Ever since last time we made pepper powder, which was also the first time we made a pepper powder, I’ve been making all sorts of plans in my mind for the next homemade spices. Jalapeño powder was in the plan this time around. Over the weekend we went to Pete’s Fresh Market (one of my favorite grocery stores in Chicago) and stocked up on just about everything, including 3 pounds of jalapeños which cost just under $3.00! And after splurging for these little spicy peppers it only took an entire morning, afternoon, and evening to oven dry them out. Totally worth it!

Ingredients used : Jalapeño peppers (3 pounds).

I’m not gonna lie, slowly dry roasting peppers until they are totally dried out takes a bit of time. You’ll need be ready to set your oven to the lowest setting all day. Mine goes just under 200° – at such a low temperature the peppers are warm enough to dry out without burning. Even though this process takes all day it doesn’t require much of your attention. Nothing is happening fast which means you can attend to the peppers pretty much anytime you feel like it. Towards the end it will require more frequent check ups.

Before starting you may consider getting your hands on some rubber gloves. You will be handling the peppers a lot. Especially while cutting the fresh peppers, you’ll wish it wasn’t your bare hands doing the work.  Of course I did NOT wear gloves throughout the process and my hands were very spice-tainted for a couple of days – it wasn’t too bad, I just had to be careful about touching my eyes and petting the cats etc. Spicy pepper oil doesn’t exactly wash off right away and it can be uncomfortable to deal with. Don’t be surprised if you don’t take extra precautions.

Jalapeño powder can be made with any amount of jalapeños. I used 3 pounds which was about 35 decent sized peppers. Because there were so many it required 2 baking sheets at the beginning (until they shriveled up and could fit on one tray towards the middle of the roast). We happen to have 2 ovens, but you could also use different racks within the same oven if you want to roast a lot at once. 3 pounds ground up to be a little over a cup of jalapeño powder.

The last time I made a pepper powder I roasted all of the peppers whole, jalapeños included. We used a variety of peppers in that batch from an overstock of our garden. The jalapeños were the thickest and therefore took the longest time to dry out. This time, since I was doing all jalapeños, I decided to cut them into smaller pieces in order to help them dry out faster. I quartered half of them on one baking sheet and cut the rest into halves on the other sheet – I did this partially because by the time I got half way through cutting the 35 peppers in quarters I wanted to handle them less and also I was curious how big of a difference it would make in the drying process. Obviously the quarters dried out quicker. Half way through the roast I ended up cutting the halves in half again. The smaller the pieces the quicker they will roast.  Next time I might try slicing them in rings – I didn’t do that this time because I had so many to roast and not enough room in the oven.

Cut all of the peppers and place them open face up on the baking sheet. Do not use any oil, this is a dry roast. I used parchment paper underneath but you can place them directly on the sheet as well. If you are not wearing gloves be aware of what your hands are touching for the rest of the day. If you touch your face or eyes you will have a stinging reminder that will linger for some time and you will be be more aware going forward. However, if you have affectionate pets or kitties like I do, be sure to avoid petting them too much – they will probably not be able to communicate to you that their face feels like it’s on fire! No good.

Place the sheets in the oven and periodically check on them and flip. Since the oven was at such a low temperature I just used my hands to rotate the peppers. It was easiest for me, but you can also use small tongs or a utensil to help. The drying process will start off slow and speed up as time goes by. It’s important to flip them so all sides of the pepper have a chance to dry out.

About half way through the roast, the peppers lost enough moisture to shrink down and be able to fit on one pan.  The baking sheet with the peppers only cut in half were not as dried out as the sheet with the quartered pieces (big surprise). Eventually I just cut them in quarter size as well to help speed up the process. As they were drying I noticed in some of the peppers at the points where seeds were attached to the meat there was more moisture than other parts, so I loosened or detached the seeds in order to allow the subtle heat to reach those areas.

Toward the end of the slow roast pick out the fully dried peppers to avoid burning. They will dry at different rates although the seeds seemed to dry out before anything else. It’s apparent they are finished when the pepper skin has shriveled up and darkened in color.  It should not be able to bend without cracking. As I picked out the dry ones out I placed them in a holding bowl before grinding them all at once.

