We are big fans of Almondina cookies.  Trader Joe’s carries the original flavor of these thin, crisp cookie-biscuits and we almost always have it in our carts.  Wona and I don’t do a huge number of straight product reviews aside from things we use in recipes, but once in a while we’ll tell you about something we really love.  We contacted Almondina not too long ago and asked if they would please sponsor an Almondina giveaway to our readers.  We were thrilled for two reasons:  First of all, they said yes (woohoo! details below!).  Second, they told us that a new flavor was going to be hitting Trader Joe’s stores.  What!?  Yes, they said, (cue fanfare)…Chocolate Cherry.

Trader Joe’s has carried the Original Almondina flavor for a long time.  I would describe these cookies as a super-thin biscotti, light, very crunchy, and pretty addictive.  Every cross-section has almonds, raisins, and lots of dense crunch.  They’re not overly sweet, which I like, and there’s no added fat or salt, which is another plus.  They’re also free of artificial ingredients and preservatives, check! Occasionally, I’ll pack a couple as a dessert in the kids’ lunches, and I feel like it’s a nice and healthy cookie option.  My kids are highly anti-raisin and always have been, but they happily munch away on Almondinas.  If you have never tried them, they’re the kind of cookie-biscuit that goes great with a hot cup of tea of coffee.  If you want to get fancy, you can spread a little fresh goat cheese, cream cheese, or mascarpone cheese on them.  You can even top it off with a few thin slices of cucumber!  (Good appetizer idea…just don’t make them too far ahead of time or else they will get soggy)

I have to be honest and say that I never knew how many varieties of Almondina there are!  Most of my shopping is at Trader Joe’s (I figure you already know that) and I had never looked for Almondina at other grocers.  Taking a look at the Almondina website,  I’m pretty sure I counted 11 varieties, including Cinnaroma, Gingerspice, Choconut, and an Anniversary cookie that has a touch of anise.  The Sesame variety is great for savory toppings.

And of course, now there’s Chocolate Cherry!  My kids and I did a taste testing of these and they are just as good as they sound.  The cocoa-y flavor is a perfect complement to the sweet tang of cherries, a classic combination that really comes together in this crunchy treat.  If you haven’t already spotted it on the shelves at Trader Joe’s, it should be arriving any day.  OR, maybe you’ll get lucky and win the sampler pack in our giveaway – comment below to enter!

Giveaway: One lucky random winner will get a 12-pack sampler case of Almondina cookies.  The rest of us will be so jealous! Enter by commenting below on this thread.  That’s it!  Tell us if you’re an Almondina fan, if you’ve tried them, how you enjoy them, or if you’ve explored any of the other flavors.  If you’ve never tried Almondina, comment and maybe you’ll get lucky and hit big!  One entry per person and US residents only please!

Deadline: Enter by Midnight PST Friday June 4th, 2010

White chili is a delicious alternative to traditional tomato-based versions.  This sweet and spicy white chili gets its flavor and kick from Trader Joe’s well-known and loved Corn and Chile Tomato-less Salsa.  To thicken this chili, I added quinoa, which is a great way to add body to any soup, chili, or stew.  The quinoa will absorb most of the liquid and soften, becoming a flavorful component that binds it all together.  Quinoa is also a healthy addition to any dish since it’s packed with protein and high in magnesium, calcium, and iron. 

You may wonder why quinoa cooking instructions always recommend rinsing quinoa.  Quinoa seeds naturally have a soapy coating that can be bitter.  Processing usually removes this coating, but it varies from brand to brand, so it’s a good idea to give quinoa a quick rinse before using.  If the water becomes slightly sudsy, then you know that the coating was there. 

Chicken and beans round out this white chili.  For a vegetarian version, use a vegetarian broth and substitute two packages of Trader Joe’s Chickenless Strips.  Alternatively, you can simply leave out the chicken and add extra veggies or increase the quinoa.

The chili has a little bit of a kick from the salsa, but the heat is balanced out with some sweetness.  I thought it was slightly spicy for the kids, so for them I mellowed it out by serving with some plain brown rice and a dollop of greek yogurt.  They happily ate it up. 

White Lightning Chili

1 1-lb container of Just Chicken (or 4 cups of cooked and shredded chicken) cut into bite size chunks
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 15-oz can White Kidney Beans (Cannellini Beans), drained and rinsed
1 15-oz can Pinto Beans, drained and rinsed
1 13.75-oz jar Corn and Chile Salsa
Optional: Shredded cheese for garnish

1.) Pour the broth into a medium or large pot.  Add the quinoa (make sure quinoa is rinsed and drained).  Bring to a boil.
2.) Add the remaining ingredients (making sure beans are rinsed and drained) and return to a boil.  Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
3.) Serve in bowls, topping with shredded cheese.

Serves 8

Note:  For leftovers, add a little extra liquid, either broth or water, when reheating.  

I spent most of last week in Southern Mississippi, via travel through New Orleans, and far far away from a Trader Joe’s.  While this post in no way captures the breadth of Southern cuisine, I thought I’d share a sampling of what I ate with you (and share a very simple dish or two I made while I was there).   I forgot my camera back in San Diego, so all the photos are taken with my new iPhone – please excuse any blurriness or other issues as I fumbled with my phone taking shots of the meals. Upon landing in New Orleans, we met up with my husband’s parents (who live in Mississippi) and headed over to Drago’s Seafood Restaurant where we enjoyed their famous Charbroiled Oysters.  The crew put on quite a show (dangerous prying with sharp knives, setting tall flames, and a few tiny pearls they gave us) as the kids and I watched them shuck and cook the oysters.  The oysters were fresh and good – lots of butter, garlic, spices and salt (maybe a bit too much salt for me…)  It was balanced out with a nice Mediterranean salad tossed with a vinaigrette and topped with fresh lump crabmeat (and a lemon slice dipped in red pepper to squeeze over it all).  More than anything it shows the importance of freshness of your ingredients – in seafood-oriented places like New Orleans, take advantage of local and fresh seafood when you can.

My father-in-law Larry (who has been featured on our blog making his Fish Court-Bouillon ) asked my kids what they wanted to do in Mississippi.  They both excitedly replied, “fishing!” so we set out a few days later to catch dinner.  We drove to a friend’s man-made pond stocked with fish an hour or so away.  On the way there, I heard Larry make a call to someone named Dickie Joe telling him, “If you see someone fishing in your pond, it’s just us so don’t shoot.”  I think he was joking… maybe.  We caught plenty for dinner and a few hours later we were back home with cornmeal-dusted and panfried fillets on our plates.  Now that’s fresh.  While my mother-in-law Mary was preparing some grits and a squash casserole, I found some nice asparagus in the fridge that we could add to the meal.  Asparagus is an early season crop and there is plenty of nice and well-priced asparagus in the stores and at farmer’s markets this time of year.  The stovetop was busy, so I roasted it in the oven, which is a great way to prepare anything from Brussels sprouts to bell peppers to potatoes to green beans to carrots.

