We are back at it with another easy, breezy, FLAVORFUL summer recipe! This Whole30 Family Style Chimichurri Meatballs and Tostones pairs the vibrant, fresh salad with the fried meatballs and tostones giving great balance to this overall family style dish.

Once again, thanks to our good friend Cook by Color for this wonderful recipe and helping us live colorFULL.

Our pasture raised Butcher's Blend infused with herby garlicky goodness, salty + crunchy tostones and a fresh crisp salad with a built in chimichurri dressing over top, not only is it Whole30 but more importantly, it's a bold and beautiful meal to shake up any dinner table!

Don't like tomatoes? Leave them out! Have only cilantro? Omit the parsley. The beauty is you can and should modify this easily and effortlessly to use what you have, what you like and what sounds good!
Fridge forage away friends!

Chimichurri:

• ¾ - 1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped * (approx. 2 large handfuls pre-chop)
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp chili flakes (add more to taste)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• kosher salt and pepper to taste

*feel free to use a mix of cilantro and parsley


Meatballs:

• 1 lb Country Natural Beef Butcher's Blend
• 3-4 tbsp chimichurri
• 1-2 tbsp sparkling water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• kosher salt and pepper to taste

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 large head of romaine, roughly chopped
• 1 large cucumber, roughly chopped
• 2 roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 small bell pepper, roughly chopped (sub 3-4 baby bell peppers)
• 1 medium avocado, chopped to your preference
• 1-2 tsp olive oil
• kosher salt and pepper to taste

Tostones:

• 2 fully green medium plantains
• ¼ cup of avocado oil
• kosher salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

To start, remove the Butcher's Blend from the fridge and from packaging to come toward room temperature.
1. Make the chimichurri by combining the ingredients into a food processor - you can absolutely chop by hand, if you prefer! For a weeknight meal I find using the food processor and pulsing gently you can ensure a product that is still well mixed / chopped without being pureed.
- Taste and adjust seasoning by adding salt, pepper and chili flakes as preferred.
2. With the beef in a medium bowl, spoon in the chimichurri.
- Mix gently and add 1 tbsp of the sparkling water at a time. Be careful not to overmix the meat.
- Roll into small meatballs - we make them about 2 tbsp of meat each, yielding approximately 20.
- In a large skillet heat the olive oil and cook them in batches as needed to get good searing and browning on all sides.
3. Score the plantains down one side. Cut in half, then half again (or thirds, depending on how large your plantains are) - you're aiming for 1½ rounds.
- Peel the green skin off, scoring the skin again as needed.
- Get a medium skilled warmed up with the oil. The oil needs to be hot enough that when you place the 3-4 plantains in they all have a huge sizzle.
- At most cook 4 at a time to not overcrowd or lower the oil temperature too much while they fry.
- You're frying until they are golden, then turn over and fry other side until golden - approximately 2-3 minutes per side.
- Remove them to a flat surface lined with a clean towel.
4. Sprinkle salt on the warm, cooked plantains and then use something flat - like a small cast iron skillet, coffee cup or water glass to press into and smash them into flattened rounds approximately 1/4" thick.
- Put them back into the hot oil for a second fry for approximately 1-2 minutes more until the edges are crispy.
5. While the tostones are finishing frying and the meatballs are coming off in batches - quickly prep the salad components in a large platter to serve family style.
- Drizzle the salad with olive oil, salt and pepper.


Add the hot meatballs to one side, and tuck in the tostones. Drizzle everything with more chimichurri. ENJOY!

Recipe made in partnership with Cook by Color

@cookbycolor