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Black wild rice is native to the United States. It is the harvested seed of a grass that grows in shallow water, with a chewy texture and complex, earthy flavor. It’s different from black Forbidden Rice, which is an heirloom grain from China. Black wild rice benefits from an overnight soak to give the seeds time to plump before cooking.
Recipe for homemade taco seasoning made with ground freshly dried chiles and Mexican oregano. Plus how to dry and grind fresh chiles.
Michelada vs. Chelada: What’s the Difference? Includes recipes for a michelada cocktail made with Ray Ray’s Sonoran Spirit and a spicy tomato mixer.
This spicy deviled egg potato salad gets a Southwestern twist with chipotle peppers, capers, and a creamy mustard-mayo dressing. The best, most flavor-filled deviled egg potato salad ever!
Let the power of these three sisters fuel your day! Corn, zucchini and tepary bean breakfast bowl with quinoa, corn, avocado, spicy green salsa and eggs.
Coconut milk and coffee braised chicken thighs recipe with ancho chile, Greek yogurt and cilantro. Served with yams over rice.
How to brew a pot of coffee over a campfire with a special ingredient… eggshells! From the Arizona-Mexico borderlands cookbook author Jackie Alpers.
Recipe for oven roasted mushrooms cooked in a cast iron skillet from The Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook by Jackie Alpers.
Lunchbox recipe for street tacos made with deli counter turkey and provolone cheese rolled in tortillas and topped with lettuce, tomato, olives and pepperoncini. Includes recipe for Scallion Ranch Cream Cheese Spread.
What’s the difference between cornmeal and masa harina? How is masa used to make corn tortillas? Can cornmeal be used in tortillas? Get the answers and recipe for Sonoran corn tortillas from Taste of Tucson cookbook author Jackie Alpers.
These spicy, chipotle deviled eggs topped with caviar and capers are fancy yet simple. The perfect party food or indulgent yet healthy snack.
No-bake Mexican chocolate popcorn treats made with pretzels, cashews, Sriracha sesame seeds, cinnamon and red chile spiced chocolate marshmallow cream Chile powder and cinnamon add some kick to these sweet and spicy no-bake Mexican chocolate popcorn and pretzel treats. Recipe developed for The Silicone Kitchen.
Super-lucky flavorful Sonoran Charro Caviar made with black-eyed peas, bell peppers, serrano chiles, and onions, served on tortilla chips.
Sonoran-style vegetarian tamale pie recipe made with a creamy green chile and masa base and a rich, quick molé made with peanut butter, tahini, and cocoa.
How to dehydrate and grind chile peppers, with recipes for chili powder and custom spice blends using fresh homegrown and/or exotic store bought chiles. Preserve expensive and/or hard to find chiles.
Cold gazpacho recipe with chunky fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions and peppers. The colors in the photo are a bit of an homage to Pedro Almodovar’s wonderful film, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), which was the inspiration for me making gazpacho for the very first time, years ago. (Minus the pills and drama.)
Arizona cowboy caviar recipe made with lentils, chiles and red onion in a spicy citrus vinaigrette. I call this Arizona Caviar because I’m in Arizona and it’s similar to Texas Caviar made with black eyed peas.
Spicy, Sonoran-style Mexican green rice (arroz verde) recipe made with tomatillo salsa verde, peas and cilantro from the Taste of Tucson cookbook.
Sonoran Thai-Mexican coleslaw recipe with a spicy serrano vinaigrette. Serve in tacos and tortas or on tostadas.
Chicken slow-simmered in salsa, then shredded for serving in as a filling for tacos, tostadas, enchiladas, and is keto when served in lettuce cups.
Recipe for Sonoran Style hot green tomatillo salsa developed by Patricia Schwabe for her restaurant Penca. From the Taste of Tucson Cookbook by Jackie Alpers.
Spicy Sonoran-style chicken salad recipe made with rotisserie chicken in a light, flavor-packed chipotle sauce for lettuce/taco wraps, salads and sandwiches. This recipe was first developed for the Glamour.com article, A Week of Delicious Chicken Recipes.
The Topopo salad is Tucson, Arizona’s most unique regional salad. It’s is a visually stunning volcano of chopped lettuce and mixed vegetables piled high on a bean tostada. This monumental salad was first inspired by a volcano in Sonora, Mexico.
This Sonoran-style red pozole recipe is a “low-and-slow” braised pork and hominy stew/soup topped with lots of fresh vegetables and citrus from the Taste of Tucson cookbook by Jackie Alpers.
Bison are a seminal component of Western American history. The massive bison hunts of the 19th century resulted in their near extinction. With conservation efforts in place, the Yellowstone bison are considered the last truly wild herd of American plains bison in existence. Regenerative bison farms have reintroduced this healthy beef alternative into American food systems.
