The virtues of the carrot? They’re a cold-weather staple, and easy to store. The downside? They can be a wee bit bland. This Sheet Pan Roasted Carrots with Tahini Sauce recipe starts off easy-peasy with a toss in oil, salt, and pepper prior to roasting. Next, whip up a delicious yogurt and tahini sauce. Prepare a bit of quinoa if you like, which would make the dish a wonderful main for vegetarians. Serve it up gorgeously with roasted pepitas, fresh parsley, and the wonderful smoky sour note of ground sumac. You might also add a few fresh red pomegranate seeds or a spritz of fresh lime juice and a sprinkle of zest.
Pan-Roasted Carrots with Tahini Sauce Recipe
INGREDIENTS
2 lb carrots
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1 cup quinoa (optional)
1 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup tahini
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup pepitas, salted and roasted
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp ground sumac
1 tsp freshly ground pink peppercorns
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
Toss carrots with oil, salt, and pepper.
Pour onto prepared baking sheet. Arrange carrots in a single layer.
Bake 18-20 minutes for baby or garden carrots, 25-30 minutes for larger store-bought carrots. Ensure carrots are tender when pierced with a fork.
Optional: While the carrots are roasting, cook one cup of quinoa using the directions provided on the bag.
Mix together yogurt, tahini and salt, set aside.
When the carrots are fork-tender, serve them over an optional bed of warm quinoa. Garnish with parsley, a drizzle of tahini sauce, pepitas, a sprinkle of ground sumac and pink peppercorns. The adventuresome among us could add some fresh pomegranate or a spritz of fresh lime.
Story by Keith Recker / Recipe and Styling by Anna Franklin / Photography by Dave Bryce / With Support From Buy Fresh Buy Local Western PA
Every season is the season to dine at Sazón, where Chef Fernando Olea, 2022 Best Chef of the Southwest James Beard Award Winner, creates magic on a plate. But Sazón takes on a special feeling in winter, as you brush the snow off your coat and are welcomed into the art-filled dining room for an evening of celebratory food and drink. The menu–deliberately small–pays homage to Chef Olea’s roots in Mexico but with a decidedly Southwestern vibe.
Mole
You can’t talk about Sazón without talking about mole. At Sazón, you’re in the hands of a master with such inspired creations as Chef Olea’s deep red-and orange-hued Coloradito, based on a traditional recipe made by his family in Mexico. It showcases both guajillo and árbol chilies with tomato, garlic, and other ingredients. Or his vibrant Mole Verde with tomatillos, spinach, jalapeño, and spices. For a cold winter’s night, perhaps his deep, earthy Mole Poblano–a complex blend of chile pasilla, mulatto, and ancho with plantains, raisins, Mexican dark chocolate, herbs, and spices. Just the thing to warm the darkest day.
Pulpo
Octopus, sautéed in olive oil with smoky richness from pork belly and a hit of Thai chili. It’s a winning combination that makes Sazón’s Pulpo a perennial favorite. The octopus is happy to make room for the powerful double act of pork and chili. And it’s these back-up singers that make this dish a hit. “The octopus itself is great, but most of the guests, they really like to dunk the bread–the crostini that we serve with it–in the oil. It’s a very, very good flavor with the pork belly,” says Chef Olea. And, while pork belly may not be the star of the show, it more than holds its own. “What cannot be good with pork belly?” he asks, laughing. “What else do you need?”
Sopa De Amor
This is Chef Olea’s signature soup–and with good reason. It’s a masterful combination of contrasting flavors, textures, temperatures and seasonings. He starts with a cream of poblano soup and adds a generous dollop of lump blue crabmeat that speaks of the sea. There is an amaretto foam and a dusting of cinnamon and chocolate. “I play with sweet, hot, cold, savory and some heat,” he says about this dish. Whatever you do, don’t stir, just dip your spoon in so you can taste every component–distinct, yet in perfect harmony. “All of the flavors they really blend beautifully. At the same time that they blend, they have their own place in the palate,” he says. Does he ever take this dish off the menu? A resounding “no.” “People come for my Sopa de Amor,” he says simply. And with good reason.
