southwestern

POPSUGAR Food

Sopaipillas: A Sweet and Savory Snack With a Southwestern Kick

You don't know it yet, but you're about to get acquainted with your new favorite guilty pleasure: sopaipillas.

You don't know it yet, but you're about to get acquainted with your new favorite guilty pleasure: sopaipillas. If you're not familiar with this Southwestern and South American snack, it begins with a simple dough that's fried until crisp on the outside and full of soft layers on the inside. The best part about these snacks? Their pockets and crevices are perfect for storing toppings both sweet and savory. Watch as host Brandi Milloy shows you how to make sopaipillas, print out our recipe, and get snacking.

recipes

Monday's Leftovers: Rice With Roasted Peppers and Beans

If you love the Cajun combination of red beans and rice but don't always have the time to make it, turn to a Southwestern version that's as easy on the effort as it is on the palate.

If you love the Cajun combination of red beans and rice but don't always have the time to make it, turn to a Southwestern version that's as easy on the effort as it is on the palate. While you boil basmati with the earthy essence of cumin, marry leftover black beans with chipotles in adobo, peppers, and cilantro. The result: a wholesome dinner that's full of flavor, in less time than it takes to place and pick up an order. For the recipe, read on.

recipes

Fast & Easy Dinner: Southwestern Tofu Scramble

When I hear the word scramble, I automatically think of eggs.

When I hear the word scramble, I automatically think of eggs. However, this vegetarian-friendly recipe replaces the eggs with crumbled tofu. The resulting dish, seasoned with chili powder and cilantro, is flavorful and hearty. Feel free to use the recipe loosely, if you prefer red peppers and mushrooms, throw those in place of zucchini and corn. For a complete balanced meal, serve the scramble with warm tortillas and black beans. To look at the savory and satisfying recipe, read more

salads

Fast & Easy Dinner: Chicken, Rice, and Black-Bean Salad

Who says chicken salad has to involve globs of mayonnaise and chopped celery?

Who says chicken salad has to involve globs of mayonnaise and chopped celery? This recipe gives the classic salad a Southwestern-style twist.

Cooked shredded chicken is tossed with rice, black beans, tomatoes, jalapeños, and green onions. A quick ground cumin vinaigrette flavors the mixture. For a hearty variation, serve the salad in warmed tortillas sprinkled with cheese.

This salad is also delicious the next day, making it perfect for back-to-school lunches or late Summer picnics. Get the recipe and read more

definition

Definition: Corn Smut

Also known as Mexican corn truffle, maize mushroom, huitlacoche, and cuitlacoche, corn smut is a gray fungus that attacks ears of corn, causing kernels to swell dramatically in size.

Also known as Mexican corn truffle, maize mushroom, huitlacoche, and cuitlacoche, corn smut is a gray fungus that attacks ears of corn, causing kernels to swell dramatically in size.

Farmers view the growth as a plague that destroys corn crops, but in Mexico, corn smut has been a prized delicacy for centuries, dating back to the time of the Aztecs. Huitlacoche commands high prices for its earthy, smoky flavor, which is often described as a cross between that of mushrooms and corn.

Corn smut is sold canned, frozen, or fresh during corn harvest and is used to enhance everything from soups and stews to sautés and quesadillas.

fast and easy

Spice Up Your Summer With Chili-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

It's a week into June, but judging by the number of San Franciscans huddled up in coats, you'd never have known it.

It's a week into June, but judging by the number of San Franciscans huddled up in coats, you'd never have known it. Since it was too cold to be grilling and chilling outside, I opted for another meat-centric meal inspired by the fiery flavors of Southwestern cuisine.

This recipe calls for baby carrots and red jalapeños, but I didn't want to waste any of the resources I already had on hand, so I used conventional carrots and green jalapeños instead. Whatever ingredients you use, the end result is full of complex flavors. To make this for dinner, read more

Quiz

Test Your Tex-Mex Fun Facts!

One of my favorite cuisines of all time is Tex-Mex, and I'm sad to report that Matt Martinez, Jr., the "King of Tex-Mex," died last Friday.

One of my favorite cuisines of all time is Tex-Mex, and I'm sad to report that Matt Martinez, Jr., the "King of Tex-Mex," died last Friday. Martinez, owner of several notable Texas Tex-Mex restaurants, was one of the first pioneers to embrace the term. Insulted by critics who denounced Americanized Mexican food, Martinez abandoned claim to anything Mexican, calling it Tex-Mex instead.

To honor the legacy Martinez has left behind, I thought I'd put together a quiz about Tex-Mex cuisine. How much do you know? There's only one way to find out!

Source

Take the Quiz
grilling

Sunday BBQ: Pork and Apple Kebabs

This no-fuss meal is a simple marriage of sweet (fruit jam), savory (pork tenderloin), and tart (green apple) flavor profiles.

This no-fuss meal is a simple marriage of sweet (fruit jam), savory (pork tenderloin), and tart (green apple) flavor profiles.

The crisp apple also provides a great contrast to the heartiness of the pork. As with last week's Sunday BBQ dinner, any extra barbecue glaze makes a great dressing for grilled vegetables on the side.

To get grilling, read more