Metabolism-Boosting Dinners

August 27, 2019
Flavor-packed low-calorie dinners made with chiles. Boost your metabolism with these zesty healthy chile recipes. From mild to fiery, research shows that a compound in chiles (capsaicin) helps trigger the body’s natural cooling system and revs up your metabolism.Watch Video
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Sichuan Chicken Lettuce Wraps

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Stuff low-carb lettuce wraps with Asian-inspired bang-bang chicken for an easy weeknight dinner that beats takeout! Sichuan peppercorns aren't peppers--they're the dried berries of the Chinese prickly ash bush. Don't have any on hand? Substitute 1/2 tsp. each crushed red pepper and five-spice powder for the Sichuan pepper.

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Chili-Lime Chicken Tostada with Pico de Gallo and Chipotle Crema

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Chicken breasts are marinated in chili and lime, then served on crisp corn tortillas with homemade pico de gallo and dollops of creamy chipotle sauce for a Mexican-inspired dinner that's special enough for company.

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Chipotle Beef Tacos with Tomato-Avocado Pico de Gallo

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These spicy chipotle tacos are the perfect choice for your next taco night. You can substitute ground turkey for the beef if you'd like, but either way, you'll want to make sure each bite includes a bit of the homemade pico de gallo.

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Mango-Lime Fish Tacos

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These yummy fish tacos are a quick-and-easy choice for dinner. Ready in just 30 minutes, the lime-seasoned tilapia fillets are baked and then combined in warm tortillas with cumin-spiced cabbage, sweet mangoes and spicy radishes.

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Coconut-Lime Turkey Skewers

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Threading strips of turkey tenderloin onto skewers is a unique way of preparing this white meat. The tenderloin gets its flavor from the sweet-and-spicy citrus marinade and the toasted flaked coconut which is sprinkled on top just before serving.

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Taco Meat Loaf

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This recipe takes your grandmother's 1950's meat loaf and brings it into the modern era! It's made with ground turkey, peppers, green onions, reduced-sodium taco seasoning and jalapeño pepper. Taco sauce is baked right onto the top of the loaf.

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Crunchy Chicken & Mango Salad

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This Asian-inspired dinner salad has terrific crunch, thanks to sugar snap peas and napa cabbage. Give the dressing a kick of heat by adding a bit of sambal oelek, an Indonesian hot sauce that you can find in most large supermarkets and Asian grocery stores.

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Five-Spiced Pork and Soba Noodle Bowls

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This Asian-inspired, one-bowl meal is chock full of vegetables, tender pork strips and soba noodles. Just before serving, the broth base is enhanced by the addition of a little orange juice.

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Chicken & Kale Taco Salad with Jalapeño-Avocado Ranch

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This healthy, super-fast salad recipe swaps out romaine for kale, giving you more than 10 times the vitamin C. Easy flavor hacks like store-bought ranch and pickled jalapeños help make a creamy, tangy and spicy dressing you'll want to drizzle on everything from salad to sliced veggies and shredded poached chicken.

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Paprika & Red Pepper Soup with Pistachio Puree

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Richly satisfying, this luscious-looking soup made with red bell peppers gets a touch of heat from Thai chiles. For an extra-nutty flavor, puree an additional 1/4 cup shelled pistachios with 1/4 cup water and serve the soup with a dollop of this pistachio puree on top.

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Mini Chile Relleno Casseroles

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Everyone gets an individual portion with this vegetarian, Tex-Mex mini casserole. A normal-size casserole like this would take close to an hour to bake--these are ready in half the time. Heatproof ramekins are a cook's best friend--we use them all the time to hold ingredients while cooking. You can buy them at most grocery stores.

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Scallop Mango Ceviche

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Ceviche is traditionally made by “cooking” a seafood in a citrus-based marinade. In this version, we use scallops and cook them lightly before marinating them in a tangy mango, lime, chile pepper and onion marinade. Try serving this ceviche Peruvian-style, with hard-boiled egg, sweet potato, lettuce and corn. Or keep it simple and serve it on salad greens with tortilla chips on the side.

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Tex-Mex Summer Squash Casserole

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Chiles and cheese turn mild summer squash into a zesty, satisfying casserole. The jalapenos make this dish quite hot; if you prefer a milder version, use a second can of diced green chiles instead.

