Vegetable Tikka Masala
Posted on: March 30, 2010
The Trader Joe’s Masala Simmer Sauce’s heat sneaks up on you. It starts slow and then it gets hot in the back of your throat without being overwhelming. All I had to do was throw the vegatables together (I didn’t have any carrots) and bam it was done. It was a new flavor but I liked it. I served it with frozen Tandoori Naan bread. You heat it on the rack in the oven for a minute or two on 400 degrees. Next time I think I will make it with Indian Style Basmati Rice. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Indian-Style-Basmati-Rice/Detail.aspx Another good quick and easy dish.
9 Appealing Appetizers 17 Soups & Salads 43 Main Meals 13 Simple Sides 24 Delicious Desserts & Daring Drinks 9 Breakfast Beginnings 115 Total LeftGyoza Salad
Posted on: March 29, 2010
I was a little skeptical of the idea of a gyoza “salad.” To me gyoza doesn’t lend itself to mixing well with other ingredients in any cohesive way and I was right. It could be that I am not a big fan of snap peas but the whole dish seemed to have clashing flavors and textures. I forced down some snap peas because I knew I had to eat some vegetables and then I gave up. So I ended up just eating the gyoza and of course they were good. I will not be making this dish again but I will buy some gyoza if I get a craving for it. The Sesame Soy Ginger Vinaigrette was ok but I don’t know if I would put it on a green salad. I’ll try it and see if it taste better that way.
Trader Joe’s Product Note: The chicken gyoza tastes better that the pork gyoza and it’s cheaper. I tried some with the Trader Ming’s Gyoza dipping sauce. It was heavenly. That dipping sauce was so good it could have been made in Japan.
9 Appealing Appetizers 17 Soups & Salads 44 Main Meals 13 Simple Sides 24 Delicious Desserts & Daring Drinks 9 Breakfast Beginnings 116 Total LeftHoney Mustard Chicken
Posted on: March 29, 2010
This is an extremely simple delicious recipe. It qualifies as a weeknight wonder dinner option. With minimal effort (and expense), you get maximum flavor and fun. Before dredging the chicken in the flour, I seasoned it with salt, pepper, basil, and garlic powder. I served it over rice, and the next time I make it I’m going to serve it with sweet potato fries. My husband said, “This is a keeper.” So it get’s my stamp of approval.
9 Appealing Appetizers 17 Soups & Salads 45 Main Meals 13 Simple Sides 24 Delicious Desserts & Daring Drinks 9 Breakfast Beginnings 117 Total LeftPeanutty Sesame Noodles
Posted on: March 29, 2010
I used whole wheat spaghetti noodles and the Trader Joe’s Roasted & Salted Peanut Butter for this recipe. All of the ingredients went really well together. I’m still trying to figure out the ratio of peanut butter to Soyaki sauce for my family’s taste and I have every plan to try it again with the Soyaki Broiled Salmon recipe. A new staple in our house will be the Trader Joe’s peanut butter. It literally has two ingredients. Peanuts and salt. Not high-fructose corn syrup, sugar, preservatives, etc… It made me feel good about what I am trying to do with this project and to my astonishment, it still taste good! Go figure.
9 Appealing Appetizers 17 Soups & Salads 46 Main Meals 13 Simple Sides 24 Delicious Desserts & Daring Drinks 9 Breakfast Beginnings 118 Total LeftChutney Stuffed Chicken
Posted on: March 29, 2010
To me the chicken came out ok, it didn’t wow me. I served it with rice and the “Trader Jacques Brittany Blend” frozen vegetable packet. The chutney had a sweet/savory taste that was pretty good so I will buy it again. My husband liked the meal a lot, so that was a plus. However, I probably will not be making it again. The frozen veggies were good – they will be a new stand by veggie. Just don’t forget to season them with salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder. (Hubby does not like bland vegetables.) Also, the directions say to boil them but steaming would retain more nutrients. They also don’t get mushy, it stays a little more crisp. If this post is a little boring it’s because the food was a little boring. What can I say?
Trader Joe’s Product Note: The Brittany Blend frozen Vegetable Packet is a french blend of haricot vert green beans, wax beans, and baby carrots.
9 Appealing Appetizers 17 Soups & Salads 47 Main Meals 13 Simple Sides 24 Delicious Desserts & Daring Drinks 9 Breakfast Beginnings 119 Total LeftTrader Joe’s Haul #2
Posted on: March 17, 2010
$1.39 Tuna Tongol
$1.39 Tuna Tongol
$1.39 Tuna Tongol
$2.99 Greek Style Vanilla Yogurt
$2.99 Greek Style Vanilla Yogurt
$2.00 Cottage Cheese
$2.00 Cottage Cheese
$2.98 Nature’s Granola Pumpkin Flaxseed
$1.99 Almond Milk
$2.29 Mango Chutney
$2.29 Mango Chutney
$1.99 Hodgepodge Vegetable
$3.99 Spanakopita Spinach Pie
$1.49 Yellow Onions
$2.49 Chocolate Sorbet
$3.99 Organic Blueberry Preserves
$3.99 Organic Apricot Preserves
$2.69 Peanut Satay Sauce
$2.99 Organic Multi-Grain Bread
$5.99 Spanish Saffron
$5.99 Spanish Saffron
$4.99 Organic Trek Mix
$3.69 Trek Mix Salty Sweet & Nutty
$6.99 Organic Free Range Chicken Thighs
$7.93 Organic Free Range Chicken Thighs
$2.59 Persian Cucumbers
$3.99 Goat Cheese Log
$89.37 Total
Love: The Greek style vanilla yogurt is a new favorite. Who knew Persian Cucumbers were so awesome. They are sweet and crunchy, I don’t even like cucumbers. The preserves were dynamite and you can’t bead that price.
