Appetizers – Page 8 – PepperScale

Orange And Avocado Salsa

Here’s a delicious and fruity spin on salsa that pairs perfectly with grilled chicken breast or fried fish. Orange and avocado salsa brings both spiciness and a citrusy-sweetness to your meal. It’s delicious as both an appetizer or as a side. We use one orange …

Spicy Maple Chicken Wings

by Matt Bray

Sweet and heat are always a delicious pair. So the double whammy of flavor in these spicy maple chicken wings – maple syrup and Sriracha sauce – is a combo not to be missed. It’s pure pleasure and a tasty foil to those “all fire, …

Steamed Shrimp Dumplings With Fiery Dipping Sauce

by Mark Eardley

Depths of delicate flavors, textures, and colors make these steamed shrimp dumplings a richly satisfying treat. And when paired with a hot, sweet, smoky, and slightly tart dipping sauce, they’re ideal for a rather special light-ish lunch or supper. These generous, two-bite delights are so …

Jalapeno and Sriracha Cauliflower Cheese

Jalapeño And Sriracha Cauliflower Cheese

by Nicola Turner

Cauliflower cheese is delicious enough as it is. But can you imagine just how much you are going to enjoy it with a tangy kick of pickled jalapeño peppers and a deliciously spicy Sriracha cheese sauce? The answer is, A LOT! Jalapeño and sriracha cauliflower …

Spicy Chana Masala

by Matt Bray

Chickpeas with attitude…

Cayenne pepper brings the sizzle to this chana masala recipe. This chickpea-based Indian favorite is delicious served simply with naan bread or try it atop rice or couscous to make more of a meal of it. It’s a perfect side dish for Indian meals, especially if you’re looking for something that’s not breaded and fried.

There’s an exotic mix of spices here beyond fiery cayenne and chili powder, including garam masala, amchoor powder (also known as mango powder), ginger, and turmeric. It’s a bold turn for chickpeas, so feel free to adjust the spice proportions of each to your liking.

Papa a la Huancaina

by Matt Bray

A popular Peruvian appetizer…

Who doesn’t love the idea of potatoes with a spicy cheese sauce? That’s simply what the popular Peruvian recipe papa a la Huancaina is: boiled potatoes topped with a cheese sauce spiced up by the deliciously summery-sweet aji amarillo pepper. It’s made all the better by the addition of hardboiled eggs and black olives – very rustic in flavor.

Papa a la Huancaina is typically served as an appetizer, but it’s so heavy it can also work as meal in its own right. The recipe calls for Huancaina sauce (which you can find the recipe for here).

Cheese Stuffed Cherry Peppers

by Matt Bray

Creamy, sweet, and tangy – with a touch of heat…

It’s often these simple recipes that bring the most pleasure. This cheese stuffed cherry peppers recipe takes a handful of ingredients, but delivers a delicious creamy tang that friends and family will love.

Cherry peppers (a.k.a. pimento peppers) have only a mild heat, 100 to 500 Scoville heat units. That’s at minimum five times milder than a jalapeño pepper, so this is a very family friendly chili pepper appetizer. They are deliciously sweet which pairs very well with the tang from the pickling and the herbed goat cheese.

Chilli Pakora

by Matt Bray

A delicious spicy Indian appetizer…

Ready for pure spicy happiness? That’s chilli pakura – an Indian spicy appetizer featuring a deep fried green chili, and – in this instance – stuffed with a delicious potato stuffing. Try it as either a starter or simply as a delicious exotic snack.

In this recipe, the spiciness comes from both the fresh chili used, as well as a decent helping of red chili powder. You can move up or down the pepper scale by being specific about the chili powder used. Opt for a mild paprika for a less spicy evening. Cayenne pepper (or a hot paprika) brings a certain pop to the dish. Or, move right up to crushed Thai pepper for some serious extra kick.

Spicy Thai Coconut Soup

by Matt Bray

Creamy, spicy, and full of flavor…

Spicy Thai coconut soup is our favorite Asian comfort food: rich, creamy, spicy, and fragrant. It’s one of those dishes that announces its presence with smells that taste good enough to eat! It’s hearty enough to stand on its own, but pour it over jasmine rice and you have a real meal at the ready in minutes.

The heat in this recipe is delivered by fresh red jalapeño, but you can opt for a few other directions. If you want more spiciness, try Thai peppers (it’s a significant upgrade, so be ready) or if you have sambal oelek at hand, you can use a few teaspoons of it in the soup to provide a comparable heat to jalapeño.

Red Pepper Hummus

by Matt Bray

Sweet and smoky…

Adding a little red bell pepper and smoked paprika to your traditional hummus is a delicious twist. It’s slightly sweet with a hint of smoke and only the mildest sense of simmering heat. The smokiness comes from both the smoked paprika and the freshly roasted red bell pepper. Roasting the bell only takes ten minutes under a broiler, with a nifty kitchen trick after to make peeling the pepper super simple.

Serve the red pepper hummus with pita or vegetable crudités as a healthy dipper. Or – one of our favorites – try it as a spread for veggie sandwiches.