High Five Recipes to Fall in Love With

Prepping, cooking, and serving food can be a lot, especially as the holidays get closer. Lots of planning, lots of ingredients, and likely more than one (or two) trips to the Co-op. If you want to slow down and just focus on simple, delicious meals that call for 5 main ingredients or less, look no further than our High Five recipes, all made with five main ingredients (or less!).

Slow Cooker Carnitas

While authentic pork carnitas are made with lard and evaporated milk, this quick and easy take on the traditional dish is very tasty in its own right. Plus, it’s super versatile.

Enjoy it for taco night with sliced avo, pickled onions, and cotija. Or, toss it with your favorite BBQ sauce and serve on the Co-op’s potato rolls for a flavorful take on pulled pork sliders at your next football watch party. Also, no shame if you eat the crispy bits directly from the pan… I sure do.

Ingredients

  • 2-3 lb boneless pork shoulder

  • 1 white or yellow onion, roughly chopped

  • 2 oranges

  • 5-7 pickled jalapeño slices – more or less depending on your taste for spice!

  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced

  • Additional pantry ingredients: salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, olive oil

Directions

  1. Remove the pork shoulder from the package and pat dry. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

  2. Make a rub for the pork by combining 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp oregano, and 1 tbsp ground cumin. Once well combined, rub all over the pork shoulder.

  3. Add the pork shoulder to the slow cooker with fat cap side up. Top with the onion, jalapeño, garlic, and the juice of 2 oranges. Feel free to add fresh lime juice too, if you feel inclined – I always do.

  4. Cover. Slow cook for 10 hours on low, or 6 hours on high. As with pulled pork, you’ll know the meat is done when it easily shreds with a fork.

  5. Remove pork from the slow cooker and let it cool slightly before shredding with two forks.

  6. Crisp up the carnitas – Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, use tongs to add some of the carnitas to a pan. Add a scoop of the reserved liquid from the crockpot. Cook the carnitas in the liquid until the majority of it has cooked off. Flip the meat and crisp on the other side. Repeat until all of the carnitas have been crisped up.

  7. Serve with tortillas, cotija cheese, avocado, and pico de gallo! Alternatively, serve alongside Co-op potato rolls, BBQ sauce, and coleslaw for a unique take on pulled pork sliders.

OMG BLT

Cheap. Easy. Freakin’ delish. If you’re not making BLTs when you want a quick and easy lunch or dinner, what’re you waiting for? While the holidays often require lots of prep and hours attached at the hip to the stove, a good ‘ol BLT is a delicious break from the kitchen.

On the go and don’t have time to prep a BLT? Pop by the Co-op Deli sandwich kiosk and we’ll make you a fresh BLT – any time of day.

Ingredients

  • 4 slices of Co-op Potato Bread

  • 6 slices of thick-cut bacon

  • 4 slices of local heirloom tomatoes

  • 4 leaves of lettuce – iceberg, bibb, or Romaine

  • Additional pantry ingredients: mayo, salt, pepper

Directions

  1. Prep the veg – slice the tomatoes length wise and add a couple cracks of salt and pepper. Wash and thoroughly dry your lettuce leaves.

  2. Cook the bacon – heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon, cooking to your desired level of crispness. For us, extra crispy is best to balance out the soft bread, crunchy lettuce, and firm tomatoes.

  3. Remove the bacon from the pan to a paper towel-lined plate. Gentle pat both sides of each slice of bread in the bacon grease. Broil your bread in the oven until toasty.

  4. Assemble your sandwich! Slather on some mayo to the bread, add the tomato, followed by bacon, and finish it off with the lettuce. Slice in half, pair it with Co-op soup, and call it dinner!

Fun swaps!

We love a classic BLT, but there are so many yummy swaps to make a BLT your own. Want plant based? Swap out the bacon for thin-sliced tempeh or vegan-friendly bacon. On a gluten-free diet? Swap out the potato bread for your favorite gluten-free option. Sad to see no cheese? Pile it on! Need a kick of spice? Slather on some Wildbrine Kimchi Sriracha sauce or Chipotle Bitchin’ Sauce.

Puff Pastry Apple Tarts

Flaky, sweet, fruity, and best of all, super easy to make. If you have a hankering for an apple pie but don’t want to deal with making a crust, let someone else do the work for you! While puff pastry can be made from scratch, frozen puff pastry is convenient and gives you the same buttery flakiness you love about pie. Or, if you don’t want to use apples, sub in any of your favorite stone fruits! Co-op fresh cranberry relish would also be divine.

Ingredients

  • 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry

  • 2 medium apples – cored, halved, sliced thin

  • ¼ cup brown sugar

  • 2 tbsp butter – softened

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Unfold the puff pastry and cut into 6 equal rectangular pieces. Allow the puff pastry to defrost at room temperature.

  2. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

  3. While the puff pastry is defrosting, combine sliced apples, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Toss until well combined.

  4. Once defrosted, place puff pastry pieces on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan.

  5. Spread the butter across 6 individual pastries. (This should be just enough butter for a thin layer on each tart.)

  6. Add sliced apples to the tart. Gently fold in the edges of each puff pastry tart to seal.

  7. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden.

  8. Serve warm with a scoop of Co-op ice cream.

Leigha StaffenhagenComment