The Health Benefits Of Sriracha Sauce And 3 Easy Recipes With Sriracha

Okay! So I’m a bit late jumping onboard the sriracha train…sue me! Sriracha sauce has been mentioned just about everywhere this past year, from the Dr. Oz show to food blogs galore. I’ve been meaning to try it out, but I didn’t get around to it until now. Why now? I spotted this bottle of Sky Valley By OrganicVille Sriracha Sauce in Whole Foods. That’s why!

Since I am a big fan of the OrganicVille products, I decided to experiment with some sriracha recipes. I found 3 super simple and fantastic recipes using sriracha sauce: a Sriracha Bloody Mary, Chili-Sauce Kale Chips and Sriracha, Cilantro and Lime Roasted Chickpeas. They are all seriously easy to make and seriously delicious! Before I give you the recipes, I wanted to point out some of the health benefits of sriracha. 

THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF SRIRACHA SAUCE:

Sriracha sauce is a tangy hot sauce with a unique sweet taste. It is made from red chili peppers, garlic, vinegar, sugar and salt. This sauce, also known as “rooster sauce,” is named after a town in Thailand called “Sri Racha.” The red chili peppers contain capsaicin which is known to help boost metabolism and aid in weight loss. The garlic in sriracha sauce also helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels. Additionally, eating chili peppers is said to boost your endorphins which can make you feel happier and promote serotonin which can enhance your mood and your memory. If that’s not enough, sriracha can also help the body’s ability to dissolve blood clots, fight inflammation, improve circulation and help you fight a cold by acting as an expectorant.

Wow! These recipes will obviously do much more than just taste good since they are all made with healthy sriracha…

VEGAN SRIRACHA BLOODY MARY

Adapted from the website Macheesmo

Yield: 32 Ounces of mix

Ingredients:

32 ounces tomato juice

1/4 cup Sky Valley By OrganicVille Sriracha Sauce (or less)

2 tablespoons horseradish

1 tablespoon vegan worcestershire sauce (I use Annie’s Naturals)

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

1/2 lemon, juice only

Garnish:

Celery or Olives, or both!

Vegan Vodka (for vegan brands of beer, wine & spirits, see Barnivore)

*FYI… Absolut, Stolichnaya, Grey Goose and Skinny Girl are all vegan brands of vodka.

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients (except the vodka) in a big bowl. Start with 2-3 tablespoons Sriracha and add more to get to your desired level of spiciness.

2. Once all your ingredients are combined, taste and adjust flavors.

3. Make a bloody mary with 3 parts mix to 1 part vodka. So for 2 ounce of vodka, use 6-8 ounces of the mix.

4. Garnish and serve!

 

CHILI-SAUCE KALE CHIPS

From Martha Stewart Recipes

Ingredients:

2 bunches curly kale, stems removed, leaves torn into 2-inch pieces

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

5 teaspoons Sriracha sauce, or more if desired

Coarse salt

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Wash and dry kale and divide between two rimmed baking sheets. In a small bowl, stir together oil and Sriracha and drizzle over kale; season with salt. Using your hands, toss to coat. Bake until kale is crisp and just beginning to brown at edges, about 35 minutes, tossing kale every 10 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

 

SRIRACHA, CILANTRO AND LIME ROASTED CHICKPEAS

Recipe by Cerentha Harris from mom.me

Ingredients:

1  15-ounce can chickpeas

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce

1 teaspoon lime juice (1 lime)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon grated lime zest (1 lime)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and drain chickpeas. Pat dry the chickpeas with a paper towel. In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, Sriracha sauce, lime juice and sea salt. Add chickpeas to the sauce and toss to coat. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the chickpeas evenly on the pan. Place in the oven and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring halfway through, until crunchy. Add cilantro and lime zest to the roasted chickpeas and toss to coat. Allow to cool and serve.

 

I am totally hooked on Sriracha and I suggest that you give it a try! Other great ideas for sriracha include mixing a small amount into your ketchup as a spread for your veggie burger, mixing one spoonful into marinara sauce for an instant arrabiata or adding a dollup to the wok to spice up your stir-fry!