Plant-Based Sonoran & Mexican Recipes.

Vegetable-Forward Recipes from the Arizona-Mexico Borderlands

Plant based, vegetarian and vegan flavor filled Mexican and Sonoran style recipes showcasing Southwestern regional culinary influences from the Arizona-Mexico borderlands from Taste of Tucson cookbook author Jackie Alpers.

“Sonoran food is plant-forward by its very nature. The Sonoran desert region is home to more varieties of plants that almost anywhere in the world. The region’s rich biodiversity is central to its food culture, with staples including indigenous foods such as beans, tomatoes, chiles, corn, squash, herbs and cactus, mixed with plants brought to the region by settlers from other regions. ” ~ Jackie Alpers for NPR

Sonoran food is summer food – year-round. Two of the world’s top health resorts are located in the region and their menus reflect and embrace the multiple health benefits associated with Sonoran-style Southwestern cuisine. Their chefs and nutritionists have taught Jackie many of their healthy culinary techniques which are incorporated into these vegetable-forward healthy recipes.

Spicy Cadillac Margarita Cocktail Recipe

Recipe for a spicy Cadillac margarita cocktail made with less sugar, freshly squeezed juice, high-end tequila and Grand Marnier. This is the Cadillac of all spicy margaritas for a good reason. Served in a chile-rimmed wide schooner glass. Spicy Cadillac Margarita...

Black Wild Rice vs. Forbidden Rice: What’s the Difference?

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.

Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe

Recipe for homemade taco seasoning made with ground freshly dried chiles and Mexican oregano. Plus how to dry and grind fresh chiles.

Cornbread Bread Puddings

Cornbread bread pudding made with chunks of freshly-baked cornbread cooked in a rich custard sauce in individual cast-iron ramekins, making a decadent yet rustic dessert.

Michelada vs. Chelada: What’s the difference? With Recipes for Both

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.

Spicy Deviled Egg Potato Salad Recipe

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!

Pumpkin Empanadas: Easy Baked Mini Hand Pies

These mini pumpkin empanadas are brushed with a buttery, warming aromatic coating are fun and super easy to bake (not fried) using pre-made sheets of pie dough and a spiced pumpkin filling.

Three Sisters Power Bowl

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.

Sonoran Cheese and Potato Soup Recipe (Caldo de Queso)

Caldo de Queso is a Sonoran cheese and chunky potato soup with green chiles, onions, and tomatoes in a light broth. Recipe by Taste of Tucson cookbook author Jackie Alpers.

Woodlands Pasta Carbonara with Gourmet Mushrooms

Carbonara made with black pasta, purple basil, and gourmet mushrooms inspired the by the modern gothic visuals in Tim Burton’s television show, Wednesday.

Roasted Mushrooms with Shallots and Red Wine Vinegar

Recipe for oven roasted mushrooms cooked in a cast iron skillet from The Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook by Jackie Alpers.

Spicy Cowboy Mac and Cheese Recipe

Spicy, Southwestern cowboy mac & cheese recipe made with “gun-barrel” shaped penne pasta baked with blue cheese, Parmesan, gruyere, Irish Cheddar and cayenne chile – a flavor explosion that will knock you off your feet.

Sparkling Sugared Cranberry and Brie Crostini

Visually stunning sugared cranberries are a study in contrast. The tart, dark berries which appear to have been encrusted in tiny jewels, add a magical quality to these brie crostini.

Masa Versus Cornmeal: What’s the Difference?

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.

Mexican Chocolate Popcorn Treats

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.

Tortilla Crust White Pizza with Mushrooms

Recipe for a tortilla crust mushroom pizza. This thin-and-crispy pizza is topped with lemon infused ricotta, garlic & parmesan, lion’s mane and blue oyster mushrooms. White Sonoran Wheat helps give large Sonoran-style flour tortillas their elasticity which makes a perfect pizza crust.

Lucky Cowboy Caviar Recipe Made With Black-Eyed Peas

Super-lucky Cowboy Caviar made with black-eyed peas, bell peppers, serrano chiles, and onions, served on tortilla chips. A flavorful, Sonoran take on a Southwestern classic.

Crispy Tortilla Star Bites with Guacamole and Pomegranate Seeds

Topped with chunky guacamole and jewel-like pomegranate seeds, these crispy tortilla bites from The Unofficial Elf Cookbook by Jackie Alpers exude holiday joy. Use Jackie Alpers’ Sonoran-Style Chunky Guacamole Recipe or your favorite store-bought version.

Green Chile Tamale Pie with Molé Sauce

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.

Cast Iron Skillet Dinner Rolls Recipe

These dinner rolls which are baked and served in a cast iron skillet are right at home on the Dutton family table – a free bonus recipe from The Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook by Jackie Alpers.