Costillas De Cordero
Costillas de Cordero, or rack of lamb, is one of Chef Olea’s signature dishes, cooked to perfection and served over his own creation: a New Mexico mole. “You taste the lamb, even though it’s over a mole sauce. The mole sauce isn’t there to fight or take the place of the lamb, it’s to complement the lamb,” he says. With medium heat and a balance of both sweet and savory notes, it’s the ideal companion for the lamb. He’s proud of his New Mexico mole and justifiably so. He created it to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Santa Fe as a riff on a classic mole, but with decidedly Southwestern heritage. True to the name, the ingredients are rooted in the soil of the state, redolent of apricots, roasted pecans, piñon nuts, white chocolate, and of course, red chile.
Flor Del Desierto, Infierno, and Horchata Martini
If you’re feeling remotely Grinch-like this holiday season, might we suggest a cocktail at Sazón? It’s guaranteed to put the ho-ho-ho into your ho-hum. Perhaps start with a Flor del Desierto (pictured on the left). It’s this year’s favorite color, Barbie Pink, thanks to prickly pear. While it might look sweet, Damon Lobato, manager/sommelier at Sazón, says it’s actually not. “You know the fruit is there but it’s still a little dry on the back palate.” If you’re feeling fiery, there is the Infierno–think margarita goes spicy with jalapeño essence and a rim garnished with black lava salt. Or raise your glass with a Horchata Martini (pictured far right): a very adult dreamy cocktail with horchata, a beverage made from rice, then spiced with cinnamon and vanilla, Casa Del Sol silver tequila and Crema De Sotol. All the cocktails at Sazón are eminently quaffable on their own but also pair perfectly with the dishes on the menu. “I think the key to all our cocktails and food is balance,” Damon says. Cheers to that!
Filet
Think of some dishes as an ensemble cast, where each ingredient shares the billing. And then there are others–like Sazón’s Filet – where one ingredient is the star. Here it’s undoubtedly the beef tenderloin. Chef Olea starts with the finest Black Angus beef which is coated with a pepper crust. It’s served with a spinach, bacon, and piñon sauce that brings out the best in the beef. “You come and eat beef tenderloin and you have other flavors to complement it, not take over or to fight,” says Chef Olea. While the filet takes center stage, the other parts of the dish are critical. The sauce is luscious and complex and works beautifully, not only with the beef, but also with the microvegetables and subtle jasmine rice. Together they make for a show-stopping dish that is eye-catching and definitely greater than the sum of its parts.
Camaron-tini
While some of his flavors may speak of Mexico, Chef Olea’s cuisine doesn’t, he says. He likes to call it New World. “What I’ve been doing in my adventure is incorporating flavors of the world.”
Take his Camaron-tini, for example. He starts with colossal–and we mean colossal–shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico, coats them in a light batter and serves them with a generous swirl of sweet Thai chili aioli. “What we have in the Camaron-tini,” says Chef Olea, “is my version of tempura.” Picture classic tempura crunch, but with Chef’s riff, thanks to an inspired combination of spices and herbs that he adds to his tempura batter. It’s served simply and elegantly so the shrimp is the star.
Story by Julia Platt Leonard / Photography by Tira Howard
The classic Christmas special Santa Claus Is Coming to Town portrays Kris Kringle as a ginger. His memorably red mop of hair inspired us to create this Ginger Snap Cocktail, a brew that warms you with its temperature as well as its delicious blend of spices.
Ginger Snap, Inspired by Santa Claus is Coming to Town
If the little ones want to join in, match a batch without the rum. It’s perfectly lovely without the spirits.
Enjoy!
Recipe by Keith Recker / Styling by Anna Franklin / Photography by Laura Petrilla
While you’re decking the hall with boughs of holly, don’t forget to buy local baubles for tree trimming, gift-giving, and memory-making. Here are our top picks of places in New Mexico to find ornament treasures for your tree.
We dare you to go to Doodlet’s and come out empty handed. It’s even more dangerous – if that’s possible – in the run up to Christmas when you’ll find everything for the well-dressed tree, from bright turquoise skulls to wreath-carrying mice, like the one in the photo above.
For the person who feels the Christmas spirit 365-days a year, there’s Susan’s. Favorites? Pick up a Loretto Chapel staircase glass ornament or Rancho de Taos one.
More inspiration no matter what the season with a focus on one-of-a-kind pieces made by New Mexico craftspeople. Let your decorations take flight with a single origami crane or a strand by local artist Ross Tapia.
Decorate your tree and everything else in your home with a visit to Sun Country Traders. Pick up glow-in-the-dark beaded trees or cacti by Zuni artists Farlan & Alesia Quetawki or a painted, wooden Christmas rooster sporting cowboy books by Navajo artist Matthew Yellowstone.
