Trader Joe's Fan

Cold Lentil and Vegetarian Sausage Salad

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:57:58 +0100

This recipe makes a great lunch for 2: 2 Trader Joe's Italian Sausage-Less Sausages cut into bite sized pieces 2/3 cup Trader Joe's Steamed Lentils 1/2 cup rough chopped red onion 1 green onion, 1/2 finely chopped, 1/2 sliced into small rounds 1/2 cup Trader Joe's non fat European Style Yogurt Drizzle of Trader Joe's Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1. Brown the sausage, red onion, and sliced green onion in a frying pan lightly coated with olive oil. This should be quick, don't let the onions get soggy. Remove from the pan and chill. 2. In the bottom of a serving bowl combine the yogurt and the chopped green onion. 3. Add the lentils and mix with the yogurt. 4. Toss in the chilled vegetarian sausage and onions. 5. Enjoy this lowfat, protein packed lunch!

Power Burst Snack

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:57:20 +0100

1/2 cup Trader Joe's Crumbled Goat Cheese 1/2cup Fresh Strawberries sliced 1/4 cup Fresh Blueberries 2 Tbls. Trader Joe's Roasted & salted sunflower seeds *Lightly toss all ingred. together and serve* Don't tell them it is heathy... (may top with whip cream and serve as a wonderful dessert)

Summer Breeze Smoothie

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:57:01 +0100

3/4 cup Trader Joe's Organic Lowfat plain Yogurt 3/4 cup Trader Joe's Pomergranate Green Tea Juice 3/4 cup Trader Joe's Organic frozen wild blueberries 1 tsp. Trader Joe'e Clover Honey * Blend all ingred. together in a blender for 1 minute and serve cold.* (may add a bananna to recipe)

Low Fat Sweet and Spicy Quesadillas

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:02:00 +0100

What You'll Need: -1-2 Tablespoons TJ's Spicy, Smokey Peach Salsa -1 Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese Wedge -1/4 cup TJ's Low-Fat Shredded Mozzarella -1 Low-Fat Whole Wheat Tortilla with 80 calories or less(I use Lawash Brand, not found at TJ's) Optional: -Fage Non-Fat Greek Yogurt (makes a wonderful sour cream substitute) -2 oz shredded or roughly chopped chicken 1. Combine salsa*, shredded mozzarella, and chicken in a small bowl until cheese and chicken are well coated with salsa. 2. Spread the cheese wedge over 1/2 of a tortilla; place on a large, non-stick pan on medium heat. 3. Evenly distribute your filling mixture over half of the tortilla. 4. Once the cheese begins to melt, fold the tortilla in half. 5. Cook until both sides are golden brown. Cut into threes with a pizza cutter and serve with 2 Tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt. Quesadilla with Yogurt Dip Calories: 265 Fat: 5 grams *use 2 tablespoons of salsa if you are using chicken

Berries with Mascarpone Cream Topping

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:01:20 +0100

Mix together: -1 container mascarpone -enough powdered sugar to sweeten to your liking -Marsala wine to thin Drizzle this over mixed berries and serve with Almondina cookies.

Cinnamon Honey Yogurt Dip

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:00:42 +0100

Ingredients: 1 cup Trader Joe's Non-fat Greek Yogurt 2 tablespoons Trader Joe's 100% Desert Mesquite Honey Almondina Cookies 1/8 cup Trader Joe's Cinnamon Almonds Combine yogurt and honey in a small bowl. Grind cinnamon almonds in a small coffee grinder. Sprinkle ground cinnamon almonds on top of yogurt and serve with Almondina cookies.

Cilantro-Peanut Dip

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:36:35 +0100

This a crowd pleasing dip that vanishes at parties and everyone asks to take the recipe home. It can be easily adjusted to your taste to make it more or less sweet or spicy. 1 large bunch of cilantro (some stems ok, but mostly the leaves) 1 cup Trader Joe's roasted, unsalted peanuts 1/4 -1/3 cup sugar (start with less and add more to taste) 1/4 cup or less canola oil (if it is too thick you can add small amounts of water) 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 T rice vinegar 1/4 t or more cayenne pepper Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender. This is great served with Trader Joe's naan (frozen or in the bread section), jicama, slices of red bell peppers, snap peas, baby carrots, etc.

