By Carly Hoilman
A few nights back my mom made pumpkin soup (one of my favorites). The only problem was that she never writes her recipes down, and she messed up the ratio of HABENERA PEPPER to soup. I took my first slurp and felt like my mouth had entered a state of emergency. The funny thing is that I kept eating it. Other than the spiciness, the soup was delicious and I never did mind a little heat (or a lot).
Later that night (about three hours after we’d had dinner), I felt my stomach burning. Was I already hungry again? After pondering this, I began to wonder if the burning hot soup had anything to do with my current appetence. I thought of my dad, who puts hot sauce on everything and claims that it boosts his metabolism. I wanted to know if there was any truth behind this too-good-to-be-true theory; and if it is all true, then the world (or the five people that read this blog) deserves to know! Thus, my idea for this entry was conceived.
During my quest for the truth, I discovered that spicy foods contain certain chemicals that can dramatically boost one’s metabolism. Some studies show that spicy foods such as chilies and other potent peppers can speed up your metabolic rate by up to fifty percent for up to three hours after you’ve consumed them. Other studies claim that these effects only last up to a half hour after consuming spicy foods; I, of course, beg to differ.
There are so many ways to “spice up your life”. Adding red pepper flakes to pasta, soups and stews, chili, pizza, or whatever else you can think of can be an easy ways to incorporate spices into your diet. Eating spicy dishes often can maximize calorie-burning potential. So, dear reader....
I want to know what you think about this study! Try out a few of these recipes and don’t be shy to share your results. Questions, comments, and recipes are always welcome.
Spicy Pumpkin Soup Recipe
Ingredients
· 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
· 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
· 2 teaspoons minced garlic
· 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
· 2 teaspoons curry powder
· 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
· Pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)
· 3 (15 oz) cans 100 percent pumpkin or 6 cups of chopped roasted pumpkin*
· 5 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)**
· 2 cups of milk
· 1/2 cup brown sugar
· 1/2 cup heavy cream
Fiery Angel Hair Pasta
- 1 pound angel hair pasta
- 1/2 cup Chili Oil, recipe follows
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- Coarse sea salt
- Dried crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel, optional
- 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the angel hair pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.
Stir the oil, parsley, lemon juice and lemon peel in a large serving bowl. Add the cooked pasta and toss with enough reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, to moisten. Season the pasta with salt and red pepper flakes, to taste. Sprinkle grated lemon peel over pasta for extra flavor and texture. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve.
Chinese Hot and Spicy Chicken
· 4 tablespoon Oil
· 1 Scallion
· 2 Hot peppers -- or more
· 1 tablespoon Shredded ginger
· 1 tablespoon Sherry
· 2 tablespoon Light soy sauce
· 2 pound Fryer
· 1/2 cup Chicken broth
· 1 tablespoon Light soy sauce
· 2 tablespoon Wine vinegar
· 1 tablespoon Sugar
· 1/2 teaspoon Salt
· 1 teaspoon Anise pepper -- or 2
· 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
Directions
Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces, marinate 15-20 minutes in ginger, sherry, soy sauce mixture. Cut scallion and hot peppers diagonally into 1-inch pieces. Grind anise pepper to powder. Mix chicken broth, soy sauce, wine vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Heat oil. Add scallion, and stir fry several times. Add ginger, sherry, soy mixture and chicken to scallions and hot pepper, and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes more. Add chicken broth mixture, mix well. Cook over low heat until chicken pieces are tender. Add cornstarch to thicken. Serve.
(recipes courtesy of simplyrecipes.com, foodnetwork.com, and simplyrecipes.com)