Yes, Pennysmiths Papers sells paper and pens and lots of them but stop by and shop for stocking stuffers and tree trimming must-haves like their glass vegetable ornaments (we fell in love with the Brussel sprout) and felt ornaments like a hot pink-clad Frida Kahlo.
Located in Old Town, The Christmas Shop delivers on its name with a selection of Christmas ornaments, Nativity scenes and other festive decorations – many made by local artists.
Feel good shopping doesn’t get much better than at Moxie in Taos where they sell fair trade and handmade goodies for the home and to wear. Check out their year-round wall of ornaments and nab an embroidered beauty or piece made from recycled metal trays.
This is the place for everything New Mexico-made including hand-blown glass hot air balloons from Robbins Ranch Art Glass, located in Stanley, New Mexico. Choose from four different styles including a festive green alien or multi-colored confetti.
Every holiday from Halloween to Valentine’s Day gets love from this Mesilla, New Mexico favorite, but Christmas is the star year-round. Fill your basket with an endless array of glass and other ornaments to make your tree a showstopper.
Story by Julia Platt Leonard / Photography by Keith Recker
Marsden Hartley was part of the second generation of artists to come to Taos. This group, including Andrew Dasburg, John Marin, and Georgia O’Keeffe, introduced Modernism into the Southwest.
Hartley often came into conflict with many of the academic painters who made up the Taos Society of Artists. In 1918 Hartley wrote an essay in El Palacio Magazine critiquing the application of European academic techniques to what he saw as the uniquely American subject matter of the Southwest. Criticizing the Taos Society Artist, he wrote, “they tell themselves that the great art of America is to come from Taos. Well, there will have to be godlike changes for the better in this case.”
Hartley eventually moved to Santa Fe to distance himself from Taos’s artistically conservative climate. Like many American Modernist painters of the 20th Century, Marsden Hartley was looking for a distinctly American subject for his artwork, and a certain “aesthetic sincerity.”
Hartley first visited New Mexico in 1918, the year after the New Mexico Museum of Art opened, and wrote of the experience, “I am an American discovering America.” During his early visits to New Mexico his style shifted from abstract to more realistic subject matter, and he found what he believed to be definitively American subject matter in the blending of Native, Hispanic, and Euro-American cultures. He produced a number of still lifes here, such as the Hispanic Catholic retablo in this painting, depicted along with Native pottery and textiles.
Jennifer Lopez, Mick Jagger, Madonna and Tony Bennett. Throw in Mae West, Coco Chanel and Mata Hari and you can see that those born in Leo — the fifth sign of the zodiac — aren’t shy and retiring. I know this from personal experience as my Mom was a Leo. Her idea of an intimate gathering was sixty of her closest friends, bottles of champagne, and new potatoes that had been boiled, sliced in half, flesh scooped out and replaced with caviar and sour cream.
So it’s not surprising that the foods we harvest in August are all singing and all dancing. We can barely keep up with the bounty. It’s heady and intoxicating and we know it can’t last. And we’re probably a bit relieved too. Autumn comes in quietly. Like the sunlight itself this time of year, it’s softer and more subtle.
But don’t underestimate what you’ll find at farmers’ markets in New Mexico this time of year. Winter greens have a bitter bite that begs for a creamy, mustardy vinaigrette. Kabocha squash is more flavorful than butternut and is multi-talented — roast them in wedges or cook and puree for a creamy soup dusted with chile and toasted pepitas.
And beets may be small, a bunch resting comfortably in the palm of your hand, but there is a concentrated sweetness in them. Save the leaves and sauté like you would chard. Give the beets themselves a scrub and place them in a baking dish lined generously with aluminum foil. Tuck in lemon peel and a bay leaf, anoint generously with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then fold the aluminum foil to form a packet. Into a 350 degree oven until you can insert a knife in easily.
Let cool, then slide the skins off and let your imagination run wild. In a salad with toasted walnuts and goat’s cheese — beets and goat’s cheese adore each other — or blitzed with a spoonful of tahini and lots of lemon juice for a dip.
Here are some of our TABLE favorites, plus an Instagram must-make, to utilize your New Mexico farmers’ market bounty.
Gifting is one of the five languages of love (alongside touch, time, affirmation, and action). Whether you give a tiny statement of thoughtfulness or a major monument of adoration, you can always find a lovely something from local boutiques and makers, like the below gift ideas for kids. Perhaps shopping local is a sixth love language — one that speaks to lively main streets and healthy small businesses!
