Chewing the (Low)Fat with “Burro Bob”
text by connie ellig; photos by david hopps & connie ellig
book cover photos courtesy of northland publishing

Bob’s romance with food began at an early age. A second-generation pioneer born in Heber City, Utah, Bob started cooking at age five. “The first thing I ever cooked was a cake that ended up as a real thick syrup. Hey, I was only five, what do you expect?” Bob laughs. “Then I baked a loaf of rye bread that was so bad I used it as a doorstop for many years after spraying it with urethane. While still a kid, I tasted my first Mexican food in Salt Lake City and discovered the wonderful flavor of cumin.” Bob’s lifetime love affair with zesty Southwest cooking had begun.

After living on the coasts of California and in the mountains of Idaho, Bob settled in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1954, where he began his serious pursuit of the cuisine of the greater Southwest, which he dubs “border vittles.”

“To me, the Southwest includes the southwestern United States as well as northern Mexico, including all of Baja. As far as food is concerned, there is no border; there is no magic line. There is no fence because foods travel north and south,” he explains. “Chile Verde is an example. Each family has its own unique recipe that dates back 200-300 years, whether cooked with pork, beef, goat or venison. Although it might change in flavor or texture when comparing variations from New Mexico or the Durango area of Mexico, it’s the crème de la crème, the one dish that sets the Southwest apart.”

Although Bob has won frequent awards for his Chile Verde and traditional Bowl of Red, his most life-changing experience in the winner’s circle was in 1986 when he met Jodi, his wife-to-be, at a chili cookoff in Boulder City, Nevada. They married three years later at the Mexican National Championship Chili Cookoff in Jalisco.

“It was a Sunday and we were married in the Ajijic jail off the plaza, which was the only public building open that day where we could hold a civil ceremony,” Bob reminiscences. “There was even a guy standing at the back of the room with an M-14...I’ll never forget that! After the ceremony, we cooked chili in our Mexican wedding attire and came in second after getting beat by our best man!”

Since then, Bob and Jodi have lit their stoves at numerous cookoffs throughout the West including Nevada, California, Hawaii and Mexico as well as two International Chili Society (ICS) World’s Championship events.

In addition to Southwest cuisine, Bob is knowledgeable about the foods of many other cultures. He was one of the select few who were invited to participate in a small but unique eighteen-month culinary course at Caesar’s Palace where he studied the cooking techniques of France, Spain, China, Japan, India, Latin America and other countries.

But Bob’s days of eating rich foods came to an end in 1994 when he was diagnosed with a heart condition and put on a bland diet that cut down on salt and fat. Although he recognized the need to adapt healthier eating habits, he refused to give up cooking the zesty Southwestern foods that were his mainstay. Instead, he began experimenting with his original recipes, decreasing fat and sodium content but maintaining the distinctive flavors. The result was Healthy Southwestern Cooking, which was published in January 1995 and became the very first low-fat, low-sodium Southwest cookbook on the market. Featuring 101 flavorful recipes, each with nutritional information regarding calories, cholesterol and sodium, Healthy Southwestern Cooking is among the top ten all time Southwest cookbooks.

Released in March 2005, Southwest Lite is Bob’s newest cookbook designed for a healthy lifestyle. It is a tasty collection of 101 heart-smart recipes that are suitable for many of today’s popular diets including South Beach, Atkins, and diabetic nutrition plans. In the West and Southwest, Bob’s titles are available wherever books are sold. Both cookbooks can be purchased online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, other major bookstores and specialty shops, and on Bob’s new web site, AllThingsChili.com, which also features hand-selected chili powders, spices and related products for competition chili cooks and chili aficionados.

A cook by choice but a writer by profession, Bob is the author of many fictional and nonfictional articles that have appeared in publications like American Cowboy Magazine, Tombstone Epitaph, Rocky Mountain Game & Fish Magazine, Chile Pepper Magazine, and other western media. His other cookbook, Buckskin, Bullets and Beans, is built upon recipes and excerpts from stories created by the Western Writers of America, and contains recipes for traditional fare as well as unusual dishes like Griddled Elk Steaks, Deep-Fried Rattler, Wild Rice Pie, Stuffed Prickly Pear leaves, Roast Buffalo Hump and Pan-Fried Squirrel. Bob currently has a cookbook series and several western history novels in the works. When he is not writing or cooking, Bob can be found fly-fishing...or being interviewed in Ensenada bars.

6 1/2 ounces chopped clams with juice
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 pickled jalapeño chiles, finely minced
8 ounces Neufchatel Cheese
4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon minced capers
1/2 teaspoon salt substitute
1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1/2 cup shredded Romano cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a square 8 x 8-inch casserole dish, combine the clams, garlic, jalapeños, Neufchatel cheese, mozzarella cheese, basil, ginger, capers, salt, and mayonnaise. Mix to blend. Sprinkle the Romano cheese on top of the mix. Bake until lightly browned and bubbly, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 3 1/2 cups, about 24 servings.

Nutritional facts per serving
Calories 67
Total Fat 5g
Cholesterol 20 mg
Sodium 110 mg
Total Carbohydrate 1 g
Dietary Fiber trace
Protein 5g

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine milk, egg substitute, and jalapeños in a blender and blend for 25-30 seconds to finely grind ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl, combine masa harina, flour, sugar, baking powder, red bell pepper, green chiles, and onion. Blend well, slowly adding the canola oil. When thoroughly mixed, add mixture from blender and stir until thoroughly blended.

Spray muffin tin with vegetable spray. Spoon cornbread mixture about three-fourths full in each cupped section. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove and let cool. Servings: 16.

Nutritional facts per serving
Calories (kcal) 159.6
Cholesterol (mg) 2
Sodium (mg) 163
Total Fat (g) 7.2
Saturated Fat (g) 0.7
% Calories from Fat 40

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