My Favorite Trader Joe's Products

My Favorite Trader Joe's Products

I can't help it. There are some things that I can easily find at Trader Joe's that I can't get as easily in other places. I don't like Trader Joe's for their pre-packed foods as much as I love their staples. Do you have some favorites to share?


1. South African Smoked Pepper Grinder
I use this in just about everything. It truly is my favorite thing at Trader Joe's.

2. Everyday Seasoning Grinder
 When I am not using the smoked pepper, I use this. Sometimes I use both!

3. Roasted Corn
You can find this in the frozen section. It is great to add to salads and soups.

4. St. Andres Cheese
This cheese is amazing; it's soft, aged, and rich; reminiscent of butter, but you could eat the whole thing! TJ's is really great for cheese in general. There are many reasonably priced choices.

5. Harvest Grain Blend-This pilaf has such amazing flavor and texture.

6. Coffee -There are so many choices and fair-trade to boot!

7. Tofu- Great tofu for a great price.

8. Light coconut milk - great price!

9.  Wine!

10. Chips and salsa

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is a new family favorite. In fact, I made it twice this week.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 onion, chopped

2 jalapeños, minced with seeds and ribs removed

2 red bell peppers, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

½ red onion, chopped

6 garlic cloves, minced

3 T olive oil

1 T cumin

2 t dried oregano

1 small can tomato paste

1 28 oz can of whole tomatoes, undrained (I would used diced instead)

1 t salt

1 t ground black pepper

10 – 12 c of equal parts chicken broth and chicken stock

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (or 1 lb of cooked shredded chicken)

1 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped with stems (reserve some for garnish)

juice of 1 ½ limes (cut more limes into wedges for serving)

2 medium zucchini, diced
1 bag Trader Joe's frozen roasted corn (optional)

For garnish:

Cojita cheese (or Queso Fresco, Chihuahua, Monterrey; or Mexican crema, or sour cream)

Sliced avocado

Crushed tortilla chips

Lime wedges

Chopped cilantro

1.     In a large soup pot, sauté onion, jalapeños, red and green peppers, red onion, garlic in olive oil until onion is transparent. Add cumin, oregano, and tomato paste; then, sauté a few minutes more. Add broth/stock, tomatoes, chicken and salt and pepper, ½ of the cilantro, and lime juice. Bring to a boil and then turn down to simmer for 30 minutes. A few minutes before serving add zucchini and most of the remaining cilantro (save a couple of T for garnish) and roasted corn if using. Taste and adjust seasoning.

2.     Serve with garnishes sprinkled on top.

Couscous Salad with Chickpeas, Dates, and Cinnamon

I started making this salad almost 15 years ago. It has become a staple for our family and is popular at potlucks.

3 green onion, chopped, white and green parts separated

1 T olive oil

1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth

1 t ground cinnamon

1/2 t ground black pepper

1/4 t ground cayenne pepper

1 (10 oz) pkg couscous

3 T white wine vinegar

3/4 t salt, divided

6 T olive oil

1 (19 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed

2 c shredded carrots

1 c chopped dates

1/4 c pine nuts, toasted (slivered almonds, okay too)

2 T cilantro, chopped

Finely chop green onion, separating the white from the green parts. Saute white parts of onion in olive oil for 5-7 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, cinnamon, and peppers. Bring to a boil; add couscous. Cover and remove from heat. Set aside for 5 minutes.

Whisk together vinegar, 1/2 t salt, and olive oil in small bowl.

Fluff couscous with a fork and put in a large bowl. Toss in remaining ingredients and vinaigrette and toss again. Serve right away or chill.

Note: I will often add a little rice vinegar to my serving because I like more tang.

Sheila's "Spread" Trio for a Party

The last few parties that I have thrown or attended, I made this trio to go with garlic toast rounds and baguette.

I first read about slow-roasted tomatoes or Pomodori al Forno from Molly on the Orangette blog several years ago. She sprinkled hers with ground coriander. These tomatoes are wonderful on top of a mound of goat cheese that has been smeared on a piece of baguette. I have since explored using various herbs and have found my favorite to be the following:

Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
2-3 lb roma tomatoes
1 t sea salt
1 t sugar
1 t oregano
5 basil leaves, chopped
1 c olive oil
2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped

Slice roma tomatoes length-wise and remove stem. Put cut side up in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Pour olive oil over the top and sprinkle with salt, sugar, and oregano. Bake for 1 hour at 225 degrees. Turn tomatoes over and bake for another hour. Keep doing this for a total roasting time of 5-6 hours. In a pretty glass dish, layer tomatoes with a few sprinkles of fresh garlic and basil leaves. Pour the oil from the dish over the top. Serve at room temperature with goat cheese and baguette if you do not want to make the rest of the trio.

