40 southwestern recipes

Peppered seafood sausage: fresh fish, shrimp, jalapeños, and cilantro ground together, stuffed into hog casings, and gently poached. A Southwestern take on fish sausage, bound with egg whites and brightened by cumin and lemon.

Two-ingredient New Mexico style barbecued salmon. Salmon fillets brushed with red chile barbecue sauce and grilled over wood embers. The Southwestern way to cook a piece of fish.

Black-eyed pea and crab salad with bacon, roasted peppers, and fresh herbs in a bright vinaigrette. A Stephan Pyles-style Southwestern recipe served on gorditas or crisp tortillas.

Grilled marinated pork chops with lime juice, chili powder, and garlic, served with fresh salsa. A simple Southwestern-style pork chop recipe for the grill with a quick marinade and a cool topping.

Rotel-A-Roni is a three-ingredient pantry dinner: a box of Rice-A-Roni cooked with a can of Rotel tomatoes and water. Southwestern flavor in 20 minutes, zero fuss.

A loaded BLT sandwich with a Southwestern spin, featuring crispy turkey bacon, peppery arugula, sharp cheddar, creamy avocado, and a zesty mayo-salsa spread on toasted Italian bread. Ready in 10 minutes.

Chicken Santa Fe: pounded chicken breasts broiled and glazed with sweet-hot jalapeno pepper jelly, then crowned with roasted red pepper strips. A quick Southwestern dinner with a glossy, sweet-spicy finish.

This is the basic recipe for cooking lentils or beans. Many southern and southwestern regional recipes call for cooked lentils or beans to be stirred gently into a dish near the end of cooking. Therefore, it may be a good idea ot make them a day ahead and have them ready when you begin the actual cooking.