A Trader Joe's Meal

It's no surprise that if I was stranded on an island, I'd survive if there was a Trader Joe's.. seriously. Besides for the Whole Foods-esque shopping experience (without the steep prices), the food is always fresh & the people are NICE. There are never expired products on the shelves (a problem that I encounter sooo many times in a certain store in the neighborhood), and if I ever have a problem with any product, I bring it back, no ifs ands or buts. When some people hear that I love shopping at Trader Joe's, they say "wow but it's soo expensive" - so, I challenge you to prove that argument! The prices are always the same, they never fluctuate (ex: romaine hearts are always $2.99. Not on sale for $2.50 one week, and $4.99 the next), and the only things that I find higher in cost are way higher in quality, or organic, deserving the slightly higher price tag. I can pretty much fill my entire pantry & fridge, from an assortment of breads & pastas, to nuts, snacks, produce, wild salmon, & Kosher meat (they carry organic and regular chicken, & ground turkey), even 5 lb. bags of flour and sugar, as well as packages of yeast, which are- cheaper than Fleischmanns. They have the best chips and snacks, cheaper tofu than Nasoya, $1.79 marinara sauce, extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, sesame oil, you name it. Obviously I swoon over certain products that I wish would be Kosher, but I take what I can get!! I'm not a coffee drinker but my parents can't live without the TJ dark roast coffee that you grind yourself in the store. Never mind the dried cereals (ex: Barbara's Shredded Spoonfuls & Puffins, TJ's O's) healthy snacks (ex: cereal fruit bars, snickerdoodles, animal crackers) for Rosie- all natural, nothing with crappy dyes or chemicals and I can actually read the ingredients on the boxes. I never stress out shopping at there, even if the lines are long. Onward from my love rant, I decided to go yesterday right when we got home from Florida because I had nothing in the fridge- not even an egg or milk for Rosie. So I ventured out at 3:30. When I got home, I couldn't imagine what I would throw together for dinner- needless to say, I was wiped. Early morning-> plane ride-> unpacking-> food shopping... Luckily, without even realizing it, I had everything I needed to put together a healthy yet filling meal in literally under 20 minutes & with only a handful of ingredients- and the entire meal, "head to toe," (down to the salt), was all from Trader Joe's finest. Here goes:

Seared "Sausage" & Kale with Sundried Tomato & Basil Orzo

-Canola oil spray & canola oil

-Tofurky sun-dried tomato & basil sausage

-Kale (pre-washed and chopped)

-Sea Salt

-Garlic (ok, ok, I didn't get the garlic from TJ, though I could've!)

-Orzo

-Sliced sun-dried tomatoes

-Basil, chiffonade (click here to see what chiffonade is)

-Prepare the orzo as per the packages directions (add sea salt & a little oil to the water) 

-Heat a saute pan with canola oil spray over medium-high heat

-Slice the sausages on a bias, and add to the pan when it is hot (don't add too early or it won't sear). Let them cook for a few minutes on each side. If the pan gets dry, drizzle a little more canola oil (not olive oil- burns faster). When done, transfer to a bowl and set aside

-Add a little more canola oil into the pan, mince the garlic & add to the pan over medium heat, sprinkle some sea salt. 

-When the garlic is fragrant, but not yet brown, add the kale, spray with canola spray or a drizzle of oil, and sprinkle more sea salt. Toss with tongs so the garlic gets incorporated into the kale. Add just a tbsp. or so of water and continue to toss until just slightly wilted.

-Add the sausage back into the pan to stay warm.

-Season the orzo with salt (& pepper) if needed, and add the sun-dried tomatoes, chopped, and the basil. 

It was the first time I tried the Tofurky brand sausage, which was from TJ (TJ actually has their own brand of tofu sausage but I didn't like it as much as this one). It's a little spicy and I HATE spice- but it was totally manageable, and that's saying a lot coming from me.

If you've never been to Trader Joe's, well then I'm not sure how to talk to you. .. Just kidding. Just take the ride!

E

P.S. For dessert, I popped my own -organic- popcorn the old fashioned way (in a pot). Where from? You guessed it...