Valencia Peanut Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:36:08 +0100

"Crunchy and Salted" "Contains 320 mg ALA Omega-3 per serving, or 25% of the Daily Value for ALA (1.3 g)" The crunchy flavor of this peanut is amazing with the addition of the flaxseed. You can feel good about eating something so natural, the only ingredients being peanuts, flaxseeds (which give the extra punch of omega-3), and a minimal amount of salt ... no extra additives or flavorings. This peanut butter is excellent on your morning bagel, toast, or just by the spoonful out of the jar ... it's really that good! The added fiber makes this peanut butter an excellent addition to a low-carb diet, with the net carbohydrates totalling merely 2g per 2T serving. My only complaint is that it's difficult to stir at first and you have to make sure to do so thoroughly and again the next few times you use. If you don't, the bottom bit of the jar will be extremely cakey ... although I suppose this is a problem with most natural peanut butters.

Egg McMommy Breakfast Sandwich

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:43:46 +0100

Trader Joe's English muffins/ one per person Niman Ranch Applewood Smoked Bacon/ 2 pces per sandwich eggs/ one per sandwich Sliced cheese (swiss, cheddar, munster, pepperjack....) Butter(opt.) and toast opened English muffins. Keep warm. Fry bacon til crisp, drain, divide between English muffins and close tops, to hold while cooking eggs. Pour most of the bacon grease out of the pan, fry egg to desired doneness. Salt pepper and top with cheese, allowing cheese to melt somewhat. Place cheesed egg on top of bacon, close the muffin. Voila! Egg McMommy breakfast sandwich!

Organic Five Country Espresso Blend

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:42:46 +0100

"Dark Roast - Strong, Rich, and Well Balanced" This fair trade espresso blend doesn't quite have the rich quality that a good espresso offers, but it doesn't fail to offer a decent smokey caramel flavor that is the cornerstone to all espressos. It is strong with fruity undertones and a smooth flavor, making it the perfect base for an Americano or even to be used simply as a drip coffee. Definitely a staple to keep around along with one of TJ's other quality brews. (I suggest the Volcano super dark coffee!)

Fajita Bowl

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0100

What you'll need: Trader Joe's Olive Oil Spray Trader Joe's Frozen Bell Peppers 1 Onion Trader Joe's Spinach Tortilla Trader Joe's Cilantro and Chive Yogurt Trader Joe's Cuban Style Black Beans 2% Kraft Pepperjack Cheese Spray skillet with Olive Oil Spray and saute peppers and onions until soft and carmelized. Microwave Black Beans. Heat up Spinach Tortilla's on your stove burner or in the Microwave. Place Spinach Tortilla in a bowl. Start layering the sauteed peppers and onions in the bowl. Next up...the black beans, top with a slice of 2% Kraft Pepperjack Cheese and a dollop of TJs Cilantro and Chive Yogurt. Want to see me make it? Go to: http://www.youtube.com/user/rockybarragan#play/uploads/5/MM-eXb3IELQ Enjoy!

Breakfast CousCous Pilaf

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:21:24 +0100

2 cups Trader Joe's Whole Wheat CousCous 2 cups Trader Joe's Fat Free Milk 3 tablespoons Trader Joe's honey or maple syrup (or agave to taste) 1 tablespoon butter or buttery spread 1 tablespoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon vanilla (or a scraped vanilla bean) 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 cup Trader Joe's dried apricots, chopped 1/2 cup Trader Joe's orange flavored cranberries 1 cup Trader Joe's roasted slivered almonds Measure 2 cups of couscous into a LARGE mixing bowl. Bring milk to a simmer and add sweetener of your choice, butter or butter spread, and spices. Simmer to blend flavors (it will appear very grey and murky but will smell heavenly, and should be quite spicy and sweet). When the milk mixture is hot, but not scalded, and infused with your spices, pour over the couscous and immediatly cover the bowl and let rest for 5 minutes. In the meantime, chop sufficient TJ's dried apricots to make 1/2 cup. I use scissors and just snip them. Combine all dried fruits and almonds. When cous cous has soaked up the milk mixture for 5 minutes, toss and fluff with a large fork. Add dried fruit and nuts, toss again, and serve immediately, warm, or let cool further and eat at room temperature. This wonderful breakfast pilaf is not wet or moist like hot oatmeal, which is why I call it a pilaf. It lasts all week, tastes comforting, will appear to children, and is easily toted to work for breakfast at your desk. You can easily adjust the fruits and spices to your own taste -- more sweet or less sweet -- or add warm milk to make a soupy cous cous porridge if you prefer hot, wet cereal.