Inspire the future writer and big-brain mathematician with ABC and number chalks. They come in soft pastel shades and are chunky enough for the smallest hands to grab and go.
Go low-tech with a wooden ring or rainbow stacking toy for the curious kid. While you’re at it, give yourself a pat on the back as they’re made in Ukraine with nontoxic, water-based paints, plus your purchase helps Artisans in Ukraine.
We can all use a little motivation from time to time. These cards featuring inspiring quotes will instill positive thinking into kids of any age.
Gifts for Kids Selected by Julia Platt Leonard, Keith Recker, Justin Matase, and Wendy Ilene Friedman / Styling by Keith Recker / Principal Photography by Tira Howard
This fall, Wendy’s brought the taste of autumn to fast foodies across the country with the addition of the Pumpkin Spice Frosty to its menu. But with a small order of the creamy beverage featuring a whopping 51 grams of sugar, it’s not exactly a keto-friendly treat. Enter our low-sugar version of Wendy’s Pumpkin Spice Frosty — all of the fall flavor, none of the guilt.
What Makes This Pumpkin Spice Frosty Keto?
The ketogenic diet or “keto” is meant to change the way your body processes food. It puts your body into ketosis, a state where it burns fat for energy instead of storing carbohydrates. You’ll often see keto recipes, like this keto pumpkin spice Frosty, using monkfruit sweetener instead of sugar. This is because monkfruit sweetener has no calories or carbs, which keeps your body from storing them. Monkfruit sweenter is actually made of the extract of a fruit known as lo han guo or Swingle. Always do your research about diets, though, and be informed about what you’re eating and drinking, low calorie doesn’t always mean better for. you! .
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Gifting is one of the five languages of love (alongside touch, time, affirmation, and action). Whether you give a tiny statement of thoughtfulness or a major monument of adoration, you can always find a lovely something from local boutiques and makers, like the following home products perfect for gifting. Perhaps shopping local is a sixth love language — one that speaks to lively main streets and healthy small businesses!
Living Threads is home to an astonishing range of hand-woven, natural-fiber textiles–everything from cashmere to yak. From the softest throws to the most plumpable pillows, many tactile experiences await your curious fingers.
Sit back, relax, and ease into the holidays with unique cushions from The Collective. Ideal for a quick pre-party design makeover or as a cushy gift idea. These three are the merest sampling of the riches stocked at the store.
The timeless appeal of terra cotta vessels lends gravitas to any interior. These handmade, vintage beauties — some elevated with wrought metal stands–do the job with elegance and authority. Find them amid the many layers of finery on offer at this Railyard store.
Ceramic flowers from Array Home bring a breath of spring to your table. Flowers in soft greens, pinks, and yellows create an outdoor landscape indoors.
Trek to Truchas to find one-of-a-kind, fun and funky gifts at Eight Million Gods. Clay coasters in the shape of a hand are ideal to hold a holiday cocktail or even a votive candle.
Store the trivial or treasured in this handsome, inlaid box made from white fossil stone and tiger penshell, a large, saltwater clam found near the Philippines. The interior is lined and the box features smart polished brass accents.
As the days grow shorter and nights longer, create a sanctuary in your home. This marble soap dish with swirls of amber, gold, and creamy white holds bars of honey soap–rich in lanolin–or goat’s milk honey soap with a hint of wild rose. Belgium linen hand towels are almost too lovely to use (they look fabulous on the table or crafted into pillows, too).
Handblown glass baubles made from recycled glass come in a sophisticated range of colors. They can be hung on your holiday tree, or nestled in a bowl all year long.
Jamie Chase, Skin Deep, acrylic on canvas, 24 x 18”
“Skin Deep,” by artist Jamie Chase, draws on the artist’s interest in abstracted figurative work, his years in Europe, and inspiration from ancient Egyptian art, European cave paintings, and Native American art.
Flowers and foliage foraged in New Mexico are the basis for these stunning wreaths by Canadian-born and now Santa Fe-based artist Arella Hordyk. Visit Folklore on Garcia Street in Santa Fe for more.
This paws-worthy pet emporium features neckwear for the most discerning dog. Collars made of Italian leather with European cabochons in light turquoise. Available in cat sizes too, for your feline friends.
Mimbreño dinnerware is part of the heritage of the American Southwest. Made in the USA for the Fred Harvey Company’s El Tovar Lodge, it is available at La Fonda on the Plaza – another splendid hotel that was once a Harvey House. Oven-, dishwasher- and microwave-safe. Available in dark gray (shown here) or maroon.
