Lemon curd is an English specialty spread, creamy and rich with the tangy flavor of fresh lemons.  The most common ways to eat it are on toast, on scones, on biscuits, and incorporated into desserts such as lemon meringue pie or a lemon tart.  The latter is my favorite.  Some fresh fruit is a really nice balance to the intensely rich flavors of lemon curd.  Berries are my favorite, partly because they're so easy to toss on a tart and partly because they go so well with lemony flavors.
For an easy tart, spread the lemon curd on a cooked pastry crust and top with fresh berries (and even ice cream or whipped cream).  This tart will last just fine in the fridge and can be made ahead of time.  I really like the idea of having a jar of lemon curd in the pantry and a pie crust in the freezer, ready to go as a last minute dessert.   If the Queen drops by for high tea, I'll be prepared.

Lemon Tart with Fresh Berries

1 Ready Pie Crust
1 jar Lemon Curd
Fresh seasonal berries

1.) Let the pie crust warm to room temperature.  Unfold and roll it flat.  Place the crust in a shallow baking dish or pie dish and press the dough up the sides of the dish about ½ inch. 
2.) Bake the crust in the oven according to directions on package.
3.) Remove the crust from the oven and cool completely.  Spread the jar of lemon curd in an even layer across the baked crust.  Top with berries.  Chill for later, or serve right away.

Prep and cooking time: 15 minutes (not counting cooling time)
Yield:  6 servings

        

Growing up, my sister and I loved cranberry sauce.  For us, there was only one kind of acceptable cranberry sauce: the canned jelly variety.  We would slide it out of the can, and then we would carefully cut it into slices using the molded striations of the can as a guide.  When we were feeling fancy, we would fan out the slices on a platter and proudly set it next to the turkey.   Nowadays, I take advantage of the availability of fresh cranberries and make my own.   Although if my sister is coming for Thanksgiving, I always open a can for old time's sake.
Ever since my spontaneous pre-Thanksgiving turkey feast last week, I've had a couple of emails asking about cranberry sauce.  I like to make two kinds of cranberry sauce: a cooked traditional cranberry sauce alongside a raw cranberry relish.   They're pretty easy and take only a few minutes more than opening a can!

Traditional Cranberry Sauce

The cooked cranberry sauce is made with whole cranberries, flavored with sugar and lemon zest.  You can chop some or all of the cranberries for a smoother sauce.  You can also leave them all whole - they will pop after 10 minutes of cooking.   I don't like it overly sweet, so add more sugar if it's too tart for your taste.

1 12-oz pkg whole cranberries
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
zest of 1/2 lemon

1.  Optional: chop some or all the cranberries in a food processor or blender (be careful to pulse and only chop it roughly.  Don't blend it into a mushy pulp).  I chopped about half of the cranberries and left the rest whole.
2. Add all the ingredients to a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil and then lower the heat, simmering for about 10-15 minutes.  The sauce will thicken as it cools.

Cranberry Pomegranate Fresca

This raw relish is a tasty contrast to the traditional cooked version.  This relish is great with a turkey feast or spooned onto a grilled chicken breast.  The pomegranate is the perfect sweet "crunch" in every bite.  I love it.  If you like it sweeter, sprinkle a little extra sugar.  Don't add more lemon curd or it will get too gooey. 

1 12 -oz pkg whole cranberries
3 Tbsp Lemon Curd (or substitute 1/3 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp lemon juice)
1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds (seeds from half a pomegranate)

1.) Chop the cranberries in a food processor or a blender (be careful to pulse and only chop it roughly). 
2.) Add the lemon curd (or sugar and lemon), stirring to distribute evenly.
3.) Stir in the pomegranate seeds.
4.) If using sugar, let it sit for an hour before serving.

        

Harvest Grains is a Trader Joe's bagged combination of Israeli couscous (also known as pearl couscous), red quinoa, baby garbanzo beans, and orzo.  At my store, it's near the pasta and rice.  It's  a wonderful, quick cooking pilaf that you can use in place of rice.  It also makes a wonderful and satisfying soup that you can customize with your own blend of vegetables.  The best part is that it's ready in minutes.
Here I used carrots and celery in the basic recipe, but it is also wonderful with leeks (my favorite!), broccoli, cauliflower, green beans...you name it. ( You can even use the mystery vegetable below.)   For a boost of protein, add some frozen cooked shrimp or chunks of cooked chicken (such as refrigerated Just Chicken) during the last few minutes of cooking time.  I also love adding a tablespoon or two of any fresh herbs you may have such as parsley, basil, or thyme.  Add the herbs at the very end, right before you serve the soup.

Harvest Grains Vegetable Soup

4 cups (1 carton) of chicken broth
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup Harvest Grains
Salt and pepper to taste (depending on seasoning of broth used.  I didn't add any.)

1) Add the broth to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
2) Add the vegetables and grains.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes, skimming the soup if needed.
3) Taste the soup and season if desired.

And now for our quiz... Can you name this vegetable?
It's green, it's tasty, and has a great fractal pattern!  Make it for the math geek in your family!  You won't find it at Trader Joe's, but I just had to share. 

