Green chile cookbook helps cancer fight

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) - How's this for fine dining; a menu consisting of Mini Green Chile Stew Spring Rolls; Green Chile Bacon Corn Chowder Goodness; Green Chili and Cheese Fritatta or maybe Chile Relleno Meatballs; and a dessert of Hatch Green Chile Mexican Chocolate Mousse.

Those are among the top recipes that are included in the first-ever "Biad Chili Tough Book of Green Chile Recipes," which was released Monday by representatives of Biad Chili Co. of Las Cruces, and the NMSU Aggies Are Tough Enough To Wear Pink campaign.

Regardless if you're a green chile fan, this is one cookbook that very likely could make your mouth water. If nothing else, it could make native New Mexicans who have moved away long for home again.

"I like this cookbook because it has a lot of different variations from things my family and I have tried for years when cooking with chile," said Desiree Chavez, a Las Cruces homemaker who said her family eats chile at least twice a week. "I think I'm going to get a copy just so we can have a few new ideas. For sure, it's going to a worthy cause."

Chris Biad and Anna Emerick Biad, owners of Biad Chili Co., said Monday that all proceeds from the 1,000 cookbooks that have been printed will be donated to the NMSU Aggies Are Tough Enough To Wear Pink campaign. Cookbooks are available for $15 a copy at the Biad Chili Store, 6060 S. Main St., in Mesilla Park, and online at www.biadchili.com .

"Cancer has touched all of our lives in one way or another," Anna Emerick Biad said. "For us at Biad Chili, cancer has affected our family members and employees. We want this cookbook to help raise awareness and funds to fight cancer."

Between January and June, more than 800 recipes were submitted through the company's Facebook page. NMSU executive chef Maurice Zeck narrowed the list of recipes to 75 and those were published in the cookbook.

"This Biad cookbook is another wonderful example of how the Las Cruces business community embraces the work the NMSU Aggies are Tough Enough to Wear Pink volunteers are doing" said TETWP co-chair Pat Sisbarro. "We are so excited and grateful, and the recipes are great addition to every Las Cruces kitchen."

NMSU Aggies Are Tough Enough to Wear Pink is a volunteer group who has worked to raise breast cancer awareness in southern New Mexico while raising funds for Cowboys for Cancer Research. Since 2007, the group has generated more than $2 million in cash and in-kind contributions and is recognized as the top grossing "Tough Enough to Wear Pink" event in the world.

"We've set a goal of trying to raise $1 million this year in cash and in-kind gifts and services," said Geraldine Calhoun, who with her husband, Denny Calhoun, have helped spearhead Cowboys For Cancer Research fundraising efforts for years. "Last year, Cowboys For Cancer Research and Tough Enough To Wear Pink worked together here to raise $956,000 in cash and in-kind gifts and services. So, after that, we jumped out and said let's try to go for $1 million this year."

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Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News