As a Mexican, it's hard to admit I don't really like nopales. Nopales, the cooked pads of the Opuntia cactus, are abundant in Mexico and enjoyed in a variety of preparations. There are over 100 varieties of this particular species of cactus, and many of them bare fruit. Prickly Pear, or Tunas as they are called in Mexico, range from distinctly tart to super sweet and bright pink to deep purple. Like nopales, I told myself I didn't like them and when I would see my mom buy them off street vendors, in little plastic cups dripping in syrup from macerating in their own sugars, I told her I was't interested. 

It wasn't until I moved to Arizona that I revisited the Prickly Pear and found so many interesting ways to use it. Being back in the desert for my 30th birthday inspired me to create a super refreshing cocktail that packs a punch. If the bright citrus flavor does't get you going, Chemistry's Lion's Claw High THC tincture will. At almost 25mg THC per 1ml dose this is the perfect tincture for a seasoned stoner like myself, unlike most other tinctures on the market. 

Cooking is best when it's simple, so don't stress! Measure everything to match your taste, and there's no way you won't enjoy this drink. Prickly Pear can be hard to find, but available at most Latin markets. If you can't find any, you could easily substitute pomegranate, strawberries or raspberries. Fresh lime juice and agave go hand in hand, diced cucumber soaks up flavor like a sponge and bursts in your mouth. Check out the video below to see how we did it!

Another year around the sun, another birthday trip with my best friend Alexis. Thankful to always have someone to get stoned  with on my birthday. Where should we go next year?

In the age of social distancing, it's been a while since some of us have seen our friends. When Coral reached out about a backyard sesh fuled by Absolute Extracts & Lagunitas Hi-Fi Hops, I jumped at the chance to make it an epic one. I busted out the BeerGlass BHOttle for some dabs, enjoyed some infused gummies, and prepared some mixers to help us beat the heat!

As a beer and cannabis enthusiast, this is one of my favorite collaborations on the market today. You might remember a blog post I did when this product debuted where we go over the long term love Lagunitas has maintained with the cannabis world. As a lover of all tasty creations, I was so excited to whip up some mixers. We carried the non-infused Hop Water at the restaurant I work at and making drinks with it was my favorite! 

The only thing better than a frosty bottle of Hi-Fi Hops are some fresh mixers to go with it! The beauty of cooking is that you can make it your own, so feel free to switch out any of these ingredients for anything that tickles your fancy. I used simple syrup to make these drinks, but don't worry it's super easy to make. Simple syrup is just equal parts water and sugar, simmered until it makes a syrup. You can replace the water with fruit juice, or add diced fruit directly to the water and sugar mixture, just make sure you cut the sugar depending on how sweet your fruit is. Have fun with it, once you realize how easy it is you'll be adding fancy simple syrups to all your drinks! I find the 36oz mason jar works best these mixes.

Michelda's have certainly evolved from their Mexican Revolution era origins, where the people of San Luis Potrosi enjoyed cold beers mixed with hot sauce and lime juice. The classic Mexican cerveza preparada consists of tomato juice,  lime juice, something spicy and something tart. As their popularity increases bartenders have taken the dink to the next level, playing with ingredients and adding new ones, showcasing the versatility of the popular Mexican cocktail. 

I love michelada's, so obviously I had to put weed in one. I'm using Ficks Bloody Mary Mix instead of regular tomato juice for the added spices and flavors. Mixes like these make michelada making a breeze, but to keep the flavor profile Mexican I have to add my favorite hot sauce - Valentina. Spicy and rich, it adds a needed spice without adding the tartness of vinegar based hot sauces. I get my tartness from the lime juice and Chamoy, a sweet and sour sauce that gives the drink a bright red color. 

 Manzanita Naturals Kwik Ease is a perfect option for a drink like this, and mixed drinks in general. Bursting with tartness, the 100mg lemon-ginger shot holds up against the big flavors we are working with. Dosing is easy so you don't have to worry about over-medicating. 

Micheladas can be made to suit personal preferences, use your favorite ingredients to create your favorite drink! We start with the salted rim. I used Don Chelada's Beer Salt but you can use the classic Tajin, margarita salt or regular salt. Cut some lime wedges and use them to moisten the rim of your glass so the salt will stick.

Next the hot sauce, about 4 or 5 shakes depending on how spicy you like it. Follow this with the chamoy, be careful here - a little goes a long way. Then, the cannabis. I used about 50mg in mine.

Once you have those ingredients in the glass, give a stir. These are thick sauces so make sure you get them nice and blended. 

Top it off with the bloody mary mix and give it one last stir. Finish with fresh squeezed lime juice and enjoy with a blunt. Make them even better with the additions of tamarind, mango, pineapple, or anything else that suits your fancy! The one thing I did find myself missing the carbonation from the beer. Adding The Fizz or Hi-Fi Hops wouldn't hurt a thing!

I look for any opportunity to replace alcohol with cannabis so making this came naturally to me. I hope you are inspired by this recipe to make your own personal michelada, and I hope you love it as much as I loved this one. You can see more of my recipes here.

If you’re like me, you like your greens crispy. Preferably, fried. Brussels sprouts are something that wasn’t introduced to me until my adult life and I’m so happy for that. I always heard horror stories about them as a kid, but since my mom didn’t know what they were - I didn’t have to worry. The perks of growing up on pinto beans and Mexican rice, I never complained.

This recipe is super simple and easy to adjust to ones taste. Fill a saucepan with enough oil to cover the amount of brussels sprouts you're using and heat over a high flame. This time I used about two cups of brussels so this particular dressing recipe is good for that amount, you can scale up or down from here. Slice the bottoms off your sprouts and cut them in half. Pull off any nasty leaves and toss along with the bottoms. Set aside the clean brussels while you make the dressing. It starts with one heaping tablespoon of OM Edibles Toasted Sesame Miso.

Then the juice and zest of one lime. Don’t cut your lime in half before you zest it, because the stoner did.

Next, a tablespoon of honey. You can add more or less if you like, but I think this is a prefect balance.

You can add as much or as little as you want of these two, depending on your taste. I didn’t add salt or black pepper to this dressing, but you definitely could.

The most important part of the recipe, in my opinion, is the raw garlic. 2-4 clove’s depending on your preference.

Mix it up all up and set aside while you fry the sprouts.

You could always crisp these in the oven if you wanted to, but I prefer to fry them. Brussels contain lots of water, so they will spit a lot when you drop them in the oil. Use a lid if you can protect yourself.

As they start to crisp remove them from the oil with a spider or large fork. Place a lined bowl to absorb excess oil.

Dress the fried goodness with your miso mixture. Be careful not to overdress as you don’t want to ruin the crispness.

The finished product is a rich, tangy, slightly spicy bowl of fried greens that’s easy enough to make any day of the week and will never disappoint.