        

On Sunday morning, the kids and I went to Trader Joe's and saw that they were fully stocked with turkeys, regular and brined.  On a complete whim, we bought a brined turkey and had a Thanksgiving feast that very same day!  I figured that since we were going to my parents' house for Thanksgiving anyway, we could go ahead and do our own Thanksgiving early.  Why not!  There's something to give thanks for every day. 

This impromptu menu was very Trader Joe's-inspired and was easy enough to plan during the drive home!  I went for something easy - any "anyday" Thanksgiving menu.  It was a few simple things, very low effort, and resulted in quite a feast! 

On the non-Thanksgiving-day menu:

1 brined young turkey (about 14 pounds) I rubbed the turkey with olive oil, seasoned with black pepper, and then stuffed the turkey with 2 lemons cut in half, a a bulb of garlic cut in half and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary. A brined unstuffed turkey this big took about 3.5 hours at 325 F to reach temperature.
Baby potatoes and baby sweet potatoes thrown in the pan with the turkey halfway through cooking
Cornbread Stuffing Mix: It's a good, savory boxed mix.  I immediately thought of adding leeks (you know me).  I sauteed 1 chopped trimmed leek (about a cup's worth) and 1 container sliced mushrooms in 1 Tbsp olive oil and added it to the stuffing.
Cranberry sauce I made this with a bag of whole fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped and cooked with a cup of water, 1/2 cup sugar, and a little lemon zest.  Simmer for about 10 minutes until it is a ruby jewel-tone.  Taste and add more sugar (up to 1/2 cup more) to sweeten to your taste.  Some like it sweet and some like it tart!  Simmer for an additional 5 minutes and let cool. 
Glazed carrots
Plain steamed green beans with a touch of seasoning
Pumpkin Pie



The pie was the only dish that required a little work, but mostly because we started with a whole pumpkin.  We decided to make the filling from scratch since we had a few beautiful pumpkins left over from Halloween.  My daughter separated the seeds and we roasted them (with just a sprinkling of salt) at 375 F until they turned golden.  Tasty and crisp!  My daughter couldn't get enough of them!  We cut the pumpkin into big pieces and placed them face down on a baking sheet.  We baked them at 350 until they were tender, scooped out the pulp, and pureed in a blender.

The filling was inspired by a recipe from "Joy of Cooking" and was a great opportunity to use the Pumpkin Pie Spice blend from Trader Joe's.  The pie was delicious and the texture was nice and thick. 

Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie

1 frozen Ready Made Pie Crust, thawed
2 large eggs
2 cups cooked pumpkin puree (or canned cooked pumpkin)
1 1/2 cups Sweetened Condensed Milk (about 1 can, available organic at TJ's)
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 tsp salt

1.) Preheat oven to 375 F.
2.) Place the crust into an oven safe dish.  Crimp the edges, leaving the sides high.
3.) Whisk the remaining ingredients together and pour into pie crust.
4.) Bake 35 to 45 minutes until firm.

Note: Instead of the Sweetened Condensed Milk, you may just substitute with 1 1/2 cups cream and 1/2 cup sugar.

        

Pumpkin butter is great on toast, muffins, pancakes, apple slices, and just about anything you can spread it on.  Pumpkin butter is also something you can incorporate into vegetables and sides to add a little autumn flavor.  Try it with carrots, butternut squash, or sweet potato.  A side dish like glazed carrots is a no-fuss, easy addition to your Thanksgiving table.  I really like the added crunch of the pecans and the plump raisins (although I leave the raisins out when I make this for my kids... can you believe that neither likes raisins?)

Harvest Glazed Carrots

3 cups coined carrots (cut into disks) or 1 bag baby carrots
2 Tbsp Pumpkin Butter
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup whole pecans

1) Steam carrots until crisp-tender.
2) Stir in pumpkin butter, raisins and pecans.

Prep and cooking time: 10-15 minutes
Serves 4



Pumpkin butter is also a great sweet-spicy filling for puff pastry turnovers.  I've raved about Trader Joe's frozen Puff Pastry before...I remember the day when Wona literally called me from the TJ's frozen foods aisle squealing with delight that TJ's was carrying puff pastry.  Happens that I was also at my local TJ's and walked over to look.   Really, it was just a coincidence...we don't live there contrary to what many people think!
Puff pastry seems simple enough... it's just a few ingredients: water, flour, butter, and salt.  However, it's one of the more  time-consuming, laborious things to make.  It's a process of repeatedly folding together the dough and butter, chilling in between, and folding again to make the multitude of layers.  It can take longer than a day.  Lucky for us, we have wonderful frozen puff pastry dough ready to go.  Get creative...you can fill them with any kind of fruit spread, jam, bruschetta, or cheese. 

Pumpkin Spice Turnovers

1 package frozen Artisan Puff Pastry, thawed
Pumpkin Butter

1) Preheat oven to 400°
2) Cut each puff pastry sheet into 4 equal squares.
3) Place 1 Tbsp pumpkin butter or other filling in the center of each square.
4) Fold into a triangle, then press and seal the edges.
5) Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. They might leak a little-the oozing filling and the caramelized edges just add to the delicious rustic look.