Easy Sonoran chile colorado con carne recipe made by browning beef in the same pan as a thawing frozen chile disc, melding the flavors as they cook.
Recipe for Sonoran-style flat enchiladas unique to the Tucson/Sonora, Mexico borderlands. Fat corn masa pancakes are smothered in enchilada sauce, shredded cheese, green olives and scallions. Serve them topped with my Chile Colorado and/or an egg-over-easy for breakfast anytime.
Recipe for Mediterranean diet grilled octopus served with scallions, romaine and fresh tomatoes in a light citrus vinaigrette from The Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook by Jackie Alpers.
Recipe for a rich and creamy, Sonoran-style charred corn chowder made with ingredients local to the Arizona-Mexico borderlands and topped with popped Amaranth a gluten-free, ancient grain native to the Western and Southwestern United States that can be popped like popcorn which adds a nice crunch.
Recipe for garlic butter green beans roasted on a sheet pan with fresh ginger, lemon, and Parmesan.
The Montana Whiskey Mule cocktail is made with whisky and sarsaparilla and served in a copper mug.
Recipe for Elote en Vaso, Mexican street corn in cups. Pan fried corn kernels tossed in a creamy sauce seasoned with chile and lime. From the Taste of Tucson Cookbook by Jackie Alpers.
Arroz con pollo is one of the recipes most requested by locals from my Taste of Tucson cookbook and I’ve always found chicken and rice to be a comforting combo. This is a great make ahead recipe for workday lunches. At first glance El Pato salsa de chile fresco may look like pureed tomato sauce, but it’s got a medium spicy kick of heat that will convince you otherwise.
Sonoran-style Mexican shrimp ceviche tostadas with avocado and hot sauce on crunchy baked tostada shells.
Whole roasted cauliflower are a visually stunning side dish, perfect on cold winter nights.
Tomatoes are at their best, and something about the heat and humidity of the Arizona monsoon season makes me almost totally inert and immobile. This is about all I can muster dinner-wise, so I’m lucky that it’s fairly healthy… It turns out that mayo and bacon are better for us than expected, and my versions is also low-carb.
If you bake a layer of Parmesan cheese in the oven it will crackle and pop after a while, turning into a crispy, cheese cracker that’s much tastier than any pizza crust I’ve encountered. I topped this baked cheese crisp with pizza spices and toppings before sliding it into the oven. The results: crustless pizza!
Bake a little sunshine into your life with these bright and happy two-ingredient pizza flavored cheese crisps.
Sonoran tortilla soup recipe made with rotisserie chicken, diced tomatoes, green chiles, crushed tortilla chips, diced avocado and crumbled Mexican cheese in a clear broth. Quick, easy and flavorful.
Festive enough for New Year’s Eve, this pretty appetizer only takes about 5 minutes to make. Bacon infused caviar adds a unique smokiness that will intrigue your guests and is fairly inexpensive, but any decent quality caviar will do. The one-ingredient parmesan crisps are a savory, no-carb alternative to blini.
Roasted bell peppers stuffed with creamy nacho cheese, avocado, pickled jalapeños, black beans and crunchy tortilla chips.
Teresa Matias told me that to help satisfy her children’s cries for burgers when buns weren’t handy, she would fold a hamburger patty into a tortilla and fry it. Topped with cheese, lettuce, and tomato, it later became a regular menu item at her restaurant, Teresa’s Mosaic Cafe. Apparently, a lot of moms had the same experience, because the beef patty taco has been standard restaurant fare around southern Arizona since at least the mid-1970s.
Chiltepin salsa is an all-purpose salsa that can be used for dipping, for seasoning, and as a taco sauce. A little goes a long way, so if you prefer a milder salsa, cut the amount of chiles down by a half or a third. This recipe is from the Taste of Tucson cookbook by Jackie Alpers.
Making authentic cowboy steaks is really easy. When I asked Bryan Keith, the Grill Master from Pinnacle Peak Steak House if he had any additional tips he said, “Put some love in it!”
A modern, flavor-packed, one-pot tuna noodle casserole recipe made with healthy ingredients.
This modern Buffalo chicken rumaki recipe updates the Polynesian appetizer served at tiki parties in the 70s.
Keto recipe for Arizona cheese crisp that’s the perfect comfort food. A cross between a Mexican pizza an an open-faced quesadilla, Southern Arizona restaurants started selling the dish more than 50 years ago and it’s become a staple of our local Sonoran style cuisine.
Healthy burrito bowl recipe with quinoa, black beans and avocado tossed in a chipotle lime vinaigrette dressing.
Why isn’t corn used in more desserts? It’s naturally sweet, and the kernels add a nice pop. These paletas are made with sweet corn, cinnamon and Tajin.
This super easy salad dressing recipe is especially good on a Greek salad, cucumber salad or Asian Chicken salad and you can make it right in the bottle if you only have a little bit of Sriracha left.
