2026 Culinary Challenge Winner Recipes
Tailgate Recipe Winner: Corn & Black Bean Salad
Sky Loos
Recipe Ingredients
4 ears grilled corn 1 can black beans 2/3 cup chopped cotija cheese 1 large Local Organic Slicing Tomato, diced 1 Haas medium avocado, sliced 1 bunch green onion, chopped 1 bunch cilantro, chopped 2 limes 2 TBS olive oil 1/2 tsp each: salt, cumin, garlic powder, Optional: 3 dashes favorite hot sauce
Recipe Instructions / Directions
Grill 4 ears of corn for 12 minutes on high, rotating frequently. Remove from grill and cool. Scrape kernels into large bowl. Add: one can of rinsed black beans; 2/3 cup chopped cotija cheese, 1 bunch chopped green onion and cilantro, 1 diced Organic Local Slicing tomato. Gently toss all ingredients in bowl until combined. In small bowl, whisk the olive oil, juice of 2 limes, spices, and optional hot sauce together until well mixed. Pour over corn and bean mixture and toss until well coated. Cover bowl with foil and chill in fridge for minimum of one hour. Top with sliced Haas medium avocado immediately before serving. Adjust ingredients to your taste preference.
How does your recipe fit this round's challenge?
Uses two Cartwright’s weekly specials- Haas avocado and slicing tomato. Can be made ahead of time, and easy to transport to tailgates.
Cartwright’s Tailgate Burger & Bean Bombs
Chandra Disraeli
Recipe Ingredients
1½ cups Cartwright’s Baked Beans
1 tube refrigerated biscuit dough (8 large biscuits)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
⅓ cup finely diced red or sweet onion
2 Tbsp Cartwright’s BBQ Sauce
1 Tbsp butter, melted
½ tsp garlic powder
Sliced green onions or pickled jalapeños for garnish, optional
Recipe Instructions / Directions
Flatten each biscuit into roughly a 5-inch circle. Put a spoonful of the beef-and-bean mixture in the center and add a generous pinch of cheddar. Pull the dough up around the filling and pinch it tightly closed. Place seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Brush with melted butter mixed with garlic powder. Bake at 375°F for about 15–18 minutes, or until deeply golden.
Meanwhile, warm the remaining Cartwright’s baked beans. Put them in the center of a serving platter and arrange the burger bombs around them. Sprinkle everything with green onion or jalapeño.
How does your recipe fit this round's challenge?
Street Taco Soup
Kelli Williams
Recipe Ingredients
Recipe Instructions / Directions
How does your recipe fit this round's challenge?
Chili Relleno
Lynn Anderson
Recipe Ingredients
1/2 onion
1/2 C salsa
1 garlic clove
1/2 pound 93% burger
2 C cheddar cheese
1T cilantro
1/2 package of taco seasoning
Egg filling:
3 eggs
1/4 C flour
1/2 tsp each of salt & pepper
1 1/3 C milk
1/2 T Frank’s Hot Sauce
Recipe Instructions / Directions
Cook first 4 ingredients starting with onions
Place poblanos on a dish salt & microwave for 2 minutes on high then place into 9×13 after cooled
After all is cooked put in 1 C of cheese & mix
Scoop out filling into peppers
Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
I use a hand-held immersion blender to mix the egg filling ingredients! Pour along edges & move mixture around to fill all the area next to peppers!
Bake @ 350° for 35 minutes or until eggs are cooked.
How does your recipe fit this round's challenge?
Harvest Chicken Quinoa Soup (Andi's Favorite)
Austin Davis
Recipe Ingredients
1½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
– 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
– 1 medium organic yellow onion, diced
– 1 organic leek, white and light green portions thinly sliced
– 2 medium organic carrots, diced
– 2 stalks organic celery, diced
– 1 tbsp minced garlic
– ½ cup dry white wine
– 8 cups quality chicken stock
– 1 Parmigiano Reggiano cheese rind
– 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
– 4 sprigs fresh thyme
– 1 dried bay leaf
– 1 medium organic sweet potato, peeled and diced
– 2 medium organic yellow potatoes, diced
– ¾ cup dry quinoa, rinsed
– 2–3 cups organic kale, torn with stems removed
– Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to
For Serving
– Fresh Parmigiano Reggiano, thinly shaved into long strips
– Freshly cracked black pepper
– Southern Oregon sourdough bread – Toasted
Recipe Instructions / Directions
Before starting, I prefer cooking the chicken breasts sous vide at 142°F for 2–4 hours, then shredding or cubing them. If you don’t have a sous vide, the chicken can be cooked directly in the soup instead.