Prep and cooking time: 25 minutes
Makes 8 pastries
Tip: If you want to maximize the puffing, trim a tiny bit from the entire perimeter of each sheet before dividing the sheets. Freshly cut edges will puff up even more.

        

Last week and this weekend, we had our first few rainy days in San Diego.  My kids put on their rainboots and danced around outside in the rain.  They asked if they could put on their wetsuits and go back outside - I guess they're California beach kids first and foremost.  When they came back inside and dried off, it seemed like the perfect day for a warm and cozy bowl of soup. 
I had picked up a butternut squash from Trader Joe's the day before. They have a nice selection of medium and large butternut squash for $1.99 each at my store.  Granted, you can buy good boxed butternut squash soup ready-made at Trader Joe's, but it's almost as easy to make your own.
This recipe requires about 2-3 minutes of active working time and can be tailored a few different ways according to your own tastes.  The toughest part of the recipe is cutting the squash in half.  Use your biggest, sharpest knife and be very, very careful.   The list of ingredients does not include fingers.
While I was trying to snap the photo of the soup, my children were circling me and gleefully chanting something about yummy soup - they loved it and had seconds.

Cozy Butternut Squash Soup

1 medium-large butternut squash (about 3-4 cups of cooked squash)
1 Tbsp olive oil
3-4 cups of chicken broth (use as many cups of broth as cups of cooked squash)
1/2 tsp salt (adjust according to saltiness of broth)
1/4 tsp nutmeg

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scooping out the seeds and strings.  Oil each half and place face down on baking sheet.  Cook until soft when pierced with knife.  Depending on size of squash, cooking time will be roughly 30-50 minutes.
3) Scoop out the cooked squash.  Add the squash and other ingredients to a blender, pureeing till smooth.
4) Pour into a large saucepan and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, never boiling.

Note: If you're vegetarian or vegan, just substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.

The kids preferred the nutmeg version above.  My husband preferred this curried, creamy, coconut version:

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

substitute 1 cup light coconut milk for 1 cup of the broth
substitute 1/2 tsp curry powder for the nutmeg

Note: This is a great way to get creaminess without any dairy products.

        

We're blushing from all the press we received the past couple of months, including a feature in the Wall Street Journal!  Our humblest thanks to all of you who helped spread the word about our cookbook, wrote fabulous reviews on Amazon, and cheered us on with your friendly emails. 

In your honor, we will be giving away one autographed copy of our cookbook every week, from now until Christmas!  We will select the winners randomly from our mailing list and post the winners on our website each week. 

If you already receive our newsletters, there is nothing else you need to do.  Please encourage your fellow Trader Joe's foodies and friends to sign up on our mailing list for their chance to win a cookbook signed by yours truly, Deana and Wona.  Tell us, and we'll even personalize it for you and sign it to Dear Aunt Betty!

To enter:

1) If you're on our mailing list, you're already entered.

2) If not, go to our home page www.cookingwithtraderjoes.com and sign up for the mailing list (bottom right of the page).

3) Keep fingers crossed!


PS. Our mailing list: We usually send out a newsletter about once every two months with free recipes, news, and occasional contests.  That's it!  You won't get bombarded with emails and we never share our list.

The fine print: No purchase necessary to enter or win. Winner must reside in the US.  The use of any system, robot, agent, or software to automatically submit entries in connection with this giveaway is prohibited.  Being cool Trader Joe's shoppers, we know you wouldn't do that anyway.  A randomly selected winner, selected at midnight PST each Friday starting 11/14/08 through 12/19/08, will be notified by e-mail.  Shipping and postage will be paid for by Cooking with Trader Joe's.  Winners will be named (by first name, last initial only) on the website or in an upcoming newsletter. Good luck!

        

It's been a great few days.  On Friday, I got all dressed up with the kids for Halloween - they're 4 and 6, so they were really into it this year.  On Saturday, Wona and I were thrilled to see a story on us in the Wall Street Journal!  Being independent authors/publishers, we were quite pleased and quite busy afterwards!  On Sunday, I looked at some pretty leeks I had brought home and decided that lunch would feature them as the headliner.
If you like leeks, this quiche recipe is for you.  I love them!  Leeks have a wonderful very mild onion-y flavor and an almost creamy texture when sauteed.  They're a favorite in many soups.  The recipe below is a very good "basic" quiche recipe, opening the door to your own creativity.  Instead of leeks, you can add about 2-3 cups worth of your favorite ingredients.  For example, sundried tomatoes and spinach, asparagus and ham, or artichoke hearts and criminis.  You can also play with the cheese, adding an equal amount of a different cheese.