Roasted Asparagus
One bunch of asparagus
1 Tbsp olive oil
Dash of salt and pepper

1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2.) Toss asparagus with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast in oven for about 10 minutes if asparagus is slender, longer for harder or thicker vegetables.  

Looking around, I found a bag of mixed greens in the fridge, a ripe avocado, some nice-looking tomatoes, and some French feta (milder and creamier than Greek feta) that I crumbled on top.   Salads are so easy and you can be very casual and playful with the ingredients.  Use whatever you have on hand.  For an easy dressing, make a vinaigrette by mixing 2 parts oil to 1 part acid:  that’s the magic ratio.  For example, you can use olive oil and balsamic vinegar, which most people have in their cabinets.   No balsamic?  Use lemon juice, lime juice, or another favorite vinegar.  For an Asian dressing, maybe seasoned rice vinegar and a touch of sesame oil.  If you like, add fresh herbs, add a little kick with a stoneground mustard or a little chili oil, stir in some garlic, or add a little sweetness with agave or honey.   I added a little honey to ours since my in-laws also have their own bee hive out in their woods!  Can’t get honey that’s more local than that!

Easy Salad Vinaigrette
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey or agave nectar
Optional: fresh herbs, 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 clove crushed garlic (or 1 cube frozen Crushed Garlic )

1) Whisk together all ingredients, drizzle over salad, and toss.

When asked what I wanted to do during the trip, I thought it would be great to visit some antebellum homes.  Natchez, Mississippi has a really nice collection of historic homes, several of which are still in the hands of the families that originally owned them.  All the docents are dressed in period costumes, and it’s kind of magical to hear them talk about growing up in the house or saying something like, “that was my great-great–great-grandaddy’s desk.”  Neat!   In the town of Natchez, we grabbed a bite at the Stanton Hall restaurant.  My mother-in-law Mary had been there before, so when it came time to order,  I said, “I’ll have what she’s having.”  It turned out to be Tomato Aspic followed by a plate of classic Southern Fried Chicken and sides.  If you’ve never had Tomato Aspic, it’s a very old-fashioned food and I can only describe it as a mold of V8 Jello.  Yeah, that’s what I thought too.   Mary mentioned that she hardly ever sees Aspic served anywhere and wondered why.  “Perhaps it’s the name,” I suggested.  (If I ever want to have an immature Beavis & Butthead-style chuckle, all I have to do is say,”Tomato Aspic” out loud and that seems to do it). 

On our way out of town, we spent an afternoon back in New Orleans, strolling the French Quarter and visitng a few art galleries and antique shops (most memorable being M.S. Rau Antiques – an amazing museum-caliber collection without the intimidating atmosphere one might expect of a place where nearly everything is too expensive for price tags).  We grabbed a bite at Luke’s Brasserie, which is a John Besh Restaurant.  I ordered a Louisiana Shrimp “En Cocotte” (means served like a small casserole) with McEwen & Sons White Corn Grits and Poche’s Andouille.  I also ordered a Grilled Paillard of Organic Chicken with Local Greens, Crostini, and Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette. The chicken was exceptionally tender with fantastic flavor, and the shrimp was fresh, complex, and spicy (a bit too spicy for the kids, but they happily ate the chicken).  

Later in the day, we made a stop for beignets (French doughnuts topped with tons of white powdered sugar) and coffee with chicory.  Cafe du Monde is the most famous stop for beignets, always crowded, and open 24 hours a day, seven days a week!  My two new rules for eating beignets:
1) Never wear black when eating beignets.
and
2) When taking a bite, do not sharply inhale or else you will choke on the powdered sugar, cough on the beignet, and cover the table with a white cloud of powdered sugar.  At which point refer to rule #1.

If you like joining us for eats on the road, check out our travels to Scotland and Venezuela .

These very easy sunflower butter cookies are a tasty variation on traditional peanut butter cookies.  They’re sweet, dense, heavy, nutty, and slightly chewy the way I think a peanut/sunflower butter cookie should be.   It’s kind of an accident that they are also flourless and gluten-free – I tried both ways and just liked the texture best without flour.  It also makes for an even easier recipe!   You can use the recipe with either peanut butter or sunflower butter. 

If you haven’t tried Trader Joe’s Sunflower Butter and you like sunflower seeds, give it a try! The taste is very similar to peanut butter.  For anyone who avoids peanuts

or has an allergy, consider sunflower butter as a great- and similar-tasting alternative to peanut butter.

I first wanted to make these cookies for St. Patrick’s Day because sunflower butter has the unique property of turning green under certain baking conditions! The naturally occurring chlorogenic acid that is found in all plant leaves and stems is also present in the seeds of the sunflower.  Chlorogenic acid is an antioxidant and is one of the reasons that sunflower butter is good for you (as well as being a great source of vegetable protein, potassium, vitamin E, and other vitamins and minerals).  When chlorogenic acid meets alkaline baking conditions (i.e., if you add baking soda), it turns a dark green (see photo, below right).   This completely harmless effect happens after the cookies completely cool down (and increases with additional hours.)  Green cookies!  That sounded perfect for St. Patrick’s day.  Well, except after I made the version using baking soda, I realized it really wasn’t a happy bright green, but more of an ominous “something evil is growing in this cookie” dark mossy green.   The kids didn’t seem to mind, but I wasn’t sure that it was the most appetizing-looking cookie….maybe more appropriate for Halloween than St. Patrick’s?  What do you think? In any case, if you’d like a more fluffy, softer cookie (or you just want to make green cookies!), add 1 tsp baking soda to the batter.  To reduce or eliminate the green effect in recipes that use baking soda, add a squeeze of lemon juice to counteract the alkalinity of the batter.  The green effect also happens with whole sunflower seeds.  Make our Irish Soda Bread and substitute sunflower seeds for raisins.  Let it cool or make it the night before – when you cut into it, you’ll see green sunflower seeds!

                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                     Regular vs. Baking soda recipe:
                                                                                                                                     What happens when sunflower butter
                                                                                                                                     meets baking soda?  Green cookies!
Sunflower Butter Cookies

1 16-oz jar Sunflower Butter (about 1 3/4 cups) at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 pinch salt

1.) In a medium bowl, mix together the sunflower butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt until smooth.  The batter will slightly thicken after being mixed together.
2.) Refrigerate for about 1 hour.
3.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
4.) Take walnut-size portions of the batter, lightly roll in hands and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet (I really love using a Silpat baking mat).  The batter will be very soft but holds together without being sticky.  Place cookies about 1-2 inches apart, as they will not spread much. 
5.) After filling the baking sheet, take a fork and make imprints on top of the cookies. If the fork sticks, dip the fork in sugar or just sprinkle a tiny bit of sugar on each cookie before pressing the fork into it.
6.) Bake for 12 minutes.  Don’t overbake these cookies! (err on the side of underbaking if in doubt) Allow cookies to cool.