Homemade Chile Powder from Fresh Chiles Recipe

How to dehydrate and grind chile peppers, with recipes for chili powder and custom spice blends using fresh homegrown and/or gourmet store bought chiles. Preserve expensive and/or hard to find chiles.

Arizona Cheese Crisp with Roasted Hatch Green Chiles and Ranch Drizzle

Tucson’s Sonoran-style Mexican Arizona cheese crisp made with flour tortillas, roasted Hatch green chile strips and a creamy green chile Ranch salsa. Thank you Fry’s Foods for sponsoring this recipe.

Jackie’s Famous Chunky Gazpacho Recipe

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.)

Chipotle-Lime Grilled Corn Recipe

Recipe for a lighter version chipotle lime grilled corn on the cob from the Sonoran Arizona-Mexico borderlands cookbook author Jackie Alpers

Arizona Cowboy Caviar Recipe Made with Lentils

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.

Sonoran Spicy Mexican Green Rice

Spicy, Sonoran-style Mexican green rice (arroz verde) recipe made with tomatillo salsa verde, peas and cilantro from the Taste of Tucson cookbook.

Spicy Sonoran Thai-Mex Coleslaw Recipe

Sonoran Thai-Mexican coleslaw recipe with a spicy serrano vinaigrette. Serve in tacos and tortas or on tostadas.

Salsa Verde Recipe: Spicy Sonoran Tomatillo Salsa from Penca

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.

Charro Beans: Sonoran Style Whole Pinto Beans

Vegan recipe for the saucy, whole Sonoran-style pinto beans that you see cowboys (charros) eating in old Western movies, from the Taste of Tucson cookbook by Jackie Alpers.

Topopo Salad Recipe: Tucson’s Famous Regional Salad

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.

Corn Chowder with Popped Amaranth

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.

Onion and Mushroom Soup Recipe with Acorn Flour

This onion and morel mushroom soup recipe is made with acorn flour. It’s topped with a toasted baguette, melted Gruyère and Parmesan. If you can’t find fresh or dried morel mushrooms, use any wild or cultivated mushrooms available.

Irish Soda Bread Recipe with Blueberries and Currants

Recipe for Irish soda bread with blueberries and currants inspired by 1923 from The Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook author Jackie Alpers.

Green Smoothie Recipe: Roarke’s Naked Yoga Drink from Yellowstone

This green smoothie recipe is a tribute to a scene in Yellowstone where the villain Roarke drinks a green smoothie after naked yoga. The recipe was developed from carefully analyzing all of the ingredients shown on Roarke’s kitchen counter and my conclusion is that he (or the Yellowstone prop person) can make a pretty decent green smoothie. I even used the same smoothie glass used in the show.

Sheet-Pan-Roasted Garlic-Butter Green Beans Recipe

Recipe for garlic butter green beans roasted on a sheet pan with fresh ginger, lemon, and Parmesan.

Dry-Fried Asparagus Recipe

Dry-fried asparagus is charred and crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside. It has direct contact to the pan without oil or butter. Asparagus grows wild in Montana where the Yellowstone TV series is filmed.

Ranch-Flavored Smashed Mini Potatoes Recipe

Recipe for crispy oven-baked smashed mini-potatoes flavored with Ranch seasoning.

Montana Whiskey Mule Cocktail Recipe

The Montana Whiskey Mule cocktail is made with whisky and sarsaparilla and served in a copper mug.

Campfire Corn on the Cob Recipe

The secret to perfectly grilled corn in the husk for campfires or cookouts is soaking the ears first.
The photos are gold winners of the London Photography Award for Food Photography.

Sonoran Hot Dog Recipe from El Guero Canelo

Sonoran Hot Dogs recipe from El Guero Canelo Restaurant, winner of the James Beard American Classic award. This recipe was featured in Taste of Tucson: Sonoran-Style recipes inspired by the rich culture of Southern Arizona.

Tortilla Snowflakes Recipe

Sweet and sparkly tortilla snowflakes – an edible version of the popular Mexican folk art, papel picado which will brighten any winter holiday table.

Spicy, Smoky Mashed Potatoes & Sausage Gravy

Spicy, smoky mashed potatoes and gravy recipe made with garlic and chile infused broth instead of cream for lighter mashed potatoes that are BIG on flavor.

Mexican Street Corn Cups (Elote en Vaso)

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.

Old West Style Vegan Chili Recipe

Old West style spicy vegan chili recipe made with plant-based meat, black beans and mushrooms. Served with vegan shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Herbs and Parmesan

Whole roasted cauliflower are a visually stunning side dish, perfect on cold winter nights.

BLT Lettuce Wraps Recipe

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.

Crustless Pizza Recipe: Parmesan Crust Pizza with Pepperoni

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!