Leek Quiche

1 frozen Ready Made Pie Crust, thawed and put into ovensafe pie dish
2 cups finely sliced leeks (about one trimmed leek)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 eggs
1 cup half and half
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
Tomato slices (about 5-6 cocktail tomatoes or two regular tomatoes)

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Saute the leeks in olive oil just until they soften (a couple of minutes).
• Whisk together the eggs and half and half. Stir in the cheese, leeks, nutmeg, and salt.
• Pour mixture into pie crust and very gently top with the tomato slices.  They will sink slightly, but the top face will remain visible.
• Bake for 40 minutes (or until a knife inserted into center comes out clean).
• Let it cool for a few minutes, then slice and serve.

Yields about 6 big slices.



A nice balance to quiche is a fresh green salad.  Right now at Trader Joe's I'm finding mâche, which is also known as lamb's lettuce.  It's a very soft, delicate, buttery-textured lettuce with small rounded leaves.  Toss it simply with a mild dressing to enjoy its subtle flavors.  I added some fruits and some of those sesame honey coated cashews that are so addictive! 

Posh Mâche Salad

1 bag mâche
2 kiwi, peeled and sliced
1 cup sliced strawberries
1/2 cup Sesame Honey Cashews

Dressing:
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp honey
pepper and sea salt to taste

• Combine first four ingredients
• Stir the dressing ingredients until emulsified and pour over salad, giving a toss to coat.

Yields about 4 small salads

        

We've celebrated a few birthdays this month and I'm always struggling with fun toppings for cakes and cupcakes.  On one hand, I want something colorful, festive, and fun!  On the other hand, I stay away from using all those candies and sprinkles with artificial food colorings.  These are the dyes such as FDC Blue #1 and so forth that you may see on labels.  Recent studies link these artificial dyes to hyperactivity and behavioral disorders in children (allergists have been pointing at these for decades!).  In fact, the usage of these dyes is being discontinued and banned in the UK by the British counterpart to our FDA.   Here's a recent article for those who want to read more about identifying and avoiding these potentially very harmful chemicals in our food. 

OK, so that's the end of the public service announcement portion of my blog.  Now the good news is that Trader Joe's commonly uses natural food colorings in their products.  For example, their lollipops are colored with ingredients like turmeric and beets.  Sounds much healthier than FDC Yellow #5 and FDC Red #40.



I recently discovered candy-coated Chocolate Sunflower Seed Drops.  They're colorful, delicious, and have a soft crunch.  They also make a great cupcake decoration!  The colors are perfect for autumn celebrations.  The colors are from turmeric, beets, caramel, and spinach juice.    Don't worry, they don't taste like any of those things...just sweet and chocolate-y!   The sunflower seed taste is very mild and just adds a richness to the flavor.

Cupcake topping:
Enough for about 4 dozen mini-cupcakes or 2 dozen regular

1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Sunflower Seed Drops

1) Beat the cream, sugar, and vanilla together until it stands in stiff peaks
2) While the whipped cream is in the bowl, hold each cupcake upside-down and dip into the bowl so that the top is covered with cream.  Remove with a twist.  This is a quick and easy way (Thanks Ann!) to quickly coat each cupcake.
3) Sprinkle with Chocolate Sunflower Seed Drops.

        

Once or twice a year there are  baby kiwis at Trader Joe's.  As my grandmother would say, "You are so cute I could eat you up!"  Baby kiwis are miniature grape-size relatives of the conventional kiwi, but they have a smooth green skin (not fuzzy!) and can be eaten skin and all.  These particular ones were grown in Oregon, but it's pretty unusual to find them in the US. 

I like to garnish desserts with them, either sliced or whole - they're unusual and can turn plain old vanilla ice cream into a conversation piece.  The main reason I buy them is that my kids just love them - they're such a novelty.
Don't wait to go get them because they disappear just as quickly as they appear.

     
And the other babies I've noticed lately are baby sweet potatoes.   Sweet potatoes are considered one of the most healthiest vegetables around, and they're a favorite in my home.  I roasted these with a whole chicken, which is a really easy and satisfying dinner.  Roasting chicken with vegetables sounds time consuming, but it's just a lot of oven time.  The actual preparation time is mere minutes. 

I tossed the baby sweet potatoes and some carrots with olive oil, salt, and pepper and placed them in a deep baking dish.  I coated the chicken with about a Tbsp of olive oil 1 Tbsp of dried herbs, and a little salt and pepper.  An optional step is to cut a lemon in half, squirt the juice on the chicken and stick the used halves inside the cavity with a few halved garlic cloves.   Roast the chicken at 400 F, approximately 15 minutes for each pound of chicken.  So for a 5- or 6-pound chicken, start checking it for doneness after 1 1/2 hours.  Roast chicken and veggies is such a classic comfort meal, and your kitchen will smell great!

        

I recently had a chance to chat with Tracy Holleran: food writer, owner of the Secret Ingredient Cooking School, and Trader Joe's fan!   I first got to know Tracy through her blog, Season to Taste, and I just love her down-to-earth cooking style and usage of seasonal ingredients.  She really shows that amazing food doesn't have to be complicated or time-consuming, and that's right up our alley.   