Makes 30 cookies

For more info about us or our cookbooks, please visit our website at www.cookingwithtraderjoes.com.

PS. –  If you like sunflower seeds, you should also check out Trader Joe’s Chocolate Sunflower Seed Drops,chocolate covered sunflower seeds with a naturally colored candy coating.  They’re tasty and perfect for decorating cupcakes and cookies.

It’s fun to entertain but it’s not fun to stress about it.  Delicious appetizers get things off to a great start and I’ve got two excellent and easy ones lined up today.  Over the years, I always go through phases when I have a favorite appetizer I go to again and again.  A few years back, I liked doing an Italian-themed party platter complete with olives, various bruschettas, fresh mozzarella, fresh goat cheese, prosciutto, fresh basil, and a variety of crackers and crusty breads –  it was easy to make a big colorful platter and guests could assemble their own creations from these ingredients.  An all-time favorite of mine is our Apricot Baked Brie featured in our first cookbook.  Lately it’s been stuffed mushrooms as well as a fantastic artichoke dip shared by one of our readers.  They’re both made from just a handful of ingredients and they can be assembled ahead of time and popped into the oven right before guests show up.  

1.)    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2.)    Drain the thawed spinach, squeezing out the water firmly with hands.  3 cups frozen spinach should reduce to ½ cup thawed if all the water has been squeezed out.
3.)    Add Boursin and spinach to a small bowl, stirring together until fully combined.
4.)    Stuff mushroom caps with the mixture. 
5.)    Press the tops into the bread crumbs and arrange caps on baking sheet or dish.
6.)    Bake 12-15 minutes just until water starts to appear under the caps.  

Kickin’ Artichoke Dip

Marcy C. from San Juan Capistrano was one of the winners of our holiday contest with this great recipe.  Trader Joe’s sells ready made artichoke dips, but we think this one is even better and takes only a few minutes of prep work.  I’ve made it several times over the last couple of months and have made a few little tweaks.  It makes a nice big batch, perfect for a large crowd or dinner get-together.  I made this just last night for my book club meeting, and again, most everyone commented on it and asked for the recipe.   It’s very, very good. 
The star of the recipe is the topping of sweet and spicy pecans that contrast beautifully with the creamy dip.  If you’ve never tried these pecans – they’re really flavorful and not too spicy (my young kids always steal a few when I prepare the dish and they love them).  Even if you’re devoted exclusively to TJ’s ready-made artichoke dip, you can still use the trick of adding this pecan topping – buy 2 containers of the Grilled Artichoke Dip, empty into a small oven-safe dish, top with the chopped pecans and pop into the oven at 350 F for 30-35 minutes until bubbly on edges.

1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

I’m really excited to share this Lemon Ricotta Almond Cake with you.  It’s a twist on cheesecake, made primarily with almond meal.  For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been experimenting with almond meal (sold as “Just Almond Meal” at Trader Joe’s).   Not only do I love the flavor of almonds but it’s a healthy and delicious alternative to regular white flour in breads and cakes.  The bonus is that it’s also gluten free, for those who avoid gluten by need or choice.   Trader Joe’s has convenient bags of ground almonds, ready to use in breads, desserts, or as breading on chicken or fish.  If you want to make your own almond meal, just grind raw whole almonds in your food processor until you achieve the consistency you like.

I made some Almond Bread a few weeks ago and decided to make an almond-meal-based dessert next.  I first started playing around with cakes using only almond meal when I ran across this recipe for a Clementine Torte.  We have a clementine tree in our backyard and this time of year, we’re overrun by ripe, juicy clementines.  The Clementine Torte recipe is time consuming but I really liked the results.  I started to experiment on my own and came up with a recipe that I fell in love with – a cake that combines the nutty richness of almonds, the sweetness of ricotta, and the zing of lemon.   (Yes, we also have a lemon tree in the backyard and this time of year, we’re often squeezing up some lemonade or working on this season’s batch of limoncello.)  The lemon zest adds so much to this cake – choose a fresh, fragrant lemon and make sure you get just the outer peel, avoiding the bitter white pith.  Use a microplane grater or use a citrus zester.  Use a citrus zester if you want to add the strips of lemon as a garnish (like in the photo).  Both tools are inexpensive and good to have in your kitchen drawer.

The texture and denseness reminds me more of a cheesecake and the way you check for doneness in the oven is kind of like a cheesecake also.  When baking, the cake will rise, puffing up, and then finally firming up in the center.  When the center has lost its “jiggle” and the edges have turned very golden, then the cake is done.  When you remove it from the oven, it will deflate.  Allow it to cool completely – don’t disturb it while it’s warm since it will literally fall apart.  For best flavor and texture, you can even leave it overnight in the fridge – similar to a cheesecake, it will be better the next day.  If you use a springform pan, you can unmold it when it’s cool.  Otherwise, if you use a regular pan or dish as I usually do, the first piece is usually sacrificial but the other pieces will come out easily and cleanly.

Lemon Ricotta Almond Cake

2 cups Just Almond Meal
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 15-oz tub (2 cups) fresh ricotta (“Traditional Fresh Ricotta Cheese” at Trader Joe’s)
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 Tbsp)

1.)    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2.)    In a large bowl, combine almond meal, baking powder, and salt.
3.)    In a medium bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and mix well.
4.)    Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir well until smooth.
5.)    Pour mixture into oiled 9-inch pan, deep pie dish, or springform pan.  Bake 50-55 minutes until the cake is completely puffed up, no longer “jiggly” in the center, and very golden on the edges.
6.)    Cool cake completely and thoroughly chill in fridge before serving.  Cake remains very  moist and is even better the next day.  Serve with whipped cream or garnish with lemon zest.

Serves 12
Prep time: 10 minutes
Hands off cooking time: 50-55 minutes

If you try this cake, I’d love to hear your review of it!

The votes are in.  My two young kids announced, “Mom, this is the best dessert you’ve ever made.”  With praise like that, I knew I had to share this latest recipe.  I rarely make rich chocolate pies like this, but I’ve been making quite a few this last week.  It started as a joke based on a book we read in my bookclub and I kept playing around with a few variations, trying to find what I liked best.  Fortunately we’ve had lots of happy and willing dinner guests available to participate in the taste tests.  The variations included a cream-based pie, a pudding-based pie, and the best one of all was one based on light coconut milk.  It’s similar in idea to the No Moo Mousse I blogged about back in 2008, but with a thicker pie consistency.  It contrasted perfectly with the intense, thick crust made of crushed Joe-Joe’s.  

If you’re not familiar with the Joe-Joe’s cookies, they are Trader Joe’s version of classic Oreos.  They have all natural flavoring and no hydrogenated oils.  They come with a vanilla bean filling or a chocolate filling, and of course you know the holidays are here when Candy Cane Joe Joe’s make their limited appearance on the shelves and cause Trader Joe’s fans to stampede down the aisles.  You know who you are. 

