Happy Wednesday my friends! I told you I had lots of yummy stuff to share with you this week, so I am back today to show some more of the ways I have used the spicy Ají Limo peppers I found at the farmers market about three weeks ago. Though they are native to Peru, the farmer that I bought them from had an aunt bring him some seeds and they did really well for him for his first crop here in Georgia. I am not one to really like super spicy dishes, but I have come to appreciate the use of a bit of heat in my meals when appropriate. It's also a lot of fun to explore how a new ingredient can bring a different flavor to the table!
I first shared about these peppers in my cauliflower tacos post, but have since been using them anywhere I would normally use other hot peppers or even instead of cayenne or another ground pepper variety. After our heat going out on us last week, I was actually really happy to have some spicy food to warm my body up from the inside in a very chilly house. 😜
The first time I used the peppers I erred on the side of caution and only used one, and it lent just a bit of heat to the whole dish. Since 
I toned it down for the next meal and used a few in a big pot of soup. You all know I am a huge soup fan, so I didn't want to ruin a big bowl of goodness with too much heat. Luckily I made such a large batch it dialed it back to just a hint of heat this time around.
This soup was actually really fantastic. Loaded with a ton of vegetables and chickpeas, this was a great light and nutritious meal to eat the week after Thanksgiving. Not that we overindulged, but this time of year it doesn't hurt to stay on track just in case some holiday goodies jump on my plate some time soon...
If you want to check out the full recipe for the soup click here. I didn't actually write anything up for the stir fry since it was just the last of a bunch of veggies tossed together, and then I also didn't write up my last dish to share with you--a spicy adzuki bean chili. Perhaps I'll make a few tweaks to this one and type it up since I've still got a few of those sassy little peppers to use up!
I can't recall if I've ever used adzuki beans in a chili before, but I had some left that I bought a while back. Beans can last for quite a while once dried, but they do tend to get hard after a while which takes them longer to cook. I try to use mine up regularly so I never end up with a tough batch. Also I just like to use different ones to keep my meals interesting since there are so many varieties to enjoy!
One of my favorite things to put in chili is actually a cup or so of dark beer. I never thought of it until trying out an awesome tempeh chili recipe a few years back. The alcohol all cooks off, but it leaves a nice malty flavor behind that adds some depth to your chili. This brand is local and almost all of their beers are vegan-friendly (if not all)! I used some pureed butternut squash, bell peppers, onions, a few Ají Limos, tomatoes and spices, as well. This was another sizzling spoonful! Luckily I made this during our "no heater" week, so there was one night it was downright cold in the house and working through a bowl of this warmed me right up for a bit.
I actually just found out that due to some really nasty predicted weather for Saturday morning my local farmers market is going to be closed. I'm a bit sad, but happy that they won't have to set up and stand out in some really rainy and cold conditions. I am truly so lucky that I have such a fantastic market that stays open pretty much year-round. The good thing is I tend to buy so much each week that I actually still have some vegetables like squash, kohlrabi and cabbage left from last week that are still plenty good to use. Oh, and some beets. Yeah, I think I'll survive a week without them. But just one, so I hope the weather clears up for the next week!
I hope you are all enjoying a happy and healthy week!