Indian Fried Rice

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:26:53 +0100

vegetable or light olive oil tandoori spice/garam masala (whatever Indian-style spice or spice mix you have handy) 2 cups leftover cooked basmati rice 1-2 green onions, white and green parts minced 1 can cut green beans, drained 2 Trader Joe's Vegetable Masala Patties 2 eggs cilantro (optional) salt and pepper Heat the patties in the microwave to defrost/warm. Heat about 3 T oil in a large frying pan and add a dash or two of the spice mix (to taste). Stir while oil warms. Add rice, stir to coat. Fry rice for 2 to 3 minutes, then add green onions and green beans. Crumble the patties and add to the rice mix. When rice is fried to your liking and heated through, push the rice to the outside of the pan, leaving a round clearing in the middle. Scramble the eggs in a small bowl, pour the egg into the clearing, and stir as you would regular scrambled eggs, then mix into rice. Salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with cilantro if desired. This is ridiculously good. Serves 2.

Top Secret Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:17:15 +0100

2 cups sugar 1 cup margarine/butter 1 (15.5 ounce) can solid pumpkin puree 2 teasp. vanilla extract 4 cups all purpose flower 2 tsp. baking soda 2 tsp ground cinnamon (add nutmeg, cloves, and/or allspice for extra yummies) 12 oz. chocolate chips (I like semi-sweet) 1.) Preheat oven to 375 F 2.) Cream sugar, margarine, pumpkin, and vanilla together. Mix until light and well combined 3.)Mix the flower, baking soda, and ground cinnamon. Stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Mix until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. 4.) Drop onto baking sheet and bake for roughly 20 minutes. Let cool on rack. you have achieved heaven...

Kickin Vegan Taco Salad

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:16:35 +0100

Ground Meatless Meat Spring Salad Mix Avocado Greek Yogurt (Plain) Shredded Carrots Brown Rice (Microwaveable) Salsa Especial Chili Sauce Spicy Flax Seed Tortilla chips In a sauce pan heat the meatless meat until browned. Add a tad of chili sauce (depending on how spicy you like) Warm your rice in a microwave. Mix up some avocado add bit salt and pepper. Dump greens in a bowl, followed by 1/4 cup brown rice, carrots, avocado, spoon of greak yogurt, poor some salsa on top and Sprink some chips on top.....eat. Yummy

Hawaiian Style Salt and Vinegar Chips

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:16:05 +0100

Really, Really Good!!!!! Loads of flavor, crunch, and yummy goodness. Plus the fat is primarily Monosaturated which is the good fat that you find in avocados.

10 minute Shrimp and Vegetable Hot Pot

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:15:11 +0100

2 cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth 3 oz Trader Joe's Large Shrimp, Tail-Off (12 shrimp) 1 cup Trader Joe's Stir-Fry Vegetables Heat broth completely, drop in frozen vegetables, wait one minute and then add shrimp. Simmer for a few minutes and remove from heat. (If using pre-cooked, thawed shrimp, add and remove from heat immediately.) Variations: add beaten egg white or drop whole egg into pot for an Asian Hot Pot style meal. Asian noodles can also be added if desired. Great quick meal for those wanting a higher-protein, lower-carb meal at the end of a long day. I use low-sodium and/or fat-free broth. The 10 minutes includes getting stuff out of the freezer and opening bags :)

Vegetable Jambalaya

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:14:06 +0100

"A classic Cajun dish with black eyed peas, corn, green peppers, rice and Cajun spices. A meal with no fuss. Just heat and eat." I rarely can find a packaged Jambalaya i like, but this is great! Nice and spicy. The package has 2 servings with 180 calorie per serving. Yummy!