The crust here is easy – crush the cookies, mix with a bit of melted butter, and press into a pie dish.  The easiest and best way to crush the cookies is with a food processor.  I use my trusty classic Cuisinart that I’ve had for over 12 years.  When I first got it, I rarely used it (in fact Wona was the first one to use it, not me!).  I thought that food processors were a pain to take out, assemble, and clean.  But the truth is that they shorten lengthy tasks to just seconds and are a breeze to clean despite their multiple parts.  Once you get into the habit of using them, they’re a great timesaver.  If you’re like me and you’re slow to take out appliances unless you really need them, believe me that this recipe is worth it and the cleanup is a cinch.

The texture of the mousse filling is firm and smooth and silky, and it’s only two ingredients!  Alternatively you can use Trader Joe’s “Instant Chocolate Pudding” mix to fill the pie.  The texture and taste is that of eating a thick classic chocolate pudding rather than a silky mousse, but it’s an option to try.  If you make a pudding filling, use two boxes of the mix and 3 cups of cold whole milk.  On the box it suggests 3.5 cups for two boxes, but I think reducing it to 3 cups yields a pie you can cut and serve more easily.

Chocolate Mousse Pie with Joe-Joe’s Crust (more appropriately renamed Chocolate Truffle Pie with Joe-Joe’s Crust by reader Stephanie)

28 Joe-Joe’s Cookies with Vanilla Bean filling (2 rows out of the package)
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter (10-20 seconds in the microwave or low heat over the stove)

Filling:
1 (12 oz) bag Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 (14 oz) can Light Coconut Milk

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2.) Crush the cookies in a food processor.  Pulse the processor until the cookies are fine crumbs.  Pour in the melted butter and pulse till combined.  Press the crumbs firmly into an oven-safe pie dish.  I use a glass/cup to press and compact the crust.
3.) Bake the crust for 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool completely.
4.) Melt the chocolate on the stovetop or in the microwave. (Microwave for 1 minute and then in 30 second increments, stirring well in between until completely smooth and melted.  Do not scorch.)
5.) Pour the coconut milk into a blender and add the melted chocolate.  Immediately, blend until completely smooth (about 20-30 seconds).
6.) Pour filling into crust and chill for 4 hours or overnight in the fridge. 

Serves 12
Prep and cooking time: 15-20 minutes, not including cooling/chilling time

For a classic dish, exemplifying simple Italian cooking at its finest, try our recipe for Spaghetti alla Carbonara.  It is elegant yet easy, proving that fancy dishes don’t have to be complicated.

 

 

Pork Roast Florentine stuffed with spinach, cheese, and roasted peppers.  Serve with brown rice or mashed potatoes.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Do you use Trader Joe’s Almond Meal?  It seems that people either love it or they haven’t noticed it yet! Almond meal is simply finely ground almonds with the skin on.  It’s perfect for making this firm but moist almond bread that is low carb, high protein, and gluten-free!  I love the nutty taste of it and find the texture pretty appealing – the kind of bread to be enjoyed with some cream cheese, jam, honey, or just plain.  The bonus is that almonds are packed with nutritional value, including plenty of protein, vitamin E, monounsaturated (good) fats, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, calcium, folic acid, and fiber.  Most other breads can’t really compare.

My husband is gluten-free and I often bake and experiment with alternative flours.  I was curious about making a bread out of almond meal since it’s so conveniently available at TJ’s.  I stumbled upon a recipe at Elana’s Pantry, an inspiring gluten-free recipe blog.  Elana’s bread recipe uses almond flour, which is pretty similar to almond meal, except that almond flour uses almonds that have been blanched (skin removed).  In Elana’s recipe, she made a mini loaf in a 4×6.5-inch pan.  I played around with the recipe, adjusting so I could use nearly the whole bag of TJ’s almond meal and make a larger standard-size loaf.  The recipe is really simple – just a quick mix of a small number of ingredients.  In fact, I was done measuring, mixing, and loading the pan in the few minutes it took my oven to preheat!

I haven’t experimented yet with additions to this recipe, but I think it would yield great banana bread or blueberry muffins. 

What else can you do with almond meal?  You can use it to coat chicken or fish before baking or pan-frying.  In “Cooking with All Things Trader Joe’s” we feature a unique and tasty almond pudding recipe – simple with a lot more nutritional value and flavor than your typical pudding.  And the world of almond-based cookies, cakes, and breads seems endless.  My kids and I recently made some light crunchy almond cookies using just the almond meal and no other flour – they loved the cookies and named them “marzipan cookies.”  Do you have any favorites uses or recipes?

Almond Bread

4 1/2 cups almond meal
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
5 eggs
2 Tbsp agave nectar
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1.) Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2.) In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
3.) In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and add the remaining wet ingredients.
4.) Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix thoroughly.
5.) Transfer the mixture to a 5×9-inch standard loaf pan, lightly oiled (a spray oil makes it easy).
6.) Bake for 60+ minutes or until a skewer/knife inserted in the bread comes out clean. 
7.) Cool and slice.

Makes one loaf (if you want to try a mini loaf, just follow Elana’s original recipe, substituting almond meal for almond flour)

Looking for a hearty, satisfying vegetarian sandwich?  My favorite veggie sandwiches feature either grilled portobello or grilled eggplant, both of which have a meaty robustness.  Trader Joe’s carries a product in the freezer section called “Misto Alla Griglia,” marinated grilled eggplant and zucchini, which takes the work out of enjoying these grilled veggies.  I used them in a sandwich here, but they’re perfect for serving alongside an arugula salad or incorporating into a lasagna (grab some TJ’s pasta sauce and no-boil noodles, and that lasagna really can’t get any easier.)

In this sandwich, the rich eggplant and zucchini slices contrast nicely with some fresh, peppery arugula and tangy feta.  Don’t skip the lemon garlic sauce – it adds so much flavor and brings it all together.  If you’re not crazy about garlic, start with a little less and see how you like it.  We all mmm-ed and aah-ed as we ate these sandwiches, so I hope you love it too!

For some other tasty vegetarian sandwiches, check out recent posts on a Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Sandwich and our Eggplant Cutlet Sandwich.

Grilled Veggie Sandwich with Lemon Garlic Sauce

1 bag frozen Misto Alla Griglia (Marinated Grilled Eggplant & Zucchini)
Petits Pains Rustiques (4 Country Style French Rolls)
Fresh arugula (a few handfuls)
Crumbled Feta with Mediterranean Herbs

Lemon Garlic Sauce (enough for 4 sandwiches)
4 Tbsp mayo
4 tsp lemon juice
4 cubes frozen Crushed Garlic (or 3-4 small cloves garlic, crushed)

1) Thaw bag of eggplant overnight in fridge, or microwave until warm per package instructions.
2.) Cut rolls in half.
3.) In a small bowl, stir together the ingredients for the Lemon Garlic Sauce until smooth. 
4.) Build the sandwiches by drizzling a bit of the sauce into the bottom half of each roll.   Add a big handful of arugula, then 1/4 of the warmed eggplant and zucchini slices, and finish with a topping of feta. 

