A Really Spicy Bell Pepper Salad

on
I could not resist this one! A bell pepper salad with a little bit more stimulation than most people wish for. But in New Mexico we love to take things into extreme. And believe me, hardly anyone can return home from a local farmer's market without a bag of mixed chili peppers.


I decided to mix some innocently mild bell peppers with the outrageously hot chili. The result is quite amazing. A simple dressing made of virgin olive oil and lime juice seemed to be perfect here, but you can also dress this salad with a mild cumin yoghurt dressing if you want to moderate the heat sensation just a bit.


Ingredients:
  • mixed hot peppers (Habanero, Jalapeño, Fresno, Scotch Bonnet, Rawit, Madame Jeanette, Spanish Pepper, Shakira, Poblano)
  • 3 large bell peppers (green, yellow, red)
  • 5-6 cloves of young garlic, chopped (take less if you are using old garlic)
  • 2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped (use 1/2 tsp if you are using dried thyme)
  • 1/2 cup virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup freshly pressed lime juice
  • Celtic sea salt and freshly grind black pepper to taste


Method:
  • Wash bell peppers and paprika, cut lengthwise, remove the seeds. Cut peppers into manageable chunks. Put everything into large mixing bowl.
  • Put on your rubber gloves and wash the hot peppers. Cut them lengthwise and remove most of the seeds. If you really like the fire sensation on your tongue, you may add some seeds  to the dressing. 
  • Cut a few thin stripes of each hot pepper and ad into the bowl. Mix well.
  • Add chopped garlic and thyme. Mix well. Set aside.
  • Whisk a simple dressing using all the olive oil and lime juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. 
  • Pour dressing over the salad, mix well and chill in the fridge for 5-10 minutes. 
  • Serve on a bed of Romaine lettuce. 

~ Creamy Cumin Dressing ~

If you are not used to or cannot tolerate hot peppers, add only very little of them into your salad and use a milder dressing. Cumin and yogurt work miracles so you may want to try this dressing first.

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup home made kefir ( or raw milk yogurt if you prefer)
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 Tbsp freshly pressed lime juice
  • Celtic sea salt and freshly grind black pepper to taste
    •  

Method:
  • Process all the ingredients in a food processor or a blender until smooth. Pour over your salad and enjoy in good company!
Tip: If you are a vegan or have no access to raw milk yoghurt, make the salad dressing using cashew nuts, purified water, olive oil, lime juice and cumin. Add salt and pepper to taste. Make the dressing a bit thicker and you will have a wonderful dip.

In radiant health - passionately raw - Dominique

Dominique Allmon©2014

To learn more about chili peppers please click here