Once all of the peppers are removed from the oven it’s time to grind them up and make them into a fresh jalapeño spice. We used our Magic Bullet for grinding. You can use a spice grinder of course or a coffee grinder that is thoroughly cleaned out before and after grinding. But perhaps jalapeño accented coffee would be delicious. Grinding instructions are simple, place them in and grind them up until desired texture. We like a coarse pepper powder because it’s perfect to sprinkle on any dish. So far we have spiced up soup, popcorn, chickpeas, and bread.

There are definitely many right ways to make stuffed mushrooms.  It’s an extremely easy dish to make and to improvise with whatever you have.  With the simple guideline of “top mushrooms with filling,” the possibilities are endless.

This dish makes a great appetizer, side, snack, or even a small meal. We made a similar version of these mushrooms for a dinner party a few weeks ago with the only real difference being the cheese we used.  They’re great for parties whether you are the host or you are bringing them with you.  Make ahead and pop them in to the oven 25 minutes before you’re ready to enjoy.

recipe:

about 2 8oz packages of baby bella mushrooms

2 cups frozen spinach
1 roasted pepper
4 cloves roasted garlic
1+ cups cheese (sharp cheddar, havarti, swiss all work well)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8- 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper powder or cayenne
handful of toasted pine nuts (optional)

1/4 cup bread crumbs toasted with butter

Prepare your roasted pepper and roasted garlic ahead of time.  Preheat oven to 425°. Lightly brush pepper with oil, wrap a head (or half) of garlic drizzled with a little olive oil in tinfoil and place both on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 – 45 minutes, flip pepper half way through. Allow to cool before handling.

Meanwhile prepare the filling. Thaw spinach and drain excess water- if you are using fresh spinach saute it for a moment to wilt.  Grate the cheese; we used cheddar for this recipe, but last time it was havarti. It’s ok to switch things up. Both were delicious. Toast a handful of pine nuts — dry toast them in a small pan with no oil, shake them around over the heat until they’re nice and toasty.  Dice the roasted pepper and peel the garlic.  Combine all of these ingredients along with spice and salt to taste. Set aside.

Clean mushrooms and pop off stems. Place mushrooms caps cup side up in a glass baking dish. We use a shallow 8 x 12 glass baking dish.  Use whatever you have — a couple of pie dishes or a lasagna dish would work well too. The filling should be enough to top 2 8 oz packs of mushrooms.  The size of the mushrooms and the amount of room on your baking dish may vary the proportions. Disperse filling into the caps.

Finish the stuffed mushrooms off with bread crumbs.  For this recipe we used panko bread crumbs and fried them up with a little butter, probably about a tablespoon or so.  You can add some parmesan to the mix if you want.  If you are interested in making your own bread crumbs from scratch, check here for some inspiration.

Bake at 350° for about 25 minutes.

Try out our recipe or make up your own! If you don’t have all of the ingredients we used consider what else might taste nice here…. artichoke hearts, olives, goat cheese, tomatoes, Parmesan, carrots, edamame, kale, walnuts… no onions… this list could go on for days- you get the point.

Over the past year or so crunchy chickpeas have been flooding the food blog world.  There’s a good reason for it too! They’re inexpensive, simple to make, delicious, and healthy.  You don’t really need a recipe to make them. I first made these crunchy chickpeas several months ago and I’ve been hooked ever since! I’m always on the lookout for tasty snacks especially ones that can be readily available at any given surge of hunger. A grab on the go or snag a few here and there snack. I keep these around the house and at work nearly always.

The crunchy chickpea snack concept is great because you can modify it to fit your taste and you can make as much or as little as you require.  The batch I make is plenty for the week with enough to share — spicy, and salty. The cooking process takes about an hour depending on your oven and the amount you are baking at once.  The entire process is simple and straight forward but it does require you to stand by in order to mix them up throughout baking.  A good timer is helpful.