Serves 4. 
To make just one sandwich: use one roll, a handful of arugula, 1/4 of the veggies, and for the sauce use 1 Tbsp mayo, 1 tsp lemon, and 1 clove/cube garlic.

Looking for a food that can help make you trim, fit, healthy, pump you full of anti-oxidants, and give you great skin? Who isn’t? (especially after all those January resolutions!) Well, while I can’t make any promises, few foods are as well rounded and have as many health benefits as black beans.Ounce for ounce, black beans have the same amount of protein as beef but contain no cholesterol, are packed with anti-oxidants, essential fatty oils, and fiber, and have only a third of the calories.

Here are some of the benefits:

1.) Fiber and Protein.  The American Dietetic Association says that Americans barely eat half the amount of recommended fiber per day. Black beans are high in dietary fiber, which makes it an effective food for lowering cholesterol and improving digestion. 1 cup of black beans provides 15grams, or 60% of the RDA, of fiber. The high fiber and protein content in black beans makes it a nearly perfect food for maintaining controlled blood sugar levels and avoiding glycemic index peaks and lows. The added benefit of keeping blood sugar levels even is that metabolism remains strong. Your body will burn calories throughout the day, rather than slowing down as your blood sugar dips. 

2.) Nutritional Content and Trace Minerals.  Black beans are extremely high in nutritional value as well and excellent sources of many vitamins and minerals, including folate,molybdenum, and iron. Molybdenum is a mineral that counteracts the effects of sulfites, such as those found in red wine. So for those sensitive to sulfites, a serving of black beans may help avoid that red wine headache.

3.) Anti-oxidants. Black beans also have high flavonoid anti-oxidant levels which can battle cancer, heart disease, and aging. It’s a lesser known fact that black beans are an anti-oxidant powerhouse. A study that appeared inthe Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found flavonoid levels similar to those found in red grapes and cranberries. The anti-oxidants are found in the skin of the bean, and the darker the skin, the higher the levels of anti-oxidants.

4.) Get your omegas! Black beans also contain omega-3 essential fatty oils. The benefits of omega-3’s are becoming well known and include skin health and lowered blood pressure. Many people with sensitive skin or dermatitis notice a dramatic improvement after incorporating omega-3 supplements or omega-3-rich foods into their diet (even one of my dogs was put on omega-3’s to improve skin allergy symptoms and it worked!). Fatty fishes such as salmon are the primary source of omega-3’s. For vegetarians or people who don’t eat fish regularly, black beans or other omega-3-rich foods are a must.

There are many ways to incorporate black beans into meals. Many South American or Mexican dishes include black beans. An easy way to create a complete protein is to pair it with some brown rice like I sometimes do for a near-instant lunch.  Or just serve along fajitas, a quesadilla, or huevos rancheros. 

This soup is one of my favorite recipes (from our cookbook “Cooking with All Things Trader Joe’s”), smoky with cumin and tangy with lime. It’s a healthy and low-fat meal that can be part of a weekly menu. Canned beans preserve the nutritional value of the beans and make itmuch easier and convenient to use them in recipes.  If you’re on a sodium-restricted diet, make sure you check the label, as most canned beans tend to be already seasoned with some salt.

If you prefer a smoother soup, you can puree one of the cans of beans (often I make a double batch of this soup and puree 2 of the cans).  You can also let it simmer longer and get very thick for a terrific bean dip or burrito filling!   This soup also freezes well, although we usually never have any left over to freeze!

Black Bean Soup

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped (or use 1 1/2 cups TJ’s Freshly Diced Onion)
1 clove crushed garlic, or 1 cube frozen Crushed Garlic
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
2 (15-oz) cans black beans (do not drain)
1 cup (half a jar) of your favorite salsa, such as TJ’s Chunky Salsa
2 Tbsp lime juice (juice of 1 lime)
Plain yogurt or sour cream (optional)

1. In a medium pot, add the olive oil and sauté the onions until they are soft and translucent.
2. Add cumin and garlic, sautéing for an additional minute.
3. Pour in black beans (including juices), salsa, and lime juice. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Simmer covered for 20 minutes.
4. When serving the soup, top with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream.

Prep Time:  10 minutes
Hands-off Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Makes 4 hearty servings, Calories per serving: 280, Fat per serving: 6.9 g, Protein per serving: 10.9 g (not including sour cream)

I love this time of year.  The parties, the food, the festivities, and stockings hung by the fire. Trader Joe’s is so much fun to shop as well with aisles of Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s, Chocolate Stars, Marzipan Stollen, and Sipping Chocolate, just to name a few seasonal goodies.  Today I wanted to share a few dessert ideas that we’ve featured in the past.  They’re all easy desserts that stand out with holiday flavor.  Read on for an Eggnog Tres Leches cake, a rich Chocolate Truffle Trifle, and our favorite Chocolate Coffee fudge.  The fudge is especially great for adding to a gift basket or taking over to someone’s house – and it just takes minutes to make! 
 
When you serve a dessert this month, “fancy up” the individual servings by placing a TJ’s chocolate star or a French truffle on each piece.   It’s a small touch that makes each piece really pretty.

Holiday Tres Leches Cake

Eggnog is one of those mega-nostalgic drinks – it always brings back holiday memories for me and all those friends that have their secret eggnog recipes and serving tips.   Another way to use eggnog is in a Tres Leches cake.  It gives the cake a subtle eggnog flavor – not at all overpowering.  Tres leches means “three milks” and refers to the traditional blends of milk, cream, and condensed milk that are used to saturate this cake,making it ultra moist without being soggy.  The holiday version of this cake uses eggnog and rum, imbibing the cake with delicious festive flavor. 

1 Box Vanilla Cake & Baking Mix
3 cups eggnog
1 Tbsp rum (such as Captain Morgan’s Original Spiced Rum)

Whipped Cream Topping:
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp sugar
Cinnamon or nutmeg, optional

1)   Bake cake according to instructions.  I used a 9 x 13″ pan.  Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick and seeing when it comes out clean.
2)    Cool cake completely.  For a formal presentation, flip cake onto a platter.  I left it in the pan.
3)    Using a wooden skewer or chopstick, pierce 30-40 holes into cake.
4)    Mix egg nog with rum, and pour this mixture slowly over the top of the cake, allowing it to soak in through the holes.
5)    Refrigerate for 2 hours, allowing cake to absorb the liquid. Spoon liquid over cake if necessary.
6)    Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form.  Add vanilla and sugar, mixing until dissolved.  Spread evenly on cake.
7)    Dust with ground cinnamon or nutmeg or top with a Dark Chocolate Star and berries as shown.

