Trader Joe's Fast Food

In a pinch, like tonight, when I swing through the door at 5:45 and don't have a thing planned, I resort to some healthy (and some not so healthy) pantry meals. Here are my favorite Trader Joe's fast food picks:

Chicken or frozen shrimp served with Indian Masala Simmer Sauce or Indian Spinach Sauce add some frozen or fresh spinach if you have it! My sister Ashley likes their Thai sauce (although I haven't tried it).

Frozen chicken tamales served with corn chips and guacamole

Canned turkey chili served over corn chips and shredded cheddar, pinch of cilantro and dab of sour cream if you have those things on hand. (Or, next time you make chili be sure and freeze in small batches and use in the same way).

Their frozen bags of brown rice are great to have on hand.

Love making pizza with the kids:

Wheat crust with very little tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella. Top with leftover sauteed veggies from another night. Mozzarella and prosciutto on wheat. Serve with spinach or arugula salad with simple lemon dressing.

Before I had chicken breasts delivered from our local farms I bought their frozen chicken breasts and cooked them in their pre-made sauces. This worked really well on work nights!

Cream of tomato soup for the kids and adults with cheese toast makes an awesome fast food. Throw in some of their broccoli in a bag steamed in the microwave with a little butter and your set!

Scrambled eggs in their pita bread or wheat tortillas with a side of veggies are excellent. Best supermarket eggs in town!

Happy Trading!

Fresh Tomato Tart

Along with every other fresh food lover, September means farmer's market fever. Even with arms full of goods and and hands locked with three young children, when I've left the stroller at home and it is not possible to carry one more thing, I spot one vendor who still has a few heirloom tomatoes and stop. Even though there is a chill in the air, and I've tired of my many many favorite fresh summer tomato treats--no-cook tomato sauce, tomato-squash-parmesan bake, and my all time favorite--a tomato sandwich, a shared love I had with my father in law, Burton White, Jr., I still can't resist. I throw a few (or dozen) into the top of one of my bags and head home.

A fresh tomato tart is the perfect answer--warm but still preserves the freshness of the tomatoes. Serve with a green salad (or warm dressing over greens) and you have the makings of a fantastic meat-free meal.

Yield: 8-10 servings

TART:

1 1/4 cups flour

1 T sugar

1/4 t salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

2 T cold water

OR, substitute pre-made pie shell (Whole Foods has gluten-free pie shells)

FILLING:

8 ounces Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (good quality)

2 T chopped, fresh basil leaves

4-5 ripe Roma tomatoes, or 2-3 heirloom farmer's market tomatoes, cut into 1/4" slices

1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3-5 small basil leaves for garnish

PIE SHELL

Combine flour, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor. Add the butter. Pulse until the mixture resembles dry oats. Add 1 tablespoon water and pulse for a few seconds. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon water and pulse 3-4 times. Place the dough in a bowl and form into a ball. Cover and chill for 30 minutes. Place the dough on a floured surface. Roll the dough into an 11-inch circle. Fit the dough into a 10 inch tart pan. Arrange the cheese over the dough and sprinkle with the two tablespoons of basil. Arrange the tomato slices on top. SPrinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Garnish with basil leaves. Serve hot or at room temperature.

NOTES:

This is best with farmers' market tomatoes but if you must get a summer fix in the winter, you could use some Roma tomatoes, the final result will not have as much flavor but may satisfy the craving.

Grammy's Cobbler

Our children know that it is only worth having peaches from the farmer's market or a store that features local, seasonal produce. Although this recipe is not particularly healthy, it is worth including for a few reasons. It is a family favorite of my husband's grandmother, and we make a version of it each summer on our family trip. Also, I am not a baker, and this is one of the easiest, most impressive desserts you will ever do for a crowd. During peach season we often treat just our family. I've tried healther versions with agave nectar and wheat flour but haven't developed a good substitute (YET)!

Burton's Grammy's Cobbler (Serves 6)

Ingridients
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup milk
1 stick butter or margarine, melted
2 1/2 cups berries or other fresh fruit (works best with blueberries, blackberries, peaches, or a mix)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a regular baking dish (2 QT) , mix dry ingredients, add milk and stir, pour melted butter over, put berries on top. Bake until golden brown on top, 40-60 minutes. I double recipe if for more than six people and then I cook for 1:15-30 minutes. Serve with ice cream, cream or "just for family" I just pour a little milk on each serving.

Warmed with a little milk or cream, this makes for an awesome breakfast treat!

Aztecan Quinoa Salad

From Mexican Cooking for Dummies by Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken---known as The Too Hot Tamales who own Border Grill in Santa Monica/Las Vegas and Ciudad in Los Angeles. My sister in law, Martha Wright, is the editor.  

Serves 6-8 

Ingridients 

12 c water 

1 1/2 cups Quinoa, rinsed 

5 cucumbers, peeled, ends removed, and cut into 1/4 inch dice 

1 small red onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice 

1 medium tomato cored, seeded, and diced 

1 bunch Italian parsley leaves, chopped (1/2 cup) 

1 bunch cilantro leaves chopped (1/2 cup) 

1/2 cup olive oil 

1/2 cup red wine vinegar 

juice of 1 lemon 

1 1/2 teaspoons salt 

3/4 teaspoon pepper 

6 romaine lettuce leaves 

PREP

Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add Quinoa, stir once, and return to a boil. Cook, uncovered, over moderate heat for 12 minutes. Strain and rinse well with cold water, shaking the sieve well to remove all moisture. When dry, transfer the quinoa to a large bowl. Add cucumbers, onion, tomato, parsley, cilantro, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and toss well. Serve on lettuce-line plates or chill.  

