When we were in Fire Island a couple weeks ago, my friend Linsey disappeared into the tiny kitchen of our rental house, with five little kids running underfoot. Fifteen minutes later, she emerged with the most delicious pulled pork tacos. Crazily enough, she revealed that she had used mostly Trader Joe’s stuff. Here’s her “recipe,” plus a few others…
From Linsey:
Pulled Pork Tacos
TJ BBQ Pulled Pork
TJ Tortillas
TJ Mango Salsa
TJ Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese
Avocado
Heat up the pulled pork. Then pile on tortilla with mango salsa, cheese and avocado. That’s it!
From my sister:
Boursin and Pea Ravioli
Any kind of TJ Ravioli
1/2 container of Boursin cheese (which Trader Joe’s sells CHEAP)
Dash of olive oil
1/2 cup TJ frozen peas
1/2 pack of TJ Organic Baby Spinach (optional)
Pepper
Make the ravioli and peas separately. Then mix together, and stir in Boursin and olive oil. If you’d like, stir in baby spinach, which will wilt when mixed with the warm pasta. Add pepper to taste.
From my mom:
Stuffed Red Peppers
Half bag of TJ Harvest Grains
Half can of TJ Cowboy Caviar
4 red peppers
Sour cream
Make half the bag of harvest grains. Then mix in half the can of Cowboy Caviar (or more if you’d like it spicier). Cut off the top of the red peppers and pull out any seeds or ribs. Fill peppers with mixture. Put in a baking pan covered with foil in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Serve with sour cream or yogurt.
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Easy go to TJ meal hack, green chile pork:
1 package Traditional Pork Carnitas
1 jar green chile salsa
1 can diced green chiles
1 package tortillas, we prefer corn for this recipe
Onion diced. Any kind of onion or use package of precut
Chop pork carnitas into 2” cubes
Sauté onion, pork cubes until onion is translucent stirring occasionally
Add can of diced green chile and sauté for about a minute
Add jar of green chile salsa plus water. I add a little water to the chile jar, about half a cup of water, replace lid, shake and pour this into pan.
Stir and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes. F mixture starts to dry up, add a little more water.
After 10 minutes, I take a wooden spoon and break up the meat cubes.
Stir until mixed.
Serve over warmed tortillas
Garnish with sour cream, avocado and or shredded Mexican blend cheese. Enjoy!
Sometimes we mix it up and add the TJ red enchilada sauce to the pork and onion sauté instead of the can of diced green Chile’s and jar of green chile salsa. We prefer flour tortillas with the “red” version.
2 cans wild sockeye salmon
dill – dried or fresh
Juice of 1 lemon
olive oil
any TJ’s pasta
frozen green peas
Puree the salmon, dill, lemon juice, and olive oil, along with a little ground pepper, in the food processor until smooth. Boil the noodles. Heat the green peas. Then, mix the salmon sauce, green peas, and noodles together. It sounds strange but it’s my kids’ favorite meal.
Super easy soup:
1 box of TJ Latin Style Black Bean Soup
1 pkg prepared TJ Traditional Carnitas (found I n the deli section)
1 bag frozen TJ Chimichurri Rice with vegetables
Heat the soup with the shredded carnitas and rice.
You can top with a dollop of sour cream and/or chunks of avocado if you’d like, but it’s got plenty of flavor on its own.
My new favorite TJ’s hack is:
1 can of Jackfruit
1 jar of thai green chili sauce
1 bag of frozen rice
I throw the jackfruit and sauce in the crockpot while I am making breakfast in the morning, and by lunch I have something ready! Throw a bag of mixed veggies on the stove with some frozen rice.. so delish!
I don’t have a name for it but we make this easy delicious soup all with shelf stable or frozen ingredients so its easy to have on hand and soooo good.
-1 carton tomato roasted red pepper soup
-1 can cuban style black beans (drained)
-1/2 package frozen fire roasted corn
-any rice
combine the soup, beans, and corn and heat long enough until the frozen corn is hot. add the rice in separately otherwise it absorbs the soup. super delicious and filling and under $5 for the whole pot
My FAVORITE easy dip for a party is made exclusively with ingredients from Trader Joe’s:
-1 package of pre-cooked lentils
-1 container of their bruschetta mix
-1 container of crumbled feta
Mix together in a bowl and serve with crackers or pita chips. SO tasty!
TJ pre-cooked lentils + fresh pesto + burrata = a delicious salad
Another go-to is Tuna Mac
TJ GF mac n cheese (boxed mix)
1 can tuna in oil or in water (if water, drain fully; if oil, drain partially)
1/3-1/2 bag frozen peas or broccoli
butter + milk for “cheese sauce”
Make mac n cheese per box directions. Add frozen veg to noodle pan per cooking instructions (noodles take about 12 minutes, usually I add the veggies at about 6 minutes). Drain, add in butter and milk/cheese mixture, then add tuna. Serve as is or topped with sriracha.