I don't know about you but I love all things spicy; spicy people, spicy food, spicy dancing - wherever there is spice there is sure to be an exciting time! However, spice is one of those delicate matters, a line that can easily be crossed into an abysmal burning sweating mass of destruction! A little heat goes a long way for I want to still be able to taste the delicious flavors of my dish without nuclear melt down or a full body milk bath to cool the burn.

Ghost Peppers are one of the hottest peppers there are. They are intimidating in their heat. It is necessary to handle them with care, you have to use gloves and have proper ventilation - they are that hot and thus they are a bit scary!

You see, my honey loves spicy food, the hotter the better, he likes the burn, the sweat, and the sear of it on your tongue, he is notorious for dousing anything and everything with hot sauce. We have an expansive collection of hot sauces from around the world and a seed collection of unknown varieties of spicy hot peppers. This year, he decided it was time to grow some hot peppers! He pulled out the seed collection and got to work, watering, nurturing and feeding our nice little pepper plants until they grew into giant bushes. The best part of the whole process is that the seeds aren't labeled so the spice variety is a mystery until the pepper is born from its small flower.

With the luck of the harvest out popped an entire bush filled with chocolate ghost peppers and I was left in charge of these super hot little devils! So I got to work, researching hot sauce recipes, looking at what others have done and adjusting until I found something that I thought would work and let me tell you, it works! This sauce is everything that you want it to be, sweet and citrusy with an intense heat that doesn't linger longer than it should.

I knew that I wanted the sauce to have the flavors of native Florida hence, the mangoes, which came from our dear friends yard, the citrus accents and the local honey. I hope that you give it a try for this sauce definitely tantalizes the taste buds and will spice up your life while staying alkaline! Enjoy and Healthy Eating!

Citrus Mango Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce

1 tbs Olive Oil

3 Chocolate Ghost Peppers, stems and seeds removed - USE GLOVES!

2 Mangos, peeled and sliced

1 Orange, peeled

3 Sweet Picante Peppers

1 Onion, loosely chopped

1 clove of Garlic, loosely chopped

1in piece of Ginger, peeled and loosely chopped

1/2 tsp Pink HImalayan Sea Salt

1 tsp Smoked Paprika

1 cup Water

1 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 cup Honey

Juice from 1 1/2 limes

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. If you can do this outdoors I would recommend it or make sure you have the windows open for ventilation.

Add the onions, garlic, peppers, mangos, and orange to the pot. Cook for about 5 minutes until softened. Add the paprika and salt, cooking for a minute more before adding the water, apple cider vinegar, honey and lime juice. Bring to a bowl and then reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor. Blend on low speed gradually increasing until the mixture is smooth. Make sure to let the steam escape while doing so. Taste, if it is too spicy for your liking add more honey and vinegar until it suits your tastes.

Sterilize your bottles by placing them in boiling water for 10 minutes. Carefully remove and let cool. Bottle, refrigerate and enjoy!

In Florida it seems like it is always summer, sure we have winter but that just means perfect weather with a chance of showers. In NY though there are real seasons and the ushering in of spring means a number of different vegetables become available. Spring is like heaven in the North East, after months of cold miserable weather, a 50 degree day is absolutely amazing! Spring signals the greening of the land, plants sprout, leaves bloom, and flowers peak their heads out. Wild food also runs abundant with fiddle heads and ramps coming into season.

Ramps are a delicious cross between onions and garlic. They can only be found in the Northeast in higher elevations and should be harvested with conservation in mind. It is best to bring a pocket knife and cut the ramp off at the roots while still in the ground. It is also recommended that you only take 1/3 of the patch. This ensures that it will grow again next year.

The entire ramp plant is edible, including the leaves and it is versatile in its preparation. You can use it to replace garlic in any recipe or eat it roasted and grilled on its own. The leaves make a spicy pesto that is delicious as well. Lucky for me, my honey's mom went ramp harvesting and sent us enough through the mail to create an awesome dish and to pickle and preserve for later in the year.

The dish that I have created uses ramps in every possible way; sauteed and softened in polenta, grilled on their own and used in a pesto! I love using one item in multiple ways in a single dish as it really highlights the many different forms one item can be transformed into. This is my first foray into making polenta from scratch as well. I have eaten it out, and used the pre-made variety but never realized just how simple it was to make. I did have a few learning moments when making it so I figured that I would share them with you. First, make sure that you stir the polenta mixture until it pulls away from the sides of the pot, this ensures that it has cooked enough and that it is firm enough for baking (if you want to make squares, fries, or other shapes). Second, do not be afraid to add mix ins! I added in rosemary, onion, ramps and miso to my mixture and it turned out delicious.

The recipe seems like it has a lot of steps but each step is pretty easy and takes minimal time. Both the pesto and the polenta can be made ahead and kept refrigerated until ready to use. Don't bake the polenta until you are ready to use it. Of course this dish was designed to for wowing your friends with your amazing plating technique but you can always just serve the items in a simple manner as well. I hope that you enjoy!

Ramp & Rosemary Polenta with Grilled Ramps, Blood Orange and Smoked Tomato Ramp Pesto

Makes 6 servings

Polenta

1/2 cup Ramp Bulbs, loosely chopped (use the leaves in the pesto)

1/4 cup Red Onion, minced

1 stalk of Rosemary, leaves loosely chopped

2 tbs Olive Oil

4 cups Water

1 tbs Miso Paste

1 cup Yellow or White Corn Meal, fine to medium ground

1 tbs Vegan Butter

Pink Himalayan Sea Salt to taste

In a medium sized sauce pan heat the olive oil over medium high heat until glistening. Add the ramps and red onion, cooking until slightly browned, softened and fragrant. Add the rosemary and saute for another minute. Pour in the water slowly and bring to a boil. Add the miso and whisk to combine. Slowly add the Corn Meal to the pot, continue whisking until the mixture thickens and begins to pull away from the pan. Stir in 1 tbs of vegan butter and salt to taste.

Polenta can be served at this time or you can pour it into a rectangular pan or individual ramekins, smoothing the tops and placing in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to solidify. Once chilled, cut into squares or invert ramekins onto a baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees until browned on the outside.

Pesto

1/4 cup Almonds

6 Smoked Tomatoes (similar to sundried tomatoes but dried in a smoker instead)

Juice from 1 Lemon

1 clove of Garlic

2 cups of Ramp Greens (use the bulbs in the polenta)

1/4 cup Olive oil

Pink Himalayan Sea Salt to Taste

Place all of the ingredients except for the olive oil into a food processor, process slowly adding in the olive oil to bring it together. You may have to scrape down the sides a few times. ADd salt to taste.

Grilled Ramps with Blood Orange

1 Bunch of ramps with leaves

1 tbs Olive oil

1 tsp Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

1 Blood Orange, peeled and quartered

Preheat Grill. Toss the ramps, olive oil and salt in a large bowl, coating the ramps. Grill over medium heat until browned, turning frequently.

Place your polenta squares or rounds onto a plate, top with the grilled ramps and sections of blood orange. Place a dollop of pesto on the side. Enjoy and Healthy Eating!

*Both the pesto and the polenta can be made ahead just leave the polenta in the fridge until you are ready to bake it. This dish can also be enjoyed warm or at room temperature.