VARIATION

For a good vegetarian cocktail party tidbit, fill small romaine spears with the Aztecan Quinoa Salad. Even meat eaters will enjoy this delicious, and healthy appetizer. Or, serve the salad in a bowl of Gazpacho for a summertime treat. This recipe has endless summer salad variations--think any crunchy vegetable. 

NOTES

Basil works in place of cilantro for Italian version. 

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Served it with "refried" black beans, guacamole, and kids had quesadillas (sad to say they didn't love quinoa the first time but I will keep trying). Our refried beans are canned beans cooked with onion, garlic, cumin, pepper and mashed with an immersion blender. 

South Mountain Creamery: Help Yourself Help the Environment

If you are working long hours, feeding more than two people in your household, grocery delivery is key to making it work. Even better than Peapod (although I LOVE Peapod) is South Mountain Creamery--a source of local milk, cheese, yogurt, poultry and many other products delivered right to your front door.

Tips: Hang in there—it takes a while to figure out how much milk you drink on a regular basis and a while to change your grocery store habits; I now just work our meals around the delivery and either trip to the farmer’s market or

Jill’s List

Weekly:
eggs
milk
4 vanilla yogurts
honey wheat bread

Every other week (you can choose week 1 or 2):
chocolate milk
maple turkey breakfast sausage
orange juice
chicken breast
pound dark ground turkey
1 pound white ground turkey
Once/month:
parmesan cheese
whole chicken

On occassion:
city cured ham slices
whole ham for new year's day
chevre
dill & garlic butter (served over roasted white fish)
vegetable cream cheese (delicious)
clover honey
cranberry orange marmalade (served alongside poultry)

I've tried these and don't like:
pre-made meals-- I've tried two, one was great and one was a bust
flavored yogurt and yogurt drinks—we love it but kids don’t so we don’t get it that often

Pros: Great user interface on website (better than Peapod and Safeway because you can have a standing order and select weekly v. monthly v. bi-weekly), competitive prices, easy to put on “hold” for vacation, cuts down on BIG grocery store trip, good for environment—supporting local food producers, reducing trips to the grocery store, reusing milk bottles, minimal packaging for meat which is green and makes for easy defrosting—a 1 lb bag of chicken defrosts in a bowl of warm water in 30 minutes! Cons: You don’t select your regular day (I know Georgetown is Tuesday), you have to have someone home to check the delivery box or receive it in person, you must have changes on the website 2 nights before delivery day

GROUND TURKEY: we eat this once/week for the obvious tacos but also: turkey meatballs; turkey burgers on wheat or served with vegetable; the Smyth’s ground turkey/red wine marinara sauce); mix white and dark together for richer flavor,

CURED HAM SLICE: one slice works for a family of 4-5; defrost and broil 4 minutes on each side and serve cut pieces with pasta, peas, parmesan and butter and a salad; serve with a veggie side, or side salad and bread. Great last minute meal as it defrosts quickly and a little meat goes a long way in terms of flavor!

WHOLE HAM: use for entertaining then use leftover ham hock to make split pea soup--directions on dried split peas--they are high in iron and delicious in cooler months

Green Bean Salad With Feta and Lemon

Source: From columnist Stephanie Witt Sedgwick, The Washington Post, July 1, 2009

4 servings

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon salt, for the cooking water
1 pound green beans (ends trimmed), cut into 1 1/2- to 2-inch long pieces
2 ounces good-quality feta cheese, crumbled
Fronds from 2 stems dill, chopped (2 tablespoons)
1/2 medium sweet onion, cut into small dice, such as Vidalia (1/2 cup)
Grated zest of 1 lemon (2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper


Directions:
Have ready a large bowl of ice water. Bring a 4-quart pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the salt and the beans; cook for about 6 minutes, until the beans are tender. Immediately transfer them to the ice-water bath. Let the beans cool for 5 minutes, then use clean dish towels to drain and dry the beans.

Transfer the beans to a large bowl; add the feta, dill, onion, lemon zest, oil and pepper to taste, and toss to combine. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Allow the salad to come to room temperature before serving.


MAKE AHEAD: The salad may be assembled and refrigerated up to 3 days in advance. Squeeze fresh lemon just before serving for added zing!

Chicken Parmesan and Apricot Sauce

Adapted from Crescent City Collection: A Taste of New Orleans, published by The Junior League of New Orleans

Yield: 4 servings 

CHICKEN: 

2 tablespoons butter 

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs 

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts 

APRICOT SAUCE: 

1/2 jar apricot preserves 

1 tablespoon soy sauce or coconut aminos 

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 

PREP

Melt the margarine in a saucepan. Mix the parmesan cheese and bread crumbs in a bowl and remove to a plate. Rinse the chicken breasts and pat dry. Place breasts in ziplock and pound the thick side to make them even thickness. Dip the chicken in the melted butter and then coat in the bread crumb mixture. Line a baking sheet with parchment; place on parchment. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until cooked through. While chicken is baking, mix together the apricot preserves, soy sauce, and balsamic vinegar. Let sit in bowl. Serve the chicken with the Apricot Sauce. 

VARIATIONS

Substitute plum preserves for apricot (kids prefer apricot) 

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Something green: steamed broccoli, asparagus, sautéed spinach, or a lightly dressed salad 

NOTES

• The recipe elevates the chicken nugget for adults, and is therefore a good family meal when kids are young. 
• REAL parmesan cheese is worth the money. 
• To make Italian bread crumbs: add some dried parsley, basil, thyme to plain breadcrumbs.
• Use organic/free range meats and poultry when possible.
• Save those leftover Chinese takeout soy sauce packets for when you need 1 tablespoon of soy sauce.

CHEATER SUGGESTIONS

Use Bell & Evans or Trader Joe's breaded chicken breasts and serve with the sauce.