You can complete another "spread" at the same time.

Roasted Garlic

Throw whole garlic cloves in the oil with the tomatoes, using one or two heads of garlic. When the tomatoes are finished, remove the garlic cloves and mash in a bowl with 1 t of salt.

This recipe for chicken liver pate for kids caught my eye on Slate by Nicholas Day. The kids really do love it. Everyone does.

Chicken Liver Spread
7 oz chicken livers
3 T unsalted butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 sprig rosemary or 1/2 t dried
2 T capers, rinsed and drained
2 T dry vermouth
2 t red wine vinegar
coarse salt

In a frying pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add shallots and rosemary sprig. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the shallots are soft.

Meanwhile, dry the livers and sprinkle with salt and pepper. After the shallot has softened, add livers to the pan and cook for about three minutes per side or until they are slightly pink in the middle. Take the pan off the heat and transfer shallots and liver to food processor (remove the rosemary sprig).  Add the capers.

Return the pan to heat and add vermouth. Bring vermouth to a boil and deglaze the pan, scraping up all the bits on the bottom until the vermouth is reduced by half; add 1/2 t coarse salt and vinegar. Stir then add to the food processor. Process until you have a coarse paste. Taste and adjust seasoning.


Now you are ready to assemble your trio into a nice holiday tray.  Use three similarly-sized bowls that will fit on a large serving tray. Roughly chop the tomatoes and place them in one bowl with some of the oil. Put the smashed roasted garlic in another bowl and the chicken liver spread in the last bowl. Arrange bowls in the middle of the tray and surround them with the garlic toast rounds and slices of baguette. Set a log of goat cheese off to the side if you wish. 

Family Favorites

In some upcoming posts, I will share the recipes that I return to again and again.  I would love to know your family favorites or foods that you make to take to others as well. Please post your recipes that you make over and over.

Moussaka

I teach a course for first year students in which we investigate food politics. We also do a group activity where the students produce their own cooking show video. This is one group's recipe. It was fantastic!

Moussaka

3 eggplants, peeled and sliced lengthwise into ½ “ thick slices

salt

¼ c olive oil

1 T butter

1 lb lean ground beef

salt and pepper, to taste

2 onions, chopped

2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped

¼ t ground cinnamon

¼ t ground nutmeg

1 t fines herbes

2 T dried parsley

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

½ c red wine

1 egg, beaten

4 c whole milk

½ c butter

6 T flour

salt and ground white pepper, to taste

1 ½ C freshly grated Parmesan cheese

¼ t ground nutmeg

Pre-heat oven to 350.

Sprinkle sliced eggplant with salt and set aside. Slice onions.  Melt 1 T butter in sauté pan and add sliced onions, cooking until slightly brown.  Add minced garlic, herbs, and salt and pepper.  Add ground beef to the onion mixture and cook until no pink remains. Add tomato sauce and simmer for 30 minutes.

Scald 4 c milk in saucepan. In a separate pan melt ½ c butter and add flour, stirring and cooking over heat for a minute. Slowly add hot milk while whisking the butter/flour mixture until it becomes a silky thick sauce.

Wipe eggplant with paper towel. Heat olive oil in fry pan and fry eggplant slices until brown, yet retaining its shape, on each side.

Grease a 9x 13 pan. Layer the bottom of the pan with eggplant slices.  Cover with the meat sauce. Add another layer of eggplant. Cover with béchamel sauce. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on the top with a little bit more nutmeg and parsley.

Bake for 1 hour. Serve.

Sudanese Kofta

My friends from the Nuba Mountains taught me how to make these delectable treats. They are served on holidays and at special occasions such as circumcisions. It is now illegal in Sudan to circumcise girls, but boys still are circumcised. 

Kofta

Filling:

3 lb ground beef

1 green pepper, pureed

3 cups of rice, cooked

2 generous T  of crushed garlic
1 sm can tomato paste

1 t black pepper

1 tsp cinnamon

1 c instant potato flakes

4 eggs

½ stick butter, melted

1 t salt

1 t ground cardamom pods

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

¾ c pasta sauce or tomato sauce

½ c oil in small dish

On rimmed cookie sheet mix filling thoroughly. Wet fingers with oil and in one hand shape approx. 3 t of filling into small log shape and put on greased rimmed baking sheet. Bake kofta at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until browned.

Sauce:

1 green pepper, sliced into thin strips

2 c pasta sauce

2 generous t of crushed garlic

1 t salt, or more to taste

3 T oil

water to thin

Heat oil in skillet and add green pepper. Stir in pasta sauce, garlic, salt and water. Cook on medium heat while meat cooks in oven. Add additional water if needed to thin.

Add meat to 9 x 13 dish and pour tomato sauce over the top. Seal with foil and bake for 10 minutes.

Serve.