Deana: Tracy, tell us about your favorite finds at Trader Joe's.  What can't you live without?
Tracy: I do about 90% of my food shopping at TJ's. I love that they have so many organic, nitrate-free, antibiotic-free, and hormone-free foods. I have small kids, so I want to be sure I'm giving them the healthiest food available. I have a lot of favorites—-but among my personal favorites are the candy-cane Jo-Jo's O's that come out around Christmastime and the mint-chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches. YUM. (I have a major sweet tooth!) However, I couldn't live without their organic PB & J selections, and the nitrate-free deli meats, because those are what my kids want in their lunchboxes most of the time. Oh, and the Alsace Pizza. I cut it up into pieces and serve it whenever I have people over.

        

If there's one meal you should always make the most of, it's breakfast.  Breakfast kick starts your metabolism, fuels your brain, improves your attention span, and balances your emotional state of being. 

However, many people skip breakfast, either because they're too busy with their morning rush or they're under the impression that skipping breakfast will help them lose weight.   The result of skipping breakfast is that your blood sugar stays low, your body burns less calories, your productivity decreases, your response time decreases, and people start calling you Cranky McCrankster.   I've noticed that if I ever skip breakfast, I'm starving, shaky, and about to bite someone's head off by 11 am!

Eating a healthy breakfast may actually help you lose weight, since it increases your metabolism and keeps it even, curbs your hunger, and prevents binge eating.  Ask anyone that is fit and fabulous; chances are they always eat a good breakfast (ok, your friend that swings by the donut shop every morning doesn't count). 

For those of you short on time, a good breakfast doesn't mean 40 minutes spent simmering steel-cut oatmeal.   Here are 5 nearly instant breakfasts, with a bonus #6 thrown in at the end.  These are not fancy breakfasts, but they are healthy, easy, and ready in seconds.  Have breakfast every day this week, and see if you notice the difference!

1) Fruit & Cottage Cheese

1/2 cup cottage cheese and 1/2 cup strawberries or other fruit.  Top cottage cheese with fruit and (optional) drizzle with agave nectar.

150 calories
14.5 g protein
5 g fat


2) Berry Fast French Toast

2 frozen French Toast pieces prepared according to box instructions,  topped with 1/2 cup blueberries or other fruit

250 calories
10.5 g protein
6 g fat


3) Fresh Muesli Bowl

Combine:
1/2 cup Blueberry Muesli (or other granola, sold in bags at TJ's)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup fresh berries

275 calories
8.5 g protein
5 g fat

4) Flax Oatmeal

Organic Oats & Flax instant oatmeal.  Prepare per instructions and top with 1/2 cup fresh fruit

180 calories
4.5 g protein
2 g fat

5) Super Speed Breakfast

And for those of you really in a rush, have something you can grab and run in the mornings.  Have you tried Trader Joe's 5-seed Almond Bars?  Wona turned me on to these, and they are great.  Look for them in a white paper bag near the biscotti. 

Each bar:
110 calories
2 g protein
4.5 g fat

Bonus 6)  Our Hero, the Egg

A hardboiled egg is one of the great, simple, standbys for breakfast.  The egg was villified decades past, but has redeemed itself and is considered a healthy food.  Boil a bunch at night, and have them ready to go in the morning.  You can also just eat the egg white for a filling dose of protein.

80 calories (just the white: 16 calories)
7 g protein (just the white: 4 g protein)
4.5 g fat (just the white: 0 g fat)

And no matter how busy, some of you (like me) will find the time to mold your eggs into shapes like Hello Kitty.  You know who you are.

        

My friend Jon introduced me to this dish back when I lived next door to him in Pasadena.  It was an instant hit in our house, and I've made it a zillion times since with as many variations.  With slow-cooked and tender chicken, olives, vegetables, and a tangy tomato base...it's a real comfort food.  This dish is another where I'm often asked for the recipe.  Besides tasting great, it's easy to make in large batches (I usually double the recipe), even better the next day, and freezes nicely. 

The stew base is a mirepoix.  "Mirepoix" sounds ultra fancy, but it's simply the French reference to the chopped and sauteed combination of onions, celery, and carrots.  It's the base of so many soups, stews, and sauces in many classic cuisines that people also call it "the holy trinity."   Trader Joe's carries mirepoix, chopped and ready in the produce section.   The chopping is not difficult if you do it yourself, but using the ready-to-use mirepoix makes this recipe even easier.  The recipe is a little longer than my usual, but well worth it!

Greek Chicken Stew

1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3 breasts)
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
3 cups mirepoix (1 chopped onion, 1 cup chopped celery, 1 cup thinly sliced carrots)
1 tsp garlic (or 1 frozen cube garlic)
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomato (regular or fireroasted)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 (12 oz) jar pitted kalamata olives, drained

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and oregano.  Coat the chicken pieces with this mixture.
3) Heat a pan with 1 Tbsp oil.  Brown the chicken breasts on both sides, and then transfer the chicken breasts to a deep baking dish or casserole (I used a 9x13-inch pan), drizzled with 1 Tbsp oil.  Sprinkling remaining flour mixture over the chicken breasts.
4) Add 1 Tbsp oil to the same pan and saute the onions, celery, and carrots.  Stir often and cook until the onion is soft, adding the garlic during the last few minutes. 
5) Add the diced tomatoes (including juices), tomato paste, broth, wine, and olives.  Stir well, and bring to a simmer for a few minutes.  Pour this mixture over the chicken.
6) Cover tightly with a lid or with foil, and bake for up to 2 hours.  The chicken will be cooked after the first 40 minutes, but the longer baking time will meld the sauce and give it that long cooked quality.
7) Serve over quinoa, basmati rice, or noodles.