Note: One thing I’ve noticed is that the Trader Joe’s Vanilla Cake and Baking Mix doesn’t release from the pan easily after baking as compared to other mixes.  Make sure that you oil/butter and flour the pan before pouring in the batter.  Usually it takes a little encouragement to pop it out of the pan.  For this recipe, I usually leave it in the pan, but either way works.

Chocolate Coffee Fudge

This recipe is from our second (new!) cookbook “The Trader Joe’s Companion.”  It’s a delicious rich, old-fashioned fudge that just takes three ingredients and about as many minutes to make!  It’s a cinch with great results.  The special ingredient is a touch of instant coffee.  In general, a hint of coffee or espresso really enhances and intensifies the taste of chocolate. 

1 14-oz can Organic Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 Tbsp instant coffee (or espresso powder)
1/2 Tbsp water
1 12-oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

1.) Heat the condensed milk in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. 
2.) Dissolve the instant coffee in the water (it will be thick) and stir into the condensed milk.
3.) Add the chocolate chips, lower the heat, and stir until melted and smooth (don’t scorch it!).
4.) Pour into a lightly oiled 8×8-inch pan.  Chill in fridge until set (about 2 hours).

Tip: When cutting the fudge, a plastic knife is easiest. If using a regular knife, wipe it clean in between making cuts.  Then use a spatula to lift out the pieces.  You can also line the pan with wax paper for easier removal of fudge.

Chocolate Truffle Trifle

A trifle is a layered dessert that is more or less the British version of an over-sized parfait.  It typically consists of sponge cake or pound cake layered with fruit, cream, custard, and sometimes nuts.  I tend to associate trifles with New Orleans, where I’ve seen chunks of cake mixed together and moistened with alcohol or syrup.  You’ll usually see trifle served in a large bowl, kind of like a dessert centerpiece.   There’s even a special footed bowl called a trifle bowl, and you can find mini-versions of it as well if you want to present the dessert individually. 

I decided to make a decadent chocolate version, made of chocolate and even more chocolate, with a hint of peppermint that really makes the topping sparkle.  A trifle is not usually made of chocolate, but no harm in exploring uncharted dessert territory.  The layers start off with a moist brownie full of gooey chocolate bits, followed by rich Belgian chocolate pudding, and finally topped with whipped cream hiding chunks of dark chocolate peppermint bark. 

1 box Brownie Truffle Baking Mix
1 container refrigerated Belgian Chocolate Pudding
1 cup heavy cream
3-5 oz Peppermint Bark, coarsely chopped with a knife

1)    Bake brownie mix according to package instructions.  Let cool.
2)    Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form.  Stir in peppermint bark pieces.
3)   Serve either in a large bowl or in individual cups.  Make a brownie layer on the bottom, followed by pudding, and top with the whipped cream mixture.
4)    Optional: garnish with Peppermint Bark, as shown.

Baked Brie is a favorite special treat in our household.  I love it , my young kids love it, and it’s always a hit with guests.   My go-to recipe is the “Apricot Baked Brie” that appears in our cookbook, but I  haven’t yet met a variation of melted Brie that I haven’t liked.  I’ve had it topped with preserves (apricot and raspberry are my favorites), nuts, wrapped in puff pastry, topped with chutney or a sprinkle of curry powder, sweet or savory.  Served simply with crackers, crusty bread, or apple slices, it truly must be one of the world’s easiest and tastiest appetizers. 

Trader Joe’s has a wonderful selection of soft and creamy Brie cheeses. This time of year they also have their Brie wheels in addition to their usual wedges.  If you like the idea of brioche-wrapped Bries with near-zero-effort, Trader Joe’s has three variations ready to go:  En Croute (plain); Cranberry, Apricot, Almond, & Brandy; and a savory Mushroom & Chive.   Experimenting with your own baked Brie variations is almost as easy!

The recipe featured here today comes from one of our readers, Stephanie, and it has become one of our new favorites.  Stephanie says “It’s divine and a snap to put together! Sometimes my husband and I make this just for ourselves to enjoy with a chilled bottle of white wine or champagne.” Thanks Stephanie!  My husband loved it as well.  He commented that the lightness of the pear chunks was a terrific contract to the richness of the Brie. 

Roasting sweet potatoes and adding a flavorful Balsamic maple glaze is a great way to enjoy this highly nutritious root vegetable.  They’re so tasty, so easy to cook, and I haven’t met a kid yet that doesn’t love sweet potatoes. 

And I wasn’t kidding about sweet potatoes being nutritious – they actually rank #1 as determined by nutritionists at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.  They earned the honor by being full of dietary fiber, natural sugars, vitamin C, beta carotene, and Vitamin A.  Trader Joe’s makes it easy to enjoy these because they carry bags of conveniently peeled and cubed sweet potatoes.  TJ’s also carries bags of sweet potato spears with are just perfect for making oven-roasted sweet potato fries.  My kids love those and so do I.

When I do a sweet potato recipe, someone usually asks me “what’s the difference between a sweet potato and a yam?”  Well, it seems that what we interchangeably call a yam or sweet potato is really a sweet potato.   It’s a misnomer to call them yams – yams are an unrelated tuber that comes in all shapes and colors and doesn’t grow in the US.  95% of yams are grown in Africa and are more starchy and dry than a sweet potato.  Some yams apparently can grow to 6 feet tall.  You certainly can find yams here in international markets, but what you’re commonly used to eating is a sweet potato.   The Department of Agriculture now requires that anything (incorrectly) labeled a yam to also be labeled as a sweet potato.  If you want to delve into the heated yam vs. sweet potato controversy, you can see photos and a comparison chart here.     And of course, none of them are even potatoes, but we won’t go there…! 

Sweet Potatoes with Balsamic Maple Glaze

1 2-lb bag Cut Sweet Potatoes (or cut your own into 3/4-1 inch cubes)

5 Tbsp peeled and minced shallots (~3 shallots)
3 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided
3 Tbsp maple syrup, divided
2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2.) In a medium bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with 2 Tbsp oil and 2 Tbsp maple syrup until well coated.  Spread the sweet potatoes on a lightly oiled baking sheet.  Make sure they are spread out well so that they roast evenly.
3.) Roast sweet potatoes in oven for 20-25 minutes, giving a toss halfway through.  Roast till fork-tender.
4.) While sweet potatoes are in the oven, saute the shallots in a small saucepan with 1 Tbsp oil until shallots are soft.  Add Balsamic vinegar and the remaining 1 Tbsp maple syrup.  Simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes until sauce is slightly reduced and thickened.  Remove from heat.
5.) Remove sweet potatoes from oven and transfer to medium serving bowl.  Drizzle with the sauce and toss to coat.

Serves 4-6

As we gear up for holiday parties and festivities, our thoughts are on delicious dips, savory spreads, tasty bites, and finger foods.   We thought it would be fun to hear your favorite appetizer or hors d’oeuvre recipes, using Trader Joe’s ingredients.  We’ll pick three winners and share the recipes in our December newsletter.  Hurry and send them in!