Ingredients :

3 cups dried chickpeas
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1½ – 2 teaspoons hot chili powder or cayenne

I use dried chickpeas to start but you can use canned as well. When using dry chickpeas pre-soak over night or all day.  I’ll usually just set them out to soak in the morning if I want to bake them in the evening. Once soaked for several hours, drain the chickpeas and put them in a pot with new water to boil.  Simmer until cooked.

Strain the chickpeas and pour them onto a clean towel to completely dry and cool off. I believe this step is extremely important, allowing them to air off and cool off helps eliminate a lot of steam which is moisture.  I have noticed a huge difference when I have not allowed them to cool down — the chickpeas have a harder crunch to them which to me is less pleasant to eat.  By eliminating as much moisture before you bake them I believe you get nicer light and crispy texture.

Preheat oven to about 400°

Once the chickpeas are cooked and cooled, place them into a baking dish. I use a 9 x 13 Pyrex lasagna dish.  I would recommend using something with sides because throughout baking the chickpeas will need to be stirred around.  I’ve used a regular baking sheet before and found it pretty difficult to stir them up adequately (while in a hot oven — wear a mitt!) without knocking them off the sides. I also felt that the chickpeas were quicker to burn on a thinner baking sheet — the glass dish just makes more sense to me especially when you are preparing several cups worth of snacks ;)

Season the chickpea directly in the baking dish. Pour oil, sprinkle spices & kosher salt to taste, stir up to evenly coat the batch. Give it a taste before popping it in the oven.

The baking time may vary slightly but will end up to be just over an hour to an hour and a half. Set the timer for 15 minutes and then stir the chickpeas well, repeat an additional 3 times.  This will take about 45 minutes ;) taste test a few for crispiness and keep a closer watch as they finish baking.  I just keep lessening the interval between mixings until they are done to avoid burning them at the end! You’ll know when they’re done because they will be super crispy and delicious; because there are so many chickpeas baking at once, the textures will vary slightly, some may be a little darker (burnt), others a bit lighter (chewy), and the rest of them will be perfectly crispy.

Make these your new savory snack!

A quick entry with a recipe for fancy butter…

1 stick of salted butter at room temperature
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon honey
2 cloves of roasted garlic
1/8 heaping teaspoon hot pepper powder

Combine ingredients into a small storage container and enjoy all week while you use it to make all your breads and crackers taste more exciting ;)

Type is becoming blurry, street signs only exist the closer I get, and people with glasses can see better than I… time to get my eyes examined. Aye. In the meantime, I will be eating a lot of this soup, and maybe — just maybe — it will do my little eyes some good; at the very least it will be delicious, inexpensive, and simple to make.

Ingredients used : carrots, ginger, edamame, garlic, pepper powder/cayenne powder, lemon, sour cream, soup stock.

soup for 4

6 cups vegetable stock
4+ cups peeled & chopped carrots
3 cloves chopped garlic
2 tablespoons minced ginger
¼ teaspoon pepper powder or cayenne powder
½ lemon squeezed or juice
1 cup edamame
½ cup sour cream (optional)
olive oil

equipment used : immersion blender or blender & soup pot

Begin with preparing all of the ingredients, peel and mince the garlic & ginger, peel and chop the carrots in to small rounds. Over medium heat in your favorite soup pot splash a little olive oil and include the garlic and ginger.  Saute for a moment until garlic is cooked (don’t burn it), add the carrots and stir.  Pour in the vegetable stock. Turn the heat up and bring to a boil while you add the lemon and pepper/cayenne powder. Return to a simmer and cover until carrots are tender.

When the carrots are fully cooked puree the soup into a smooth consistency with your immersion blender right in the soup pot.  If you don’t have one a regular blender will work fine, however if you are a fan of convenience and/or blended soups & sauces an immersion blender is extremely affordable and totally worth the splurge. By using this tool you avoid having to pour hot liquid into the blender pitcher and back again which also means there is barely a chance for spilling. All good things!

Once your soup is nice and smooth blend in the sour cream, give it a taste and decide if anything needs to be added- for example you may want to add a dash of salt if your base stock wasn’t very salty or flavorful. Last pour in the whole edamame beans, heat soup to the perfect temperature.

Enjoy this soup — practically effortless and super delicous.