        

Have you tried any of the ready made noodles from Trader Joe's that come in those cute little "take out" containers?  I'm guessing that most of you have seen them, but like me, haven't necessarily tried them.  I think I've tried nearly everything at Trader Joe's, but I hadn't tried this line of ready-to-go noodles until one of our contest winners used it.



What did I think of the Pad Thai noodles? 
Pros: very convenient, especially for someone who wants something quick and portable they can toss together at the office or on the run.   It's a common struggle to find good lunch options for busy days at work and at home. 
Cons:  The texture of the noodles is not perfect, not surprising since they are pre-cooked.  And with only the sauce, it's somewhat lacking in color and freshness and texture and taste. 

I decided to remedy the "blah" factor with some fresh vegetables that were in the fridge.  If you just toss some fresh additions in a small bag and take it along with the container of noodles, you'll have a much tastier and healthier lunch option.  Just looking at the before and after pics, I know which one I would want!

      
Before                                                                                                    After



Serving Suggestion (the "after")
To one container of Pad Thai noodles, add:
1 cup shredded carrots (available already shredded at TJ's in the produce section)
1 Persian cucumber, sliced
1/2 green onion, cliced
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Other great additions: bean sprouts, chopped up hearts of palm, crushed peanuts, cilantro, snap peas, snow peas, or even the bags of stir fry vegetables (mostly cabbage)...let me know if you come up with a great combination.

        

We have some wonderful Italian friends that know how to cook!  They've introduced us to some fabulous specialties from Rome and Naples.  When they say, "we'll be over to make some pasta," they literally show up with flour and start making the pasta by hand.  Every once in a while, we do pizza night.  And we're not talking about just one or two kinds of pizza.  There are usually a dozen pizzas made that night, every single one of them unique and different, with an array of fresh vegetables and various cheeses.  One of my favorites is what they simply call "potato pizza."  Now, the first time they mentioned it, I didn't think it sounded all that appealing...but now it's absolutely one of my favorites. 
Our friends make their own dough, but we can cheat a little with Trader Joe's ready made dough.  It's in the refrigerated section in 1-pound bags - enough for one pizza.

Rosemary Potato Pizza

1 lb plain pizza dough
1 potato (russet), peeled and very thinly sliced
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp packed fresh rosemary

1) Preheat the oven (preferably with a pizza stone inside) to 525 degrees.   If you don't have a pizza stone, just use a lightly oiled baking pan.
2) Drizzle the potato slices with salt and 1 Tbsp olive oil.  Let it sit while you roll out the dough.
3) Roll out the dough thinly on a floured surface (such as a cutting board that you can then use to slide the pizza onto the pizza stone).
4) Cover the surface of the pizza with a single layer of potatoes.  Sprinkle on the rosemary and drizzle with remaining olive oil.
5) Carefully slide the pizza onto the pizza stone in the oven.  Cook for about 12 minutes or until crust is golden.

Balance it out with a great fresh salad.  Enjoy!

        

Gnocchi is one of those things that not everybody has tried at home.  They are little potato dumplings that cook up in minutes, welcoming the addition of any combination of vegetables, cheeses, meats, or sauces.  They're great just tossed with some olive oil, but I usually like to add some asparagus tips, peas, or greens.

My children sat at the table today grinding one whole nutmeg on a fine grater.  Now that they've presented me with a little bowl filled with ground nutmeg, of course we'll do something with it!  Have you ever added a dash of nutmeg to plain pasta tossed with some olive oil and Parmesan?  It adds such a wonderful, subtle flavor.   Don't overdo it though - like with some other spices such as turmeric or cumin, too much nutmeg can taste medicinal and bitter.  Just the right amount = heavenly.

Trader Joe's sells gnocchi conveniently bagged in very flat trays.  It is shelf-stable and usually found with the pastas.  The trick to good gnocchi is to drop it in boiling water and then watch it carefully!  The instant they begin to float to the top, you're done.  Any longer in the boiling water and you will have sticky mush!

Gnutmeg Gnocchi on Spinach

1 package gnocchi
1 medium yellow onion, very thinly sliced
1 tsp crushed garlic (1 cube frozen garlic)
2-3 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
Parmesan cheese (shaved, shredded, or grated)
1 bag fresh spinach (about 5-6 cups)

1) In a medium pan, saute the onions in about 1 Tbsp of olive oil until soft and translucent.  Add the garlic, and continue sauteing, lowering the heat if necessary, until onions begin to caramelize. 
2) Meanwhile, prepare the gnocchi according to directions.  Drain and add to the pan.
3) Add another Tbsp or so of olive oil, nutmeg, and salt.  Toss until the gnocchi and onion mixture is well coated.   Sprinkle in the pine nuts.
4) Serve on top of 1-2 cups of fresh spinach, topping with lots of Parmesan.