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Chicken Breasts with Green Chile-Almond Cream Sauce

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Here we topped seared chicken breasts with a green chile cream sauce that was inspired by green mole. A touch of cream adds an extra smoothness to the sauce, but it can be omitted if you avoid dairy. Serve with brown rice and a tossed green salad with mango and red onion slices.

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Quick Shrimp Enchilada Bake

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Shrimp enchiladas offer a taste of coastal Mexican cuisine but some versions contain so much cheese, butter and sour cream that they can pack a whopping 50 grams of fat per serving. Our version has vibrant flavor and only half the calories and 6 grams of fat per serving, plus we use precooked peeled shrimp so you can get the dish on your table fast enough for a weeknight supper. The addition of refried beans helps makes these enchiladas an excellent source of fiber as well.

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Salmon with Roasted Chile-Mango Sauce

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Pungent red chiles and sweet mango flavor this robust sauce, which accents simply broiled salmon wonderfully. Broiling salmon will perfume your kitchen, so if you prefer, cook the salmon on the grill, over direct heat, 8 to 12 minutes total.

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South Pacific Shrimp

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Vibrant Southeast Asian seasonings are a natural with shrimp. Freeze any leftover coconut milk or refrigerate it for several days; you can use it instead of broth or water to cook rice or enrich a curry.

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Beef & Potato Salad with Smoky Chipotle

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In central Mexico, this salad is a standard--served as an appetizer, main dish or taco filling. Serve it with lime wedges, warm tortillas or tortilla chips. (Recipe from Fiesta at Rick's by Rick Bayless; W.W. Norton and Company, July 2010.)

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Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

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“Tortilla soup has a place, I feel, in practically every collection of Mexican recipes,” says Rick Bayless. This is a vegetarian version of the classic soup, usually made with chicken. Earthy dark pasilla chile flavors the soul-satisfying broth. (Recipe adapted from Rick Bayless.)

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Bean & Butternut Tacos with Green Salsa

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Beans and roasted butternut squash make an outstanding vegetarian taco filling. For the best flavor, use fresh, good-quality chili powder and Mexican oregano. Look for both at Latin markets or in the bulk spice section at well-stocked natural-foods stores.

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Zucchini Chile-Cheddar Mash

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This recipe for mashed zucchini with chiles and Cheddar embraces zucchini's tendency to become very soft when cooked.

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Singapore-Style Chicken & Noodle Soup

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In this healthy curry laksa, a popular Southeast Asian noodle soup, chicken, coconut milk, tomatoes and tons of warm spices make this a flavorful favorite. While there are a lot of ingredients, the leftover soup is even better the next day for lunch.

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Thai Chicken Stir-Fry with Basil & Cashews

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This quick chicken stir-fry recipe is flavored with classic Thai ingredients: savory fish sauce balanced with tangy lime juice and plenty of fresh basil. Have all the ingredients prepared and ready to add to the wok before you turn on the heat. Serve with brown rice.

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Chiles Rellenos with Chicken

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These pan-fried chiles rellenos are stuffed with a skinny chicken-and-corn filling. Serve with salsa or your favorite enchilada sauce.

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Beef & Bean Chile Verde

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Chile Verde, usually a slow-cooked stew of pork, jalapeños and tomatillos, becomes an easy weeknight meal with quick-cooking ground beef and store-bought green salsa. Make it a Meal: Serve with fresh cilantro, red onion and Monterey Jack. Add cornbread on the side and your favorite hot sauce.

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Chicken Tacos with Tangerine-Lime Crema

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This spicy chicken taco recipe gets fresh orange flavor from both the crema and crunchy slaw toppings. Serve with tortilla chips and ice-cold beer.

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Poblano, Sweet Potato & Apple Stuffed Pork Loin

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This easy, stuffed pork loin recipe starts with a soak in brine to ensure that it stays juicy and moist. The stuffing combines sweet potatoes, apples and gently spicy poblanos with Mexican herbs and spices. Cornbread is a natural pairing with pork, as is a salad with toasted pepitas and cider vinaigrette.

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Beef Chimichangas

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To slash 150 calories in this healthy chimichanga recipe, we bake rather than fry and use less beef by stretching the filling with mushrooms and beans. Top the baked chimichangas with fresh salsa (found near other refrigerated dips and sauces) instead of jarred salsa to save on sodium.

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Baked Eggs, Tomatoes & Chiles (Shakshuka)

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This popular Israeli breakfast or brunch skillet recipe features eggs cooked on a bed of roasted tomato sauce. Serve with warm crusty bread and hot sauce.

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