THE CONTEST: 
Simply email us your favorite appetizer or hors d’oeuvre using Trader Joe’s products.  Send entries to
[email protected]

THE PRIZE: Three lucky winners will each receive both a signed copy of “Cooking with All Things Trader Joe’s” and a signed copy of “The Trader Joe’s Companion.”  If you want, we’ll even personalize them – great for gift-giving or for yourself.

The Fine Print
1) Recipes must be your original creation.  Recipes become the property of Cooking with Trader Joe’s. 
2) Ingredients for recipes must be available at Trader Joe’s stores.
3) All recipes must be received by midnight PST December 5, 2009.
4) Winner must reside in the United States and provide physical mailing address for shipment.
5) Recipes and suggestions will be judged on taste, originality, ease of preparation and appearance.

If you’ve ever seen someone in the Trader Joe’s parking lot, assembling a gift basket on the hood of their car, it just might have been me on the way to a holiday party.  It’s one of the easiest gifts to put together, it’s affordable, and it’s always happily received.  Who wouldn’t love a basket filled with Trader Joe’s gourmet goodies?  It’s a perfect do-it-yourself holiday gift, client gift, hostess gift, or housewarming gift.

The great thing about giving a Trader Joe’s gift basket is that you can customize it however you like.  Fill it with chocolate-themed products for your chocoholic friend, herbal teas and biscotti, or perhaps a margarita kit complete with pomegranate limeade, margarita mix, limes, tequila, and triple sec.  You can always add extras, for example a lime squeezer into the margarita basket or a pair of mugs into a basket filled with Sipping Chocolate or teas.  Visit our Amazon store to see some of our other must-have kitchen items. 

And of course, yes, our very favorite extra is to add one of our Trader Joe’s cookbooks to the basket!  At one of our bookstore signings, a customer told me that she was giving Trader Joe’s baskets as gifts this year – she was filling the basket with our cookbook and all the ingredients for one recipe, the “Peanutty Sesame Noodles” recipe.  Cute idea!  If you don’t want to do a basket, another easy gift idea is to fold up a few colorful Trader Joe’s reusable shopping bags (~ $1 each), put the cookbook on top, and tie it all together with a pretty ribbon.  Our cookbooks are available at bookstores everywhere (Barnes & Noble, Borders, independents) or on Amazon.

Here are some tips on making a fun, modern gift basket come together perfectly and easily. 

1.) Start with a simple basket sized for the amount of goodies you’re planning on getting.  Some Trader Joe’s stores carry gift baskets now and then.  For most of last year, my store carried nice square baskets in three sizes, making it very convenient to throw together a gift basket on the go.  You can also pick up inexpensive gift baskets at stores like Michael’s or recycle baskets that you may have received in the past.
2.) Go to Trader Joe’s and pick out your favorite goodies, themed or not.
3.) Add some crumpled kraft paper to the bottom of the basket to help lift up the items.  It will make the basket look fuller if the items are propped up and visible.  You can also add some raffia which will give it a nice look.
4.) Put in your items.  As a general rule, taller items go in the back and shorter items go in the front. 
5.) As an optional last step, use a cellophane bag to wrap it all up and add a bow if desired.

For the two gift baskets pictured here, the ingredients are listed below:

Asian Express:
“Cooking with All Things Trader Joe’s” cookbook
Rice Sticks
Soyaki
Toasted Sesame Oil
Thai Red Curry Sauce
Lite Coconut Milk
Savory Thins Sesame Crackers
Thai Lime & Chili Cashews
Jasmine Pearls Green Tea
Cookie Thins: Triple Ginger

Il Italiano:
“Cooking with All Things Trader Joe’s” cookbook
Organic Spaghetti Pasta
Organic Marinara Sauce
Pesto alla Genovese (Basil Pesto)
Mushroom & Herb Risotto
Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar
Italian Roast Coffee
Toscani Biscotti with Almonds
Bottle of wine

Want to see a quick demo on how it’s all put together?  Wona recently did a TV segment on assembling gift baskets.  Take a look!   Just a note that we don’t sell or ship the gift baskets ourselves – they’re a do-it-yourself!

Trader Joe’s is your one stop shop for Thanksgiving.  It’s easy to get overwhelmed when making a big meal, but a Thanksgiving feast really can be a stress-free and low fuss event with a little bit of planning and a few easy shortcuts from Trader Joe’s.   Here are our favorite Thanksgiving buys —  it was tough to keep this list short! 

Turkeys!  Turkeys have landed at Trader Joe’s!  Last year, we tried the brined turkeys and they were juicy and delicious, receiving raves from all our guests. We like to rub the turkey with olive oil, season with salt and black pepper, and then stuff the turkey with 2 lemons cut in half, a a bulb of garlic with cloves cut in half and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary.  Roast at 325˚ F until turkey reaches temperature (varies depending on size).  Vegetarian? Look no further for Tofurky, also available at TJ’s.

Turkey Gravy: Trader Joe’s all-natural boxed turkey gravy is thick, rich and savory, and so convenient.  Perfect for pouring over juicy turkey or using in our Shepherd’s Pie (recipe below)! Good news for those who have wheat sensitivity – no wheat ingredients used in this gravy. 

Cornbread Stuffing Mix: Hearty croutons bursting with savory flavor.  Serve as prepared, or add your own selections of cranberries, nuts, mushrooms, or diced sausage. We like to sauté one chopped trimmed leek (about a cup’s worth) and one container sliced crimini mushrooms in 1 Tbsp olive oil and add it to the prepared stuffing.

Spiced Apple Cider:  For the best smelling kitchen in the neighborhood, simmer cider in a pot with cinnamon sticks or your favorite mulling spices.  Serve warm.

In the mashed potato department, you’re minutes away from fluffy white peaks of  buttery potatoes.  Try frozen Mashed Potatoes or boxed instant Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

Fried Onion Pieces:  Perk up that boring green bean casserole or vegetable gratin with these crispy toppings.  If you make a green salad or a soup, top with some fried onion pieces.

Pumpkin Pancake & Waffle Mix:  Don’t forget breakfast! This delicious mix, perfect for Thanksgiving day, has been getting cheers across the country.  Serve with maple syrup and pumpkin butter.

Pumpkin Butter:  Use this sweet pumpkin blend to fill little tarts, stir into soups, serve on scones, add to ice cream or yogurt, fold into puff pastry turnovers, or spread on pumpkin pancakes.  Try a dollop on top of Pumpkin Oatmeal.  For an easy side dish, use in Harvest Glazed Carrots.

Adorable Vegetables:  Who can resist Teeny Tiny Potatoes, Tri-Color Pearl Onions, or Organic Baby Sweet Potatoes.  Almost too cute to eat. 