The garnish?  Just a fig from the garden.  In fact, when figs are in season again, I think that some caramelized figs would go great in this recipe!

        

We appeared on ABC's View from the Bay doing a segment on Simple Meal Makeovers of Unhealthy Kids' Meals. If you missed our previous appearance, you can see the clip here.  As always, we had  a lot of fun - Janelle and Spencer have got to be the nicest TV hosts around. 
You know the unhealthy kids' meals we're talking about: hot dogs, pizza, and chicken nuggets.  They're high in saturated fats and sodium, and they're low in nutrition.  Too much of these foods and you set up cravings for fat and sodium that carry into adulthood (not to mention creating unadventurous and unhealthy eating habits!).  Our demo recipe was Fruit Fizz, a healthy alternative for soda using fresh juices, agave nectar, and mineral water!

So here are all the recipes for the meal makeovers.  Let us know how you and your kids liked them!

      
              BEFORE: Chicken Nuggets                                    AFTER: Dinner on a Stick

Dinner on a Stick

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 lb), cut into 1-inch chunks
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Fresh vegetables such as cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and snap peas
Fresh fruit such as grapes, strawberries, and melon balls


1) Combine yogurt, salt, and pepper.
2) Marinate chicken chunks in yogurt mixture for a few hours or overnight in the fridge.
3) Using long wooden or metal skewers, skewer the chicken.  Dispose of the marinade you used for the chicken. 
4) Cook on the grill or use an oven.

Oven Instructions: Preheat oven to 400º F.   Place skewers across a foil-lined 9 x 13-inch oven-safe pan. Cook in the center of the oven for 15-20 minutes or until chicken juices run clear when cut.

5) Skewer fresh vegetables and serve alongside Peanut Sate Sauce, hummus, plain yogurt, or your favorite dip.
6) Skewer fresh fruit.

         
            BEFORE: Hot Dog and Fries                      AFTER: Mini Meatloaf and Sweet Potato Fries

Mini Meatloaf

If you like, you can skip the potatoes in this recipe and just use 1.5-2 lb lean ground turkey breast.  The recipe for baked sweet potato fries is found here.

1 lb lean ground turkey breast
1 lb potatoes, boiled and mashed
3/4 cup quick cooking oats
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup Bold & Smoky Kansas City Style Barbeque Sauce
1/2 small yellow onion
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

To brush on top:
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Bold & Smoky Kansas City Style Barbeque Sauce

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Oil muffin tins or spray well with non-stick cooking spray.
3) In a large bowl, combine and thoroughly mix all of the ingredients.
4) Fill the muffin tins with the mixture, using 1/2 cup for each "muffin."  Using your fingers, shape each one into a mounded muffin shape.
5) Combine the ketchup and barbeque sauce and brush the top of muffins.
6) Bake for about 30 minutes (If you have a meat thermometer, they are done when the very center measures 170 degrees).  When they're done, run a knife along the edge of each muffin and pop them out of the tin.

Makes about 10 mini meatloaves.


      
                        BEFORE: Pizza                                                 AFTER: Quesadilla Dippers

Quesadilla Dippers

1 large flour tortilla
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/4 cup cooked chicken or Just Chicken, cut into small pieces
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Salsa
Organic Black Beans (canned)

1) Place tortilla in a very lightly oiled pan over medium heat.
2) Sprinkle on cheese and add chicken across the half the tortilla.
3) When cheese starts melting, fold the tortilla in half.
4) Flip quesadilla and grill on other side for an additional minute.
5) Cut quesadilla into triangles and serve alongside small bowls of each condiment and one bowl of heated black beans.


Fruit Fizz:
Soda has got to be one of the biggest culprits in bad eating habits. Consisting of nothing but chemicals, high fructose corn syrup, and often caffeine, it has no place in a child's diet. It might not be such a coincidence that the rise of high fructose corn syrup products about 30-40 years ago correlates with the rise of obesity in this country. Instead, try to cut back on sugary drinks in general and have kids drink more water or milk. For a soda substitute, try our Fruit Fizz recipes which rely on agave nectar (or fruit fructose) as the sweetener. Agave nectar won't cause the same sugar spike as soda and it also dissolves readily in cold drinks, unlike honey.


Citrus Fruit Fizz

1 Tbsp lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
1 Tbsp lime (1/2 lime)
1 Tbsp agave nectar
1 cup sparkling mineral water
Raspberries (optional)

1) Stir juices and agave nectar together in a glass.
2) Add water.
3) For fun, add fresh raspberries as an edible garnish.


Pomegranate Fruit Fizz

1/3 cup 100% Pomegranate Juice
2/3 cup sparkling mineral water
Pomegranate seeds (optional)

1) Stir juice and mineral water in a glass.
2) Add pomegranate seeds as an edible garnish. They'll float to the top and add a festive flair.


