15 southwest recipes

Tropical breakfast smoothie with banana, mango, and honey blended with milk. Quick 10-minute Mexican-inspired drink for busy mornings or afternoon snacks.

Traditional Southwest cactus candy made from prickly pear, simmered in citrus sugar syrup and rolled in powdered sugar. A unique desert treat with old-fashioned charm.

Savory Southwest corn muffins stuffed with diced ham, pepper jack cheese, green chiles, and red bell pepper. Hearty enough for a meal with a side salad.

Southwest omelette with nopalitos cactus, chunky salsa, and Monterey Jack cheese. A broiler-finished egg dish with bold Tex-Mex flavor, ready in 25 minutes.

Southwest beef fajitas: thin-sliced round steak marinated in lime, chili, and garlic, broiled fast and tucked into flour tortillas with salsa, relish, and guacamole. Authentic Tex-Mex, 40 minutes.

Southwest baked beans with three types of beans, Roma tomatoes, molasses, honey, cumin, and apple cider vinegar. A smoky-sweet, slow-baked side dish that feeds a crowd.

Add a little zing to the old Green Bean Casserole recipe with a spicy version made for 21st Century taste buds. This is not your grandmas Green Bean Casserole.

Herbal vinegars infuse red wine vinegar with garlic, basil, rosemary, marjoram and dried chiles. Two large-batch blends (Southwest and Chef's Blend) for gift bottles, dressings and pantry seasoning.

Southwestern chicken salad: crisp lettuce, southwest veggies, and chicken tossed in a creamy chipotle-ranch and sweet-spicy BBQ dressing. A fast, no-fuss salad with a kick.

Arizona chicken with mustard-rubbed breasts pan-seared in butter, then simmered in a quick salsa-lime sauce and finished with fresh cilantro. A 30-minute Southwest weeknight dinner.

Pork chops seared then simmered in a roasted poblano-cilantro sauce spiked with cumin and coriander. A fast, Southwest-style skillet dinner with mild smoky chile heat, on the table in about 20 minutes.

Crab cakes with tomatillo salsa bind lump crabmeat with bread and egg white for a light crust, pan-seared and topped with tangy diced tomatillo-lime salsa. Southwest-style seafood dinner.

Red beans with toasted pecans, saffron, and red wine served over whole wheat spaghetti. A creative vegetarian fusion dish with Mediterranean and Southwest flavors that comes together in 30 minutes.

Radiant chicken bake layers floured browned chicken with green chilies, tomatoes, carrots, and lemon slices, then oven-braises for an hour. Southwest-style one-casserole family dinner.

Sweet corn kernels, black beans, and red bell pepper toss in a cumin-spiked vinaigrette with fresh cilantro for a colorful Southwest-inspired salad that feeds a crowd.