I was intrigued by New York Times recipe, and honestly wasn't sure we were going to like it. But it turned out well, and we would make it again.

FOR THE TEMPEH:
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 ¼ teaspoons fine sea salt
16 ounces/455 grams tempeh, cut into ¼-inch-by-2½-inch slices
¼ cup canola oil, plus more as needed

FOR THE SAMBAL:
¼ cup canola oil
4 medium tomatoes, halved and thinly sliced
7 medium shallots, peeled and sliced

A nice side for a BBQ, courtesy of Bon Appetit.

3 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 large onion, finely chopped
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2/3 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend or 1/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese mixed with 1/3 cup crumbled queso fresco, divided
1/2 cup sour cream (plus additional for garnish, optional)
1/2 cup canned creamed corn
2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño chiles

Cribbed from Marcela.

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1/2 medium white onion, chopped
2-3 poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth, plus more if needed
1 cup long grain rice

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat.
Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes.
Add the poblano chiles and saute, about 8 minutes.

A Saveur recipe, modified by Merl and sent by Sharon.

1 lb. mixed medium-to-hot fresh chiles, stemmed and seeded if very hot (Merl recommends 1/2 jalapeños and 1/2 serranos; Saveur recommends red peppers like fresno, holland, or cayenne)
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1.5 tbsp. or more kosher salt, to taste
1/2 cup or more distilled white vinegar to taste

A really nice alternative summer gazpacho. If you don't like vinegar as much as I do, feel free to reduce the vinegar and/or lime juice proportions to taste. Courtesy of Bon Appetit.

¼ cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
1 cup plain Greek yogurt, plus an optional ½ cup or serving
½ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 oz. ciabatta or country-style bread, crust removed, bread torn into 1” pieces (about 2½ cups)

From Bon Appetit 2014 Food Lover's Cleanse

This combination and modification of three Bon Appetit recipes goes excellent together and produces a follow-up salad for lunches or a dinner later in the week. The Tahini sauce needs to be done at least 1 day in advance, and the vegetable roasting can largely be done ahead as well.

Serves 2 with leftovers for a salad (see below).

So, not really a true recipe, but pretty good and pretty easy. Maybe next time we'll get fancy and make our own empanada dough, but for the first try this turned out pretty good.

1/2 pound fresh padron, shishito, seranno, small Hatch, or hot banana peppers, washed and thoroughly dried
1 tablespoon olive oil
Coarse sea salt, such as fleur de sel or Maldon

Place the peppers in a medium bowl, add the olive oil, and toss to coat; set aside.

Heat an indoor sautee pan or outdoor grill to medium high.

When the grill is ready, place the peppers on the grill in a single layer, making sure they’re not touching; reserve the bowl they were in. Grill the peppers uncovered, turning them occasionally, until they start to char and blister, about 6 to 8 minutes total.

I had a hankering for Thai food since we're currently planning a trip to Thailand. I did a quick search, and voila! I modified the curry recipe from here. I have to admit this isn't the most authentic or even delicious green curry recipe, but frankly it's pretty easy to make and can be made mostly without often hard to find ingredients.

I personally prefer this recipe with extra firm tofu, but it could theoretically go with any protein. Fish or seafood would be best, followed by chicken.

Serves 4.

1/4 lb. shredded green cabbage
2/3 red bell pepper, cut into slivers
1/3 green bell pepper, cut into slivers
1/3 poblano pepper (or similar moderate heat pepper), cut into slivers
1/2 c. apple cider, rice, or red wine vinegar (or a mix of all three!)
2 Tbsp sugar
Salt and celery seed (or celery salt) to taste
Pepper

There is no "real" recipe to Jon's chili beyond the base set of ingredients and improvisation with spices and available ingredients. If there are fresh peppers, they go in. If there's homemade salsa, it definitely goes in. Beer (Shiner Bock I find is best) cuts the spice level nicely without removing the flavor.

I sautee the onion/garlic/jalapenos until tender, then add the meat and brown it. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, then add whole habaneros and the first spices (salt, pepper, first group of spices). Add 4 cups of water and some beer and bring to a boil.

I began making my own hot sauce during Peace Corps - peppers were plentiful, but good, non-tabasco-style sauces were hard to find (and generally bad). It's always a big hit, but actually really easy to make.

You can also see this recipe in a much more amusing flowchart form (PDF)

A good, staple salsa verde recipe that balances the tartness of the tomatillo with a nice char and some spice. Makes about 2 cups.

• 8 medium tomatillos, husked, rinsed
• 3-4 fresh chiles (a mixture of jalapenos and poblanos creates a nice flavor)
• 8 unpeeled garlic cloves
• 1 cup (packed) fresh cilantro
• 1 small white onion, roughly chopped
• Juice of 1 lime