Meatless Monday: Grilled Bean Burritos

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Here is another easy dinner idea for you Meatless Monday this week- Grilled Bean Burritos! We just love the simple pleasure that is a bean burrito. They use only 3 main ingredients: Refried Beans, cheese and great flour tortillas from Trader Joe’s.  Then you can use your imagination (and any leftovers) and jazz them up.

Trader Joe's Bean Burrito Fixings

Trader Joe's Bean Burrito Fixings

We love to eat them either plain (just beans and cheese) or with additional ingredients such as diced tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, green chilies or even leftover cooked vegetables.

This week, for this Meatless Monday post, we made the easy, bean and cheese version. But then we grilled the finished product for a minute (in a tiny bit of butter) to crisp up the outside and sorta toast the tortilla- YUM!

What you need:

  • Refried beans (Trader Joe’s has pinto or black- use the one you like best)
  • Cheese
  • Flour Tortiallas
  • Optional ingredients: salsa, sour cream, green chilies, green onions
  • Butter for browning (if you want)

How to:

1. Warm the refried beans in a small pan. Slice or grate cheese. Heat a non-stick skillet and warm up the tortillas for a few minutes for easy rolling.

2. Place a warm tortilla on a clean, dry cutting board and spoon some  hot beans in the middle. Top with grated cheese and fold in sides. Finally fold up the bottom and then fold down the top, making a nice little burrito- package.

3. Add small nob of butter to non-stick skillet and when melted, add the burrito- flap side down. Cook for a few minutes until it is golden and toasty then toast up the second side. YUM!!

A Toasty Grilled Burro

A Toasty Grilled Burro

You can serve these grilled burritos with some spicy vegetables, like the Calabacitas, or with some cool, crunchy coleslaw (that is our favorite way)

We hope you enjoyed this Meatless Monday Menu idea. Let us know what you are cooking on Meatless Monday this week. Leave a comment in the box below

Trader Joe’s Turkey Meatballs- YUM!

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This great product, Trader Joe’s Turkey Meatballs was recommended to us by a friend. I mentioned that I spotted them one day in the freezer case and wondered if she had tried them. I mean, how convenient is a fully cooked and flame broiled bag of turkey meatballs in your freezer, right?

Trader Joe's Turkey Meatballs

Trader Joe's Turkey Meatballs

Well, she just LOVES them and started to rattle of f the many ways that she uses them (with pasta and sauce and also for a meatball sandwich during football games). But she said that the real reason she loves them, is that her two year old gobbles them up for dinner. She just thaws up one or two meatballs and adds them to the “finger- friendly” assortment of food for her toddler.

OK so if they are given the “rubber stamp” from these two, we knew we had to give them a try.

Bottom line? Our friend was right- these are delicious and convenient to have around the house. They thaw up quickly and make a great addition to jazz up you meals.

These are the ways we have served them up:

  • With Marinara sauce over pasta
  • With BBQ sauce, coleslaw and oven frys
  • With Mashed potatoes and steamed veggies.
  • With mushroom sauce, rice and vegetables

We hope you like these ideas and find your own ways to enjoy these no-work, great tasting Trader Joe’s Turkey Meatballs. We also like the fact that they are so economical. I mean you are getting a full pound of cooked meatballs (no shrinkage here from cooking) and the price just can’t be beat for ground turkey. Check them out next time you are at Trader Joe’s

Let us know the creative ways that you use Trader Joe’s Turkey Meatballs. Leave a comment below if you like so we can compare notes….

Meatless Monday: Macaroni & Cheese

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We spotted this bright orange box of Trader Joe’s Macaroni & Cheese on the end of an aisle when we were last shopping at Trader Joe’s. We both said something like YUM! “We should get that” in a sorta joking way… but then said why not? It is fast, easy to make, and we hoped (having not tried it before, but trusting in Trader Joe’s) fantastic!

Trader Joe's Macaroni & Cheese

Trader Joe's Macaroni & Cheese

So this week, we are taking a trip back to childhood (or at least early adulthood when we would make Mac & Cheese for a quick dinner) by serving Trader Joe’s Macaroni & Cheese for our Meatless Monday Meal.

How did it go? It was really just delish! I can’t tell you the last time that we ate Macaroni & Cheese. The pasta was firm and the cheese sauce was tasty without being overly salty or somehow “oily” (my big issue with blue box mac & cheese).

We served it up plain with some veggies on the side (sliced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and some baby carrots.  But as I am sure you know, there are countless ways to jazz up Mac & Cheese, right? Some of our favorites are (meatless and no- so meatless ) : A can of tuna & frozen peas, chopped up bacon, green chilies, green onions, cooked broccoli,  olives, leftover cooked chicken , leftover cooked ham…  just to name a few. I am sure you have your favorite additions  too.

So a great, quick meal for a Meatless Monday Menu  (that might make you think back to the days when you ate Macaroni & Cheese a little more often) try serving Trader Joe’s Macaroni & Cheese.

Meatless Monday: Mac & Cheese

Meatless Monday: Mac & Cheese

Having said that, I was thinking (hey just like in those older days) this product, Trader Joe’s Macaroni & Cheese was so tasty that it would be worth it to have on hand for those quick meals when your original plan fell through for some reason….  Or any busy night when you’re short on time and energy. So pick up a box today to have on hand for the zillion reasons to make it, and the many ways to serve it up.

Trader Joe’s Marinated Grilled Eggplant & Zucchini

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After the sweet and easy success of our Meatless Monday Meal of Mock Eggplant Parmesan, we went back to Trader Joe’s and picked up another package! (I almost hesitate to admit this to you!)  We thought that the mock Eggplant Parmesan was just delicious and we made, yes, another one today for lunch. OK just to be super clear, the product that I am raving about is Trader Joe’s Misto alla Grigoia Marinated Grilled Eggplant & Zucchini.

Trader Joe's Grilled Veg

Trader Joe's Grilled Veg

The pieces of grilled vegetables are tender, but not overcooked and mushy. They also have a slight smoky/grilled flavor that we really enjoyed.

But while I was creating this yummy meal, I started to read the package and think about other ways that these wonderful grilled vegetables could be used….

1. First I was thinking of slicing up the veggies and tossing them with hot pasta and sauce.  I could even do this with the cold leftovers of the mock Eggplant Parmesan.

2. Then I was like Mock, Noodle-Free Lasagna could also be made with these grilled veggies. Next time I will pick up a container of ricotta cheese (or use crumbled soft tofu) and add spoonfuls as I layer the pasta sauce and grilled veggies.

3. I also thought these veggies would be good with some grilled meats (I was thinking of fish or chicken here, but lamb would also be great). A sorta “cheaters” way to serve grilled vegetables.

4. Finally what about slicing them up into thin strips and adding them to a cold pasta salad? I was thinking of that one I made earlier in the month with the Olive Tapanade? I bet the marinade and the “grilled” flavor would really add to a pasta salad.

However you serve them, they truly would make a wonderful addition to your meal.

Have you tried this product? What did you think?