High 5 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 look no further than our High Five recipes, all made with five main ingredients (or less!).

OMG BLT

Cheap. Easy. Freakin’ delish. If you’re not making BLTs when you want lunch in a jiffy, 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? Pop by the Co-op Deli sandwich kiosks and we’ll make you a fresh one, any time of day!

Ingredients

· 4 slices of Co-op bread – Choose from our Sourdough, Potato, or Multi-Grain

· 6 slices of thick-cut bacon

· 4 leaves of lettuce - iceberg, bibb, or Romaine Pantry Ingredients: mayo, salt & pepper

Directions

1. Prep the veg— slice the tomato lengthwise 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 crispiness. 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. Gently pat both sides of each slice of bread in the bacon grease. Broil your bread in the oven until toasty.

4. Assemble your sandwich! Spread some mayo on the bread, add the tomato, followed by bacon and finish it off with lettuce. Slice in half, pair it with a cup of 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 strips. No gluten? No Problem! Swap the bread for your favorite GF 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.

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. Enjoy it for taco night, or toss with your favorite BBQ sauce and serve on the Co-op’s potato rolls for a flavorful take on pork sliders at your next football watch party. 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 Pantry Ingredients: salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, olive oil.

Directions

1. Pat dry the pork shoulder and season liberally with salt and pepper.

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

3. Add the pork shoulder to a slow cooker with fat cap side up. Top with the onion, jalapeño, garlic, and the juice of two oranges. Feel free to add fresh lime juice too – 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 shreds easily. Remove pork from the slow cooker and let it cool slightly before shredding with two forks.

5. Crisp up the carnitas— Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, use tongs to add some of the carnitas to the pan. Add a a scoop of the reserved liquid from the slow cooker. 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.

6. Serve with tortillas, cotija cheese, avocado, and pico de gallo.

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 frozen puff pastry

· 2 medium apples, cored and halved, sliced thin

· 1/4 cup brown sugar

· 2 tbsp butter, softened

· 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Unfold the puff pastry and cut into 6 equal rectangular pieces. Allow to defrost at room temperature.

2. While the puff pastry defrosts, combine sliced apples, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Toss until well combined.

3. Once defrosted, place puff pastry pieces on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan, and spread a thin layer of butter across each.

4. Add sliced apples and gently fold in the edges of each puff pastry tart to seal.

5. Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden.

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