Hanselmann Pottery
From a line of stoneware made for over 50 years in Corrales, NM, these oil and vinegar dispensers are sturdy, simple, and stand the test of time.
Stoneware incised with iconic Southwest images, textures and landscape elements, these vases make a fantastic hostess gift, or a present for a gardener whose summer blooms need to come inside for enjoyment at all hours of the day and night. Visit Folklore on Garcia Street in Santa Fe for more.
Home Gift Ideas Selected by Julia Platt Leonard, Keith Recker, Justin Matase, and Wendy Ilene Friedman / Styling by Keith Recker / Principal Photography by Tira Howard
Gifting is one of the five languages of love (alongside touch, time, affirmation, and action). Whether you give a tiny statement of thoughtfulness or a major monument of adoration, you can always find a lovely something from local boutiques and makers, like the jewelry items featured below.
Dazzle with these ‘Dendritic Quartz Drop Earrings’ made by artist Carolyn Morris Bach from 18- and 22-carat yellow gold, dendritic quartz, and brown diamonds. When worn, the unique peculiarities of the earrings emit gorgeous soft tones — guaranteed to put a smile on someone’s face.
Wrap yourself in a string of pearls woven together with supple suede and set off with a carved pendant. One-of-a-kind pieces that are as much artwork as jewelry.
Artist Alison Antelman is inspired by both the human-made as well as the natural world. Each piece is fabricated and forged by hand with individual “pods” hinged and soldered so the pieces–like this tourmaline bracelet–drape beautifully.
This mysteriously smoky pendant depicts a lithe and lovely apsara, a Southeast Asian spirit of air and water. She sways from a string of stone and silver beads whose adjustable length closure will help you position her to best advantage.
A flaneur strolls about town, taking in the sights and sounds, and contributing a bit of charming chatter to his or her environs. Your flaneur-ing is bound to be rich and rewarding when decked out in this gathering of unique trinkets. You can wear the necklace, an 18″ choker with four individual strands of semi-precious stones and a gold finish chain. Or you can unclasp and split the strands into two sets to wear as a 36″ long necklace. Handmade in Santa Fe. Each one varies slightly.
Raw and natural minerals, like the Garden quartz crystal and green tourmaline cabochons shown here, form evocative pendants suspended from handmade, adjustable sterling silver chains. A second necklace enriches this photo: the handmade Fringe Flapper Chain combines Herkimer diamonds and sterling silver.
Cicada Collection
Specializing in clothing with clean lines and flowing forms, this store also offers lovely jewelry with a Minimalistic bent. Take these elemental beaded pieces, for example: their scale, simplicity, and eternally appealing materials are admirable.
Ring in the new year with earrings from Cynthia Jones. From left, Cloud Earrings with a gentle undulating shape; Lunar Hoop with metalwork that will remind you of a crescent moon; and Deco Earrings that are sleek, geometric, and reminiscent of a bygone age. Visit Folklore on Garcia Street in Santa Fe for more.
Whether you’re feeling sacred or profane this season, a necklace from Virgins Saints & Angels is in order. More than a piece of jewelry, you’re gifting a bit of mystery, good fortune, and a generous sprinkling of magic.
It’s all in the detail with these delicately worked, beaded earrings from Guatemala and Ecuador that you’ll find at the Museum of International Folk Art shop, a treasure trove of one-of-a-kind gifts.
Deck the halls, wrists, and neck with Christmas cheer from Santa Fe Dry Goods. TAP by Todd Pownell offers a stunning 18K white gold pave-diamond link bracelet: think a string of paper clips but more grown-up and glamorous.
Bogotá-based Claudia Fajardo’s pieces are handmade from a combination of colorful glass beads and sterling silver. Inspired by nature and its shapes and colors, the pieces are full of texture and movement.
Amber has been used in jewelry since the Stone Age and is credited with healing properties, attracting good luck, and averting misfortune. Anyone receiving one of these amber necklaces from Sukhmani would be lucky indeed.
Wear your heart on your sleeve or anywhere else, for that matter. Hearts and butterflies and other crafted creatures to adorn your outfit from the Museum of International Folk Art, always the spot for inspired gift-giving.
Gifts for Women Selected by Julia Platt Leonard, Keith Recker, Justin Matase, and Wendy Ilene Friedman / Styling by Keith Recker / Principal Photography by Tira Howard