Crispy Tofu Tostadas in Chile Colorado Sauce

Crispy tofu adds just the right amount of heft and bite to Chile Colorado served on crunchy baked tostada shells.

Molletes Recipe: Open-Faced Breakfast Sandwiches with Egg and Avocado

Molletes are open-faced breakfast sandwiches made by slathering refried beans onto toasted bolillo rolls and then heaping avocado slices, a fried egg, hot sauce, and lots of cheese on top.

Bell Peppers Stuffed With Nachos Supreme

Roasted bell peppers stuffed with creamy nacho cheese, avocado, pickled jalapeños, black beans and crunchy tortilla chips.

Strawberry Habanero Infused Tequila

This infused Strawberry-Habanero tequila makes a mean margarita or straight-up sipper.

Chiltepin Salsa Recipe: Spicy Sonoran Hot Salsa

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.

Matzo Molletes Rancheros

This crispy matzo based breakfast is a cross between molletes and huevos rancheros. I used beans from a can and my homemade chiltepin salsa.

Chelada Beer Cocktail Recipe

This super-refreshing citrus beer cocktail is served in a chile and salt rimmed glass over ice. It’s kinda like a beer margarita. I love it because it’s a big drink that lasts a long time and it has considerably less sugar and calories than a margarita.

The Cheesiest Arizona Cheese Crisp

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.

Quinoa Burrito Bowl with Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette

Healthy burrito bowl recipe with quinoa, black beans and avocado tossed in a chipotle lime vinaigrette dressing.

Sonoran Sweet Corn Paletas Recipe

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.

Three Sisters Pizza with Masa Harina Crust

Corn, beans and squash are three of the earliest domesticated crops grown by Native Americans in the Sonoran region. For this recipe, prepared corn masa, which is usually used to make tortillas or gorditas, is pressed into a cast iron skillet for the crust. If you’ve never tried tepary beans, this recipe is an excellent way to experiment with them, but you can substitute black beans instead if you want.

Sriracha-Lime Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipe

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.

Sonoran Breakfast Bowl Recipe with Wheat Berries, Butternut Squash and Egg

Sweet and creamy butternut squash hash, hearty wheat berries and protein rich eggs merge into the perfect Sonoran-style breakfast bowl.

Sweet Pepper Poppers

MIni Sweet Mini Pepper Poppers stuffed with jalapeno cream cheese and topped with panko bread crumbs. Recipe development and food photography for the Food Network.

Dark Chocolate Chia Pudding With Frozen Berries

This healthy, dark chocolate chia pudding has Omega-3 packed chia seeds, antioxidant rich frozen berries, dark chocolate, and a 5-minute prep time. Fun fact: Chia seeds are native to the Sonoran Desert region of the Arizona-Mexico borderlands.

Savarin Chantilly: French Bundt Cake with Apricot Glaze

Savarin, a rich airy cake soaked in a simple syrup and topped with apricot glaze and whipped cream. It’s traditionally served as a feast-day dessert in France. This is her recipe. It’s a little more complicated than the recipes I usually post, but I think it’s worth the effort.

Chocolate and Coffee Pudding Pops Recipe

Looking to kick start a hot summer day? These chocolate and coffee frozen pudding pops are just the ticket.

Postmodern Art Popsicles

What is the nature of art? Can it exist in popsicle form? Is it still art after the popsicle has been eaten? How does the process of melting affect the piece? These are some of the questions that I pondered while creating, and then ingesting this popsicle. made it from diamond shaped sprinkles in primary colors and Sno-Caps candies.

Southwestern Quiche With Five Kinds of Peppers

A simple and satisfying Southwestern crustless quiche that has all 5 things to love; peppers (both hot & sweet), onions, Swiss, Gruyere, eggs, and cream. Plus it’s gluten free!

Italian Style Marinated Baby Artichokes Recipe

Recipe for boiled baby artichokes in an easy citrus marinade.

Iceberg Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

Iceberg wedge salad with bacon bits topped with a smashed bleu cheese vinaigrette. Recipe and food photography by cookbook author Jackie Alpers. The Wedge salad is one of these very classic, simple recipes that’s accessible to everyone. One that’s been loved for generations and modified along the way to accommodate changing tastes. This version is topped with a lighter vinaigrette.

Figgy Pudding Cakes with Dark Chocolate & Coffee

I want some figgy pudding! How could I not after hearing that song year after year. So, I came up with this recipe for Chocolate & Coffee Figgy Pudding. Make your Christmas past a Christmas present.

Northern Style Southern Biscuits

Until recently, the only biscuits I ever made at home came from a Pop n’ Fresh can, so when friends from overseas asked me for a real American biscuit recipe, I scoured every book I could find, starting with the biscuit tome Southern Biscuits by Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubart, and ending with Alton Brown’s always insightful analysis in I’m Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking.