Appetizer using Trader Joe's ingredients

This is a super easy appetizer/dip.  I love it and could (and do!) eat it as a meal.

It's a simple dip that a friend taught me in college.  Here it is with Trader Joe's ingredients...

1st layer - 1 pkg of cream cheese ($1.50)
2nd layer - 1 can Trader Joe's chicken chili ($1.99)
Put chopped onions on top of the chili
3rd layer - mozzarella cheese ($1.75 for half of the package)

Put it in the oven at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and lightly brown.  Serve with tortilla chips!

 

  

 

Trader Joe's Recipe to try

Here are 2 recipes that I've just seen on the Trader Joe's site that I hope to try sometime in the next 2 weeks.

They are recipes from the "Winners of the 2009 HiiP (Highly Innovative Ingredient Pairing) Sandwich Face-Off".

Lamb Wraps

Rome-wich (a good vegetarian option)


Hopefully they are good!  Both seem simple and both have 5 ingredients which is wonderful!  I'll let you know how they turn out...  If you try them before I do, please let me know!

Easy Recipe with Trader Joe's Ingredients

I hesitate to share this recipe because it wasn't our favorite, but I believe there is potential in this dish (and it's really easy) so I wanted to share it anyway.

It's a chili casserole.  This dish could easily be vegetarian or with beef or chicken (depending on the chili you use). 

We used...  Trader Joe's salsa. box of cornbread, chicken chili and black beans

 

 

  

Mix the beans, chili, and salsa together.  Set aside.

  

 Make the cornbread and break up/crumble.

 

Assemble by putting a layer of cornbread, then the chili mix and then another layer of cornbread (the rest of it).  Add shredded cheddar cheese on top.

Here is what I would change...  The Trader Joe's cornbread is amazingly good, but very sweet.  In our opinion it did not go well with the rest of the dish.  If I made this dish again I would use my own scratch recipe for the cornbread.  

Also, the cheese got a bit funny on top of the cornbread.  I would probably put it under the second layer of cornbread instead of on top.

If you give it a try with the changes, let me know what you think!

Easy Recipe with Trader Joe's Ingredients

These smoothies have been a regular at our house lately.  So easy to make and they taste really good.  I think they are a great option in fall/winter when, for the most part, the fruits used to make these are not fresh (at least not locally for us).

Ingredients include (I put them in the blender in this order)...

 

Juice and Milk.  We love this juice so that's what we use.  Any fruit juice would work, but I think some kind of orange juice works best.  And you could use yogurt instead of milk.  We have yogurt in the fridge each week, but use it with granola in the morning.  Milk is cheaper and has the same affect so that is what I use instead.  Essentially, you could omit the dairy all together (it just wouldn't be creamy, but is still very good).

 

1 banana

frozen fruit - I use Mango chunks or a mix of berries (see below)

Frozen strawberries and blueberries

Vary the amount of everything depending on how thick you'd like your smoothie to be.  You can try all different types...these are just our classic flavors (mango/banana or berry/banana - although you can't taste the banana too much in either).

Easy, Cheap Trader Joe's Recipe

The pictures may not do this justice, but it's such an easy dish using Trader Joe's ingredients and very versatile. 

It's for yummy quesadillas - just use the following ingredients

 

 Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Tortillas

  

 Grated Cheddar Cheese

  

 Brown Rice - already cooked

  

 Trader Joe's salsa - the roasted garlic is my favorite

  

Refried black beans or pinto beans or make your own

  

 In process on stove

 

Not the cleanest picture, but you get the idea...

You can also add other wonderful foods like avocado or sour cream.

It can get very full, so you may just want to heat everything up and make it into a veggie taco/burrito.  

Enjoy!

Easy Recipe using Trader Joe's Ingredients

Here is an awesome recipe for Spinach Dip - Trader Joe's style.  Please note - this is not a healthy dish at all, but it is really good and everyone who has tried it has loved it.  It is really simple and very tasty!

Sorry I don't have pictures to share, but I didn't get the camera before we finished it :).

Spinach Dip (hot)

• 1 cup sour cream ($1.69 for whole container = $.75 for dish)
• 1 cup mayonnaise ($3.99 for container = approximately $.75 for dish)
• 1 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese ($4.69 for bag = $1.50 for dish)
• 1 1lb. bag of frozen chopped spinach ($1.29)
• Tortilla chips (Organic Blue Tortilla Chips for $2.99) or french baguette ($1.99)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Defrost spinach and squeeze "dry" (I did that with the spinach still in the bag)
Mix everything together (except dipping tool)
Grease a 8x8 or 9x9 pan
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until bubbling and slightly brown on edges

Again, it's so simple and very enjoyable.  And, again, sorry for the lack of pictures!

Total approximate price for the dish is $4.29 + the dipping tool (I love it with chips!)

Super Easy Trader Joe's Roast

Here is the easiest recipe using Trader Joe's ingredients.  Best thing about it is that you just throw it all in the crock pot for a few hours and  it's done.

For 3 of us I use TJ's

• Boneless Beef Tri Tip Roast (see note below) - salt and peppered
  
• Gold Potatoes (3-4 potatoes cut in half)
  
• Whole Carrots (4-5 carrots cut in 3's)
• 1/2 cup water 
• On low for approx. 8 hours

I use one package of the roast for 2-3 meals (the additional meat goes great with curried lentils).  You can cut and freeze it. 

We butter the potatoes and you can add sour cream if wanted.  We also made TJ's frozen green beans to go along with it - they are a staple around here!

Super easy meal!

Whole Wheat Pizza, Trader Joe's style

The other night it sounded fun to make pizza.  And, relaxing to make my own dough...knead it, spread it out, etc.  (Trader Joe's does have great premade pizza dough, if you ever want that!).

I think I talked about how I now love the pizza at Whole Foods.  So I tried to make one as close as possible to that.

Here's the process...

Crust recipe (for 1 ball of dough): 

• In a large bowl combine 1/2 cup warm water and 1 1/8 teaspoon dry yeast (half a package - if using a pkg just double the recipe and make 2)
• Once dissolved, add 1/2 tbsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp. oil, and 1/2 cup flour
• Beat above and add 1 more cup of flour or enough for the dough to become stiff
• Knead well (about 5 min)
• Put in greased bowl till double (approx. 1 hour)
• Stretch to fit your baking sheet
• Let rise another 15 minutes (mine doesn't really rise much this time)

Then, add toppings.  We used...

 

 homemade pesto (basil, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and pine nuts)

 

Trader Joe's Parmesan and Mozzarella Cheeses (used less than 1/2 package of each)

 

Trader Joe's Sun Dried Tomatoes ($3.69 for the jar - a great deal!)

 

 Sauted frozen bell peppers from Trader Joe's.  You can get a bag for $1.69 and they are awesome.  So much flavor and such a great price!

 

Viola!  (This is pre-baked.)  Bake the pizza at 450 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.

And it was really good!  My husband said it was the best pizza I've ever made.  It did taste really good!