Spicy Fermented Tomatillo Salsa, by Diane

A coworker recently made us jars of this salsa for holiday presents, tied with a little bow. I hadn't tasted fermented salsa before, and I had my doubts, but let me tell you that one bite of this stuff led to me eating almost the whole jar in one sitting- until I remembered it was fermented and full of good bacteria, which made me stop and save some until the next day to be safe (nothing happened!). This is so easy to make and customize. The flavor is delicious, even though I typically don't love tomatillos. What makes it fermented is the salt, so it doesn't have a typical sour fermented taste like other items (kombucha, kimchi, etc). The recipe calls for red fresno peppers, which are smokier than the green version, but after 5 grocery stores with no red fresnos I got so desperate to have more salsa and knew I already had to wait a while for it to ferment that I just made it without (but it looks prettier with the pop of red, and festive for the holidays!). This batch makes about 9 1/2 pint jars, but trust me you'll want it all for yourself :)

Note: this tastes AMAZING with salted corn tortilla chips, but also would go really well as a topping or condiment in Mexican dishes! It would go perfect on my chicken al pastor egg bake, which is what I plan to try next!

Ingredients:

2 28 oz. cans tomatillos (keep the liquid)

6-7 jalapeno peppers, halved with seeds removed (you can reserve one pepper's worth for extra heat)

2 fresno (red) peppers, halved with seeds removed

1 large onion, rough chopped

4-6 cloves garlic

1+ bunch cilantro- discard stems, rough chop

juice of 2.5 limes

2 tablespoons salt Directions: 1. Place the peppers, onions, garlic, salt, cilantro, lime juice, and tomatillo liquid in a blender and blend at high speed until desired consistency (I made them small). 2. Add the tomatillos, blend until desired consistency (small chunks). Taste and adjust for salt and heat. 3. Pour into mason jars up to the neck, then top with a pre-measured circle of wax paper. Flatten the paper onto the salsa ensuring no air bubbles, then place the lid on tightly. 4. Store on a counter away from light for 2-14 days. Refrigerate after fermenting.

Sloppy Joes, by Cheryl

These are a family hit!!! The recipe is from 100 Days of Real Food and is a very tasty and very healthy version of an otherwise heavier dish. I also put spinach in the food processor and added it in so that not only is everyone getting some yummy carrots in there, but some greens as well. We ate these with whole wheat buns, but it can easily be eaten on it's own or on top of a salad. Yum!

Ingredients:

Olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 lb. ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can tomato sauce, 15 oz
1 tbsp honey
1.5 tsp chili powder
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp yellow mustard
1/4 tsp cinnamon
salt and pepper

Directions:

1) Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrot and cook 2-3 minutes.

2) Add the ground beef and garlic and cook. Season with salt and pepper. Brown the meat and then drain the excess fat.

3) Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer over low heat until it thickens, about 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with whole wheat buns or on its own.

Baked Asian Turkey Meatballs, by Diane

This recipe comes from @realsimplegood's Instagram, and they were so tender and delicious! So easy to make, they bake in the oven so no browning in a pan, and a great flavor combo! I think they tasted great with Trader Joe's everything bagel seasoning sprinkled on top. Yum!

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground turkey
1 shallot, diced finely
1 bunch scallions, green and white parts chopped
2 inches ginger, shredded on a microplane
1/3 cup soy sauce or coconut aminos
1 tsp each garlic powder, onion powder, and toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp. fish sauce
Toppings: sesame seeds (or the everything bagel seasoning) and more scallions


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400, and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

2. Mix all ingredients well in a bowl, form into 1.5 inch balls (should make about 24).

3. Bake for 20 minutes, then sprinkle with toppings to serve.

Sweet Potato Pancetta Tots, by Diane

I found this recipe from @thewonkyspatula's Instagram, and it looked like a great new healthy side dish for the week. These were fairly easy to whip up together, but the recipe had a lot of flaws. The seasoning was way off (fortunately I tasted the batter first!), and the process of roasting then hand-mashing the potatoes was way too time consuming and hard. I wound up using more seasoning and using a food processor, which was way easier. I had some applewood smoked bacon sea salt that tasted great in these! I've included the recipe as I would recreate it below. These are good alone, but the recipe suggests a dipping sauce, and I think a chipotle mayo would be good!


Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes
EVOO/coconut oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 small white onion, diced finely
1/2 green bell pepper, diced finely
100 grams pancetta
1 egg
1/2 tsp each cumin, cayenne, smoked paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Shred potatoes in a food processor, toss with oil and oregano, spread evenly on a greased baking tray and bake at 400 until soft and browned.

2. In a large pan, combine oil, pancetta, onion, and green pepper until the onions brown.

3. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl along with remaining spices, season to taste, and form into small disks.

4. Bake for 10 minutes on a parchment paper lined tray at 400, flip and bake another 7-10 minutes until browned on both sides.