tomato paste and coconut milk, and cook for about 2 more minutes. Place mixture into a large bowl and let cool.

4. When vegetable/spice mixture has cooled, add almond flour, ground meat, and eggs. Mix well (go on, use your hands!).

5. Shape meat mixture into a large loaf on a cookie sheet. Bake for 25 minutes at 350˚F, then 25-35 minutes at 400˚F, until meat is done (165˚F internal temperature). Cajun Meatloaf 1Cajun Meatloaf 2