Nopalitos Soup

How can you make soup from cactus? Using the unique Prickly pear. The pads are called nopales. When the spines are removed and they are cut into small pieces, they are called nopalitos.

Nopales Salad recipe is on page 183 Tastes & Treasures cookbook. Amazing how versatile these pads from Prickly Pear can be.

Nopalitos Soup

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 teaspoon minched garlic
1 (26 ounce can) nopalitos
4 cans fat free chicken broth

Directions:
Heat oil in large saucepan. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in Nopalitos, which have been rinsed; drained and chopped. Stir in chicken broth. We take extra chicken broth as the liquid seems to go faster and people come back for thirds and fourths.

From Plants of the Sonoran Desert and Their Many Uses by Don Wells and Jean Groen.
Photo from DesertHarvest.org.

Cucumber Gazpacho

Cooling and refreshing gazpacho is a summer treat. Traditional Gazpacho has chopped tomatoes, recipe on page 149 Tastes & Treasures. Below is a cucumber version.

Cucumber Gazpacho

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs cucumbers (peeled and chopped)
1 garlic clove (minced)
3 tbsps sweet onions (chopped)
1 cup vegetable broth
2 cups plain yogurt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp kosher salt (taste)
1/2 tsp white pepper (taste)

Directions:
Clean and peel cucumbers, chopping them into chunks. If desired, English cucumbers can be substituted for common cucumbers.
Chop onion and mince garlic. Place garlic, onion, cucumber and 1/2 cup of stock into food processor or blender.
Blend until somewhat smooth with some small chunks of cucumber or blend to consistency desired.
Add yogurt, remaining stock, lemon juice, salt and pepper to combined ingredients in bowl and whisk together until well blended. Season to taste.
Pour soup into a tightly covered container and place in refrigerator to chill overnight. (the chilling time mellows the raw onion and garlic and allows the flavors to mingle).
Serve cold.
Garnish with fresh herbs such as coriander, dill, or basil.

Variations call for avocado or pineapple. Spice it up. Be creative and design your own Gazpacho.

Orange-Pistachio Wild Rice Salad

Wild Rice from Minnesota . . . mmmmm. It was a long trip from Minnesota to Prescott in the early days but rice is a staple and keeps for a long time. I am sure the pioneers enjoyed it. Hassayampa Inn in Prescott has a delicious Wild Rice Pilaf. Recipe is on page 57 of Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

A similar recipe came from Paula Monson, Houghton, Michigan who is an advocate for gluten-free, healthy foods:

ORANGE-PISTACHIO WILD RICE SALAD

Ingredients for salad:
2/3 cup brown rice
2/3 cup wild rice
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 TBS chopped unsalted pistachios
1 orange sectioned
10 large fresh basil leaves, sliced into ribbons
1/4 cup minced red onion

Ingredients for dressing:
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 TB orange juice
1 1/2 tsps dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp

Note: Add garbanzo beans or chicken for more protein. Add raisins or craisins for more sweetness.

Visit with Cookbook co-editor Donna Roe

Writer Extraordinaire, Donna Roe was instrumental in creating Tastes & Treasures A Storytelling Cookbook of Historic Arizona. We are so grateful for her many talents in producing our award-winning cookbook.
After a nasty fall and seriously injuring her back, she is on the road to recovery now. Zona Lorig and Ruth McLeod brought lunch for a lovely visit with our writing star. Donna still has her amazing sense of humor as we listened to her wonderful stories.

Macaroon Nut Tart from Barb Ehrhardt

New League member Barb Ehrhardt writes, "I bought the Tastes and Treasures Cookbook for two of my friends - one as a Christmas present and the other as a birthday gift. Three couples got together one evening and we made recipes from the Cooper Queen Hotel (Potato Dijon Soup, Salmon Roulade, and Macaroon Nut Tart) on page 110.

Each of us made a recipe. I made the Macaroon Nut Tart -- it was delicious. I did not have any problems following the recipe as directed. There was no picture of the tart - so I assumed it looked okay.

The only part that was difficult was in finding one of the ingredients -- the macadamia nuts. But, I prevailed."

Here is a photo for future use.

Frozen Mocha Pudding Pops

How to cool off on those hot days? Turn to your refrigerator and freezer for delightfully cool treats. Tastes & Treasures has Chocolate Icebox Cake on page 80.

Panera Bread (Paradise Bakery in Phoenix) suggests Pudding Pops.

Frozen Mocha Pudding Pops

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 egg

2 cups 2 percent milk

1 cup brewed espresso or double-strength coffee

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces (about 1/2 cup)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cocoa powder, and cornstarch. Whisk in egg (mixture will be thick). Add milk and coffee, and whisk over medium heat until blended and smooth. Cook, whisking often, until mixture bubbles and thickens, about 10 minutes. Cook 1 minute longer. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate and vanilla until the chocolate melts and incorporates.


2. Cool mixture slightly, and then pour into nine 2-ounce plastic ice pop molds or paper drinking cups. Insert ice pop handles, or let cool enough for wooden craft sticks or small metal spoons to stand upright. If using drinking cups, cover with plastic wrap, allowing sticks or handles to poke through the plastic. Freeze until firm, at least 2 hours or up to 2 weeks.


3. To unmold, run warm water around the outside of the mold until pops can be loosened free.

TIP: If you don’t like coffee, replace it with an additional cup of 2 percent milk.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 9

Nutritional info: 151 calories, 4 g protein, 24 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat, 28 mg cholesterol, 36 mg sodium, 1.5 g dietary fiber

Sahuaro Scones

Only growing in the Sonoran Desert, these mighty cactus provide food and shelter for native animals. Spelled either ways, Sahuaro and Saguaro, this plant is unique to Arizona.

We also enjoy Buttermilk Currant Scones; recipe is found on page 197 Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

Saguaro Scones

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar substitute
2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sour milk
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
2 tablespoon saguaro seed

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter or margarine. Add sour milk. Knead lightly about ten times. Cut into two pieces. Pat each out until 1/2 inch thick. Place each on ungreased baking sheet. Score into 8 or 2 pie shaped pieces. Bake about 12-15 minutes until well browned. Serve hot.

from Plants of the Sonoran Desert and Their Many Uses by Don Wells and Jean Groen.