Papaya Salsa & more - Dinner a la Buying Club

Since getting all these goodies in our boxes least week, I have been making salsas, fruit platters and lovely salads all week long.

The other night I made a Papaya Mango Salsa to enjoy with the Mexican-Spiced ground Beef, Collard Chips, and fresh organic non-GMO Corn on the cob.

The papaya mango salsa was a big hit - we had a papaya that wasn't quite ripe but had a little mold spot so I cut that away and peeled the fruit, took out the seeds, and chopped it in strips. Then I added some other things. It was really delicious.

Papaya Mango Salsa:

• 1 unripe Papaya sliced
• 1 ripe sweet Mango cut into chunks
• 1 ripe Avocado cut into chunks
• 1 handful fresh cilantro chopped
• 1/4 of a Jalapeno chopped fine (seeds, ribs and all if you want it spicy!)
• 1 juice of a fresh Lime
• Sea Salt
  

We had that with some simple Mexican-inspired sauteed ground beef.

• 2 Cubanelle Peppers sliced
• 1/4 of a Jalapeno, with ribs and seeds if you want it spicy
  
• 1 onion sliced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon each: oregano, chili powder
• 1lb Grass-fed Bison or Ground Beef
  

Saute up the peppers, onion and garlic, add the tomato paste and spices cook a half minute more. Add the meat and saute until done.

These were locally grown Florida Cubanelle Peppers. They are normally long and pale green. I let mine go a couple days and one started turning red, as you can see.

They are crispy, juicy and mild tasting. Great chopped fresh for salad or in a sandwich, but their shape begs them to be stuffed! Today I just sliced them up and sauteed them into the dish.

Collard Chips were a nice crunchy side dish. We have made them before from Kale but never thought of Collards until someone at the school mentioned it to me so we gave it a go and they are wonderful and surprisingly not bitter at all.

• 1 bunch Collards washed, tough stem removed
• olive oil
• salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut Collards (or any other green) into chip pieces. Toss in olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake in batches, each in a single uncrowded layer for 10 minutes. Turn once and cook another minute or so until crisp.

For dessert we enjoyed a sweet VERY juicy yellow watermelon, one of our favorite kinds of watermelon.

A fun meal thanks to the Buying Club goodies! Last week's box included:

• Strawberries
• Pineapple or Blood Oranges
• Fuji Apples
• Bananas
• Lemons
• Limes
• Florida Cantaloupe
• Florida Roma Tomatoes (most groups)
  
• Florida Collard Greens
• Florida Yellow Corn
• Florida Cubanelle Peppers
• Florida Jalapeno Peppers
• Romaine or Red Leaf Lettuce
• Cilantro
• Garlic
• Scallions
• Hass Avocados
• Broccoli
• Baby Peeled Carrots
• Garnett Sweet Potato Yams

The Papaya and Yellow Watermelon were part of the extra fruit add-on to the regular buying club share in our group.

The club has certainly been a fun way for me to try new things and give old favorites a new recipe. It keeps our refrigerator colorful and fresh and we always have lovely healthy things to snack on during the day. I have appreciated the food, freshness, quality, and variety very much and hope those of you who are in our buying club or another one in your area, are also venturing outside your normal menu and enjoying yummy fresh seasonal organics too!