With football season upon us, Sundays in my house are devoted to football. Snacks are perfect for a day spent in front of the television but a lot of the snack alternatives are not that healthy.  Thankfully, there is Spanish tapas, and these recipes when made  together are fantastically delicious and surprising healthy. Spicy grass-fed meatballs, sauteed lemon mushrooms and oven fried potatoes are the perfect snack food! The secret is to serve it with crusty bread! Not only that because everything is homemade, it will not break the bank!  If you plan on having a big group make more of the potatoes because they are so easy to prepare and just delicious!

Spicy Spanish Meatballs

Ingredients:
1 pound of La Cense ground grass-fed Steak Burger
1 small onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoon olive oil
1 egg, beaten
juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
salt and fresh pepper

For Spicy Sauce
1 onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon dry sherry
14 ounce pureed tomatoes
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne(or until spicy enough)
pinch of sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh fresh parsley, to garnish

Preparation: Saute onions and garlic, let cool. Place the ground beef in a bowl, add egg, salt, cumin and parsley then add the sauteed onion.Mix well, roll into very small meatballs, place covered into the fridge to let cool.  Meanwhile make the sauce, saute the onions and garlic, add the tomato sauce, dry sherry, then the paprika, cayenne and sugar, season to taste, let simmer for 10 minutes.
To fry the meat balls heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and cook the meatballs for 5 minutes, turning frequently until evenly browned. Place in sauce, heat and serve hot!

Oven Fried Potatoes with Roasted Garlic Dip
Ingredients:
3 pounds Idaho or Yukon potatoes cut into wedges(keep skin on)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Roasted Garlic Dip
2 heads of garlic, separated with skin on.
2 tablespoon olive oil
5 tablespoons buttermilk
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
salt, pepper and paprika to taste

fresh parsley to garnish
Preparation:  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, roast garlic for 10 to
15 minutes until roasted. Let cool meanwhile, scrub the potatoes and
cut into wedges toss with olive oil and salt. Place in oven and roast
for 45 minutes to an hour, or until crispy and done. You will have to
toss them a few times.
To make the dip peel of the skin of the roasted garlic, and in blender
add all the ingredients and blend. Adjust taste, this deep has a rich
sweet flavor because of the roasted garlic. Just lovely!

Sauteed Lemon Mushrooms

Ingredients:
1 pound of white mushrooms
5 tablespoons of olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic
juice of half of lemon
salt and pepper
4 tablespoons of parsley
lemon wedges
crusty bread to serve with

Preparation: Wipe clean mushrooms, trim bottoms cut into fourths. Heat
olive oil in large pan, add garlic for 30 seconds then add mushrooms
saute over a medium high heat until brown. Reduce to low heat for 4-5
minutes, stirring frequently add a squeeze of lemon juice, season with
salt and pepper and top with parsley saute for another minute. Serve
with a fresh crusty bread. Enjoy!

Many ranchers in the arid Southwest rely on wells for water, tapping deep into aquifers below the ground.  Expanding urban centers pull water from the Colorado River as well as their own aquifers, but even this water is not enough to sustain the rapidly growing population of these cities in the desert.  While Las Vegas and Phoenix grow exponentially, the ranchlands around them are often tapped for their underground aquifers leaving less water to sustain an agricultural future on this land.  The argument made for tapping the ranchland water is economic, while reasons why the soil of grasslands, however arid, should be sustained by minimal grazing are overlooked.

In the mid-eighties, growing cities like Scottsdale, Arizona started buying ranches just to have the rights to that piece of land's aquifer.  They called it water ranching.  Water ranching was outlawed in Arizona in the early ‘90s after enough protest from ranchers and small communities who didn't want to see their water supplies completely depleted.  In Nevada, however, Las Vegas has recently been in the process of obtaining water rights to aquifers below ranches in the Northern part of the state.  Although it seems like there is enough to go around, no one really knows how much water is in the aquifers.  If they disappear, the land could turn into a dust bowl.  Droughts in the already dry Southwest have been persistent in the last fifteen years, lessening the precipitation going back into the land to stabilize plants and provide water to wildlife, not to mention the growing cities, irrigated fields, and livestock.

When there is a drought, fewer cattle can be allotted to a section of land (private or public), making it even more difficult to economically sustain ranching in those areas.  When ranching is no longer economically sustainable, the land will be sold into development.  Condos and sprawling ranchettes use much more water than grazing herbivores.  If this trend continues, the remains of ranching will prove to be one of the most sustainable forms of land use in the Southwest.  Cows, in a well-managed rotational grazing program, can benefit and improve the land, recycling plants and water back into the dusty soil and creating strong roots that will stabilize it. Holistic range management is a way to use the given water resources of the Southwest properly and mimic the natural habitation of the land.   

How do you think we should address water use in the Southwest?  Do you live there or have any stories to share with us?  

Above photo:  Grand Canon, Colorado River by William Bell, 1871-1873