One last thought: For those times that you do go out to a restaurant, we suggest that you skip the kids' menu and instead encourage your children to order something off the regular menu. They can share an order with a sibling or with you. By ordering off the regular menu, you'll have much better food options and you'll also create more adventurous eaters! Forget about mac-n-cheese and chicken nuggets. Eating out should be a time for kids (and adults) to explore wonderful and different foods.


 

        

I always look for organic produce, and fortunately Trader Joe's has a good selection of organic fruits and vegetables (as well as eggs, dairy, meats, and other products).  But they don't have everything available organically grown.  How much does it matter?
For years I've had a report from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) hanging near my fridge that lists the top fruits and veggies that you should always buy organic (because of their high measured pesticide levels) and the ones that have lower measured levels.  According to the EWG:

Here are the Top 12 Fruits and Vegetables you should always buy organic (the "Dirty Dozen")

• Peaches and apples topped the Dirty Dozen list. Almost 97 percent of peaches tested positive for pesticides, and almost 87 percent had two or more pesticide residues. About 92 percent of apples tested positive, and 79 percent had two or more pesticides.
  
• Peaches
• Apples
• Sweet bell peppers
• Celery
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Pears,
  
• Imported grapes
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Potatoes

And here are the Top 12 Fruits and Vegetables with lower pesticide levels (the "Clean List")

• Onions, avocados, and sweet corn headed the Consistently Clean list. For all three foods, more than 90 percent of the samples tested had no detectable pesticide residues.
  
• Onions
• Avocados
• Pineapples
• Mango
• Asparagus
• Sweet peas
• Kiwi
• Bananas
• Cabbage
• Broccoli
• Papaya.

You can find the details and the full ranking of all 46 fruits & veggies they tested here.  Print this list out and take it shopping with you.  In general, organic is the way to go, and not only because of the pesticide levels.  Organic fruits and vegetables have been found to have significantly higher amounts of nutrients and antioxidants than the conventionally grown counterparts. 

You'll never guess which is the food with the highest level of pesticides per serving.  Non-organic butter.  I never would have guessed.  Next one on the list?  Non-organic meats.  So if you only buy a few organic things, go for butter and meats!

Whew!  After all that, it's time for a recipe.  Some fresh fruits seem fitting.  A simple bowl of seasonal (and yes, organic!) fruits is always wonderful just by itself.  Here's how to brighten up the flavors just a touch.

Honey Mint Fruit Salad

1 heaping cup of fruits in season (cut up large pieces)
1 tsp chopped mint leaves (a few leaves)
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp  honey


1. Mix together the mint leaves, honey, and lime juice.
2. Place the fruits in a bowl and drizzle the mixture over them.

Serves 1

        

We had fun this week trying out all the recipe entries for our "Brown Bag Lunches TJ-style" contest.   You can see the winning recipes here.  Between my bookclub dinner and the contest entries, my fridge was stuffed the last couple of days.  Instead of playing around with more new recipes, I figured I'd go browse the "new products" endcap at my local Trader Joe's and see what was new.  I always love the surprises waiting there!  I bought two products that looked interesting and brought them home to sample.  The reviews of both were mixed in my household (I wasn't particularly wowed by either, but read on)
                                  
The first is Whole Grain Strawberry-filled Cereal Bites.  They are small squares of cereal, with the outer layer somewhere between soft and crispy.  The filling is an intense strawberry.  Imagine a miniature strawberry Nutrigrain bar (you know the ones I'm talking about?). For me, I found it too sweet as a cereal, and neither of my kids finished their bowls this morning (although they claimed they loved it).  My husband liked them.  I think it would make a better snack than a cereal.   To me, they seemed slightly oily and list Palm Oil in the ingredients (we'll come back to that in a minute).  Just taking them out of the package left my fingers oily and that's a bit of a turn-off to me.

The second product was Sweet Sesame Rice Snacks.  I was immediately drawn to the outer packaging and the individually wrapped "rice cakes" which were decorated on top with caramelized sugar and sesame seeds.  I love small Asian-inspired snacks like this that have a nice aesthetic to them.  The description was sticky rice that was dried and soaked in melon juice.  Sounded good to me.  Trying them, I found the texture and flavor good but there was definitely  a fried, oily taste and feeling.  "Huh?" I thought, "how did we get oily out of rice soaked in melon juice?"  Closer inspection of the ingredient list brought Palm Oil to attention.  And given 70 calories per little 12 gram rice cake, almost 1/3 is from fat.   Pros: the kids loved them, they were cute, and they were convenient to pack as a snack. 

So my main complaint against both would be the oily/fried taste sensation but I might be the only one in my house that minded it.  As far as Palm Oil goes, the jury still seems to be out concerning tropical saturated fats such as Palm Oil and Coconut Oil.  If you have cholesterol problems,  you might want to research it yourself.  Besides the health concerns, Palm Oil is also criticized for its role in rainforest deforestation.  Not knowing the source or supplier, I couldn't say one way or another.    If you are more educated about Palm Oil, feel free to post below!

I'll be back next week to try some other new products and some new recipes!