Hated & Going Back: The Trader Joe’s Cottage cheese didn’t smell bad but it had a sour taste to it. Yuk. My extra bottle of saffron. I’m not using saffron again.
Lime Grilled Chicken & Raita
Posted on: March 17, 2010
Ok, so the Lime Grilled Chicken recipe was an absolute disaster. Why? I believe there are two reasons but I’ll get to that in a minute. First of all, I was excited to eat some tangy chicken. The marinade only calls for lime juice, saffron, and onion. So I juiced by own limes to avoid preservatives, sliced the onion, and added a pinch of saffron which was half of the teeny-tiny bottle. Then I thought to myself, this marinade doesn’t sound very tasty. Problem number one – no salt. So I added a little salt and pepper and plowed on. Problem number two – which is all my fault. The directions say to marinate for 1-3 hours. Not listening, I marinated it over night. When I opened the bag in the morning, the chicken had a nasty/funky smell. Not a spoiled smell just kinda weird. (I think it was the saffron. I don’t think I like the taste of it.) So then, I proceeded to grill it and it was so smelly and unappetizing that I didn’t even want to try it. My nose was correct and it was gross. I hate to use such a strong word but it truly was. It is half my fault but I think it was a little too simple to have good flavor. Just my opinion. The recipe was paired rice and Raita which is basically a raisin, cucumber, mint, yogurt dip. Absolutely delicioso. (Even though I forgot to add the mint. I’m going to add it next time.) I ate it with some pita chips and it was very filling since it was pretty much the only thing I ate that night. Tonight we are supposed to be eating the Chutney filled chicken. I’m hoping for a better result.
Note: I used the Trader Joe’s Organic Chicken Broth instead of water to make my rice and it came out full of flavor. Try it sometime.
9 Appealing Appetizers 17 Soups & Salads 48 Main Meals 13 Simple Sides 24 Delicious Desserts & Daring Drinks 9 Breakfast Beginnings 120 Total LeftI do not eat vegetables on a regular basis, mostly because I don’t like them. 🙂 I was really drawn to the “Coconut Curried Vegetables” title because it sounded like it wouldn’t taste like vegetables. It had absolutely no coconut or curry taste. However, it did taste good. So it was a success but don’t let the title fool you. As for the tandoori chicken, my Trader Joe’s does not sell tomato chutney so I substituted it with Patak’s Tandoori Paste. For such a simple marinade the chicken was delicious. I was a little skeptical about baking it at 400 degrees. (I usually grill not bake my chicken.) I thought it would dry out, but I did what I was told and baked it for 25 minutes and it was juicy and cooked all the way through. These are winners.
9 Appealing Appetizers 17 Soups & Salads 49 Main Meals 14 Simple Sides 24 Delicious Desserts & Daring Drinks 9 Breakfast Beginnings 122 Total LeftRecipe Countdown
Posted on: March 14, 2010
I am not giving myself a time limit to cook all of these recipes. I’ll cook them when I cook them and eventually I’ll get through all of them. And hopefully in the process I will gain healthier shopping and eating habits.
Trader Joe’s Haul #1
Posted on: March 13, 2010
5.15 Natural Boneless Skinless Thighs
5.71 Natural Boneless Skinless Thighs
1.79 Eggs Brown Large 1 Dozen
1.79 Eggs Brown Large 1 Dozen
4.29 Lactose Free Milk 2%
2.99 Yogurt Plain Whole Milk Organic
2.49 Butternut Squash Soup
2.79 Sweet Potato Bisque Soup
2.29 Organic Chicken Broth
2.29 Organic Chicken Broth
1.99 Harvest Hodgepodge Frozen Vegetables
1.99 Frozen Bretagne Veggie Blend
2.99 Frozen Bell Peppers & Onions Fire Roasted
.89 Organic Whole Carrots
1.29 Red Bell Pepper
1.29 Red Bell Pepper
2.99 Zucchini Squash
2.99 Zucchini Squash
4.99 Wild Rice California
2.99 Complete Maple Oatmeal Hot Cereal
1.99 Applesauce 4k Organic Berry
2.99 Nourish Conditioner
60.96 Subtotal
Going Natural with Trader Joe's 