Pie Crust:  These convenient frozen gourmet crusts bake up flakey and delicious.  Each package contains 2 crusts and this year they are boxed so that there is no unfolding involved.  Fill with your own pumpkin filling using Organic Canned Pumpkin for an Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie. For a zero-fuss ready-made dessert, try Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Tart, Honey Pecan Tart, or Baked Apple Pie.  Top with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Fill out your recipes with Free Range Chicken Broth, TJ’s Whole Kernel Corn in the famous yellow can, Cornbread Mix, Pumpkin Bread and Muffin Mix, Organic Sweetened Condensed Milk, ready-to-use Wild Rice, and fresh whole cranberries for making your own homemade cranberry sauce.

This week, even Southern California felt a tiny bit more brisk and temperatures finally dropped from the 70-degree days earlier this week.  Working at home and feeling a bit chilled, I felt like I wanted a meal that would warm my body and soul simultaneously.  I had just been reading my friend and fellow blogger Eric Gower‘s post here on soba noodles, and nothing sounded better than a big bowl of steaming Japanese noodle soup. 

You’ve probably seen the boxes of Instant Miso Soup at Trader Joe’s.  I decided to use that as my soup base, adding shittake mushrooms, spaghetti noodles, garlic, shredded carrots, and green onion.  If you have udon or soba noocles, of course you can use those, but plain spaghetti will do the job just fine.  The fresh shittake mushrooms are the star here for me, turning up the volume of the umami-rich flavor of the miso soup.  The layering of these flavors is what really hits the spot.  Like sweet, sour, salty and bitter, umami is one of the basic tastes, very popular and well understood in Asian cooking.  It’s described as a savoriness.  Umami-rich food is all around us – mushrooms, many cheeses, olives, capers, even bacon.  Umami layers with other flavor sensations, enhancing them or contrasting with them.  For example, that’s the reason so many things (even sweet flavors) taste better with bacon! 

Miso Noodle Soup

8 oz (1/2 pkg) spaghetti noodles
2 packets Instant Miso Soup
2 cloves garlic, crushed or 2 cubes frozen Crushed Garlic
1 cup shredded carrots (available pre-shredded at Trader Joe’s)
1 (3.5 oz) pkg fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced (or substitute 1 bag TJ’s Mixed Wild Mushroom Medley, hydrated per instructions)
1-2 stalks green onion, sliced lengthwise into strips or chopped.

1.) Boil noodles according to package directions, omitting the salt in the boiling water (the miso soup has plenty for me).  Cook until al dente.  Drain, rinse and set aside.
2.) Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, empty the contents of the soup packets into 4 cups water.  Add garlic and bring to a simmer.
3.) Add carrots and mushrooms.  Simmer for a few minutes until mushrooms look tender and cooked.
4.) Divide noodles between two bowls, ladle half of the soup over the noodles in each bowl and top with green onions.  Serve immediately.

Serves 2 as a main meal or serves 4 smaller portions

Note: If you are vegetarian, this soup may seem like a great option at first glance, but traditional miso soup is not vegetarian. Miso soup ingredients include dashi which is a stock that contains a bit of fish flakes, and the TJ ingredients concur.  You can’t really taste a fishiness, but  the dashi is there and adds the umami-rich taste of miso soup.  If you want a vegetarian version, you can make miso soup by stirring miso paste into a vegetarian broth, or buy vegetarian miso soup packets at other grocers.

Last night we were running home late, and on the drive home I was thinking about what I would make for dinner that could be on the table in about 5 minutes.  I remembered the fresh asparagus I’d picked up from Trader Joe’s as well as the container of pancetta, cubed and ready to use.  Why not combine them in a hearty egg scramble – no reason to have egg dishes limited to breakfast and brunch.  The crisp-tender asparagus and the pancetta were a winning combination with the moist scrambled eggs.  Some fresh multigrain bread went perfectly on the side but I think that even garlic bread would also go really well with this Italian-themed creation.

Here, I used Trader Joe’s pancetta which is conveniently diced into tiny little mini-cubes.  Pancetta is a cured Italian bacon but without the smoky flavor.  It’s terrific in egg scrambles or omelettes and it’s so nice not to mess with the cutting and dicing.  If you like pasta, it’s a perfect (and authentic) fit with Spaghetti Alla Carbonara.

Few dishes are simpler to make than an egg scramble, and it’s a great way to make use of any vegetables or leftovers you have in the fridge or freezer.  Add sundried tomatoes, olives, and goat cheese, with some fresh basil sprinkled on top.  Or scramble up a Mexican version with diced chorizo and red bell pepper, with salsa and cheese added on top.  In the same way a pizza is limitless in creative possibilities, so are eggs.

The poor egg has been vilified in years past, mostly because of misconceptions about how blood cholesterol is affected by cholesterol in foods.  Nowadays, eggs have redeemed themselves and are considered an important part of a healthy diet, in moderation.  They’re high in protein (just the whites have 4g of protein and only 16 calories!)  They contain healthy unsaturated fats and are high in choline, which has been linked with preserving memory, and lutein and zeaxanthin, which may protect against vision loss.  If you do have special considerations regarding cholesterol (such as diabetes), you can use less yolks or just the whites in many recipes.  Here’s just a sampling of some other egg-cellent recipe ideas.  Eggs have the starring role in quiche (check out our Leek and Parmesan Quiche or our SImply Quiche recipes),  Huevos Rancheros, sweet and savory Summer Squash Strada, or the easy Egg Muffin Breakfast Sandwich.  If you have a little more time, take a look at our favorite Egg Salad (great in pita sandwiches) or Spinach Timbales (straight out of the 1950’s).  And if you like your eggs in the shape of Hello Kitty (no, we’re not kidding) you might want to learn about Japanese Molded Eggs, which are very popular with our kids!

Pancetta and Asparagus Scramble

The trick to cooking moist eggs is to cook them slowly over low or medium heat.  Cooking them quickly over high heat is really only good for creating a chewy futuristic polymer – it makes eggs very rubbery.  I didn’t add salt to this dish because the pancetta has plenty for me, but you may want to check the seasonings and adjust to your tastes.  Serve with bread or plate over a bed of greens such as spinach or a spring mix.

8 eggs
1 (4-oz) container Pancetta minicubes
A dozen slender stalks of asparagus, cut into 1-2 inch lengths
Black pepper to taste
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan to sprinkle on top, optional

1.) In a medium bowl, add the eggs and whisk until combined.  Set aside.
2.) In a skillet or omelette pan over high heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and the pancetta cubes, and give a stir.  Very little oil is necessary as the pancetta will provide some.  Add the asparagus and continue sauteeing for a couple of minutes until the pancetta begins to look crisp. 
3.) Reduce the heat to low and pour in the eggs slowly.  Move the eggs around until they are just cooked, moist, creamy, and tender.  I usually remove the pan from the burner near the end and let the residual heat of the pan finish the cooking.  Add pepper to taste. 

Serves 4