1. In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add the olive oil, onion, leek, carrots, and celery. Sauté until softened, adding the garlic at the end and cooking until just fragrant.
2. Deglaze with white wine and allow it to reduce for a couple of minutes.
3. Add the chicken stock, Parmigiano Reggiano rind, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
4. If using raw chicken breasts, simmer them in the broth for about 15 minutes, or until they reach 165°F in the center. Remove, shred or cube, and set aside.
5. Add the sweet potato, yellow potatoes, and quinoa. Simmer for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the quinoa is cooked through.
6. Stir in the kale and allow it to wilt for a few minutes. Add the cooked chicken and let everything warm through.
7. Remove the herb stems, bay leaf, and Parmigiano rind. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
8. Serve with long, thin shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano to melt on top, plenty of freshly cracked black pepper, and some toasted sourdough bread.
How does your recipe fit this round's challenge?
This soup is a wonderful way to welcome the fall weather, loaded with chunky goodness and delicious organic produce from Cartwright’s. With potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, and wine all on sale, it’s hard to say no to our favorite soup!
Italian Stuffed Mushrooms with sausage and Parmesan
Jody Beach
Recipe Ingredients
24 oz organic white or cremini mushrooms
1/2 lb Cartwright’s ground Italian sausage or link sausage (casings removed)
1/2 large organic sweet onion minced
6 cloves garlic minced
1/3 cup Cantina Pinot Grigio
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp black pepper
8 oz cream cheese
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated is best
minced fresh parsley for garnish
1/2 cup Sauz Marinara Sauce
several slices of provolone cheese
Side: Organic Girl Salad, Fresh Gourmet croutons, sliced Roma tomatoes and slivers of Cartwright’s Cotta Salami
Recipe Instructions / Directions
1. Clean mushrooms, then remove stems. I like to give the stems a twist, and they loosen up to remove them, or you can use a knife.
2. Finely chop mushroom stems and set aside.
3. Add a small drizzle of oil to a large skillet and heat over MED HIGH heat. Once skillet is hot, add sausage. Cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon or potato masher, for about 4-5 minutes, or until cooked through and finely crumbled.
4. Use a slotted spoon to remove sausage to a bowl. Then reduce heat to MED LOW.
5. In the same skillet, with the sausage drippings, add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, for about 3 minutes.
6. Pour in wine, using a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, cooking a few minutes, until most of the wine is reduced and cooked off.
7. Add chopped mushroom stems, salt, pepper and thyme and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove to the bowl with the sausage and let cool a little.
8. In a mixing bowl add softened cream cheese, egg yolk, and Parmesan cheese. Stir well to combine.
9. Stir in sausage mixture from the bowl and make sure it’s well combined.
10. Cover bowl and refrigerate for about 1 hour. This helps firm the filling up so it doesn’t run all over the mushrooms.
11. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
12. Use a small spoon (or even a teaspoon measuring spoon) to fill mushrooms with the cream cheese mixture, pressing gently to fill the cavity. Add a little more to create a small mound on top of the mushroom.
13. Repeat with remaining mushrooms. Top mushrooms with Sauza marinara and provolone cheese and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. I like to broil mine for a minute or so at the end of baking to make sure the filling is nice and golden.
14. Let cool 5-10 minutes, sprinkle with minced parsley (if using).
15. Serve with Organic Girl Salad topped with Fresh Gourmet croutons, sliced Roma tomatoes and slivers of Cartwright’s Cotta Salami.