Healthy Brown Rice Medley

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:13:50 +0100

This dish goes great with marinated fish, cantaloupe, and Trader Joe's Organic Broccoli Slaw with Trader Joe's Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing! Ingredients: 2c. (cooked) Trader Joe's Brown Rice 1/2 jar Trader Joe's Capers in Vinegar 1 small sweet onion (chopped) 1/3c. raw pecans (chopped) 1c. Trader Joe's Organic White Mushrooms (sliced) salt and pepper to taste. 2T. coconut oil or canola oil First saut� onions in pan with oil until soft. Next, add rice and mushrooms into pan with onions, over medium heat, cook for about 5 minutes. Finish it off by adding in the pecans, capers, salt and pepper and cook for another 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Authentic Greek Feta in Brine

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:11:51 +0100

This feta is delicious and the perfect cheese for any Greek recipe. The brine keeps the cheese moist enough that you can either crumble it or cut it into little square chunks if you want more uniformity. It tastes just salty enough with the little piquant bite that a good feta should have.

Organic Garden Salad

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:15:03 +0100

I didn't see this salad listed so maybe it isn't available everywhere. I shop at the TJs in El Cerrito, CA and they've had it for at least a few months if not longer. This is a 240gram salad with fresh lettuce, carrots, cabbage, zucchini, and sunflower sprouts. The dressing is dairy free but still has a nice creamy texture with a light mustardy flavor to it. As noted on the package, the salad is organic and vegan. There is a note on the back that says the vendor makes an effort to segregate ingredient to avoid cross contact, but that the same facility does process wheat and milk, so if you are ultra strict on either one, keep that in mind. I've had a pretty varied experience with the prepared salads at TJs. Some are decent, some are just plain awful, but so far, this one has always been top notch. Alone it is a decent accompaniment to something else, though I just added a few extra ingredients (like chunks of TJs teriyaki baked tofu, some sliced high-lycopene tomatoes, and half of an avocado) and its definitely a decent lunch. I'd be lying if i claimed to be a vegan or even a vegetarian, though I've been trying to eat like one more often, and I have to say the combo just described is a pretty darn satisfying meal with no animal products at all.

Snickerdoodles

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:13:40 +0100

What a find! These are my favorite cookies from TJ's. I bake them on parchment paper, and the middles are soft and chewy, and the edges are crisp and buttery!

Grilled Feta and Zucchini Bruschetta

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:13:12 +0100

1 Package Crumbled Feta (regular) 3-4 Medium Zucchini 1 Container Fresh Bruschetta Sauce 1 - 2 Tbls EVOO Salt, Pepper, TJs 21 Seasoning Blend 1 TJs Herb Foccacia Bread Prepare Gas or Charcoal grill at low to medium heat. Slice zuchini in strips lengthwise. Toss in olive oil with salt, pepper and a few shakes of 21 seasoning blend. Place on grill for about 5 minutes total, turning once. While zuc is grilling, slice the foccacia lengthwise. Heat oven to broil (low if that setting is available). Chop finished zucchini into about 1/2 inch squares, toss with bruschetta sauce and spread onto bread. Top with feta. Place in oven on cookie sheets. Stand by and look for slight browning of the topping along with melting of the cheese. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Chocolate Cannel�s de Bordeaux

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Some desserts require no explanation, but where�s the fun in that? Other desserts defy description and require immediate taste-testing to fully experience the decadent deliciousness they proffer. Now that sounds like fun to us. Also sounds like our new Chocolate Cannel�s de Bordeaux. These frozen pastry prizes have a custardy, chocolate-y, chewy exterior that�s moist and satisfying without being overly sweet. The interior is like a rich, dark chocolate pudding. But don�t just take our word for it � this description-defying dessert (we tried, but to really do it justice...) is available in our freezer cases so you can hold a tasting panel of your own � if you want to share, that is. We�re selling each 10.8 ounce package of Chocolate Cannel�s for $4.99.

Pineapple Ham Pizza

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:58:33 +0100

- Trader Giotto's Pizza Dough - 12 oz (1/2 jar) Trader Giotto's Organic Marinara Souce - 2 Pineapple Spears, cubed - 2 links of Italian Sausage-less sausage, cubed - 1/4 lbs Niman Ranch Applewood Smoked Cured Ham Steak, cubed - 1 bag of Quattro Formaggio shreaded cheese blend Preheat the oven to 425 F. Roll the dough to a 12" circle, place it on an oiled cookie sheet. Ladle with the Marinara souce, add the other incgredients with the cheese on the top. Cook for 30 min. This is the best-tasting close-to-healthy home-made pizza we ever had !! -Minna