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Sonorian Caviar

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Trader Joe's black beans and fire roasted tomatoes

Trader Joe's black beans and fire roasted tomatoes

This recipe is #1 in a series of easy recipes for Cinco de Mayo.

This is one of our favorite dip recipes that we have been making for many years. It is a fun mixture of beans, tomatoes, green chilies, green onions and corn. This is a very flexible and forgiving recipe that will still taste great even if you omit some of the items. If this recipe is too plain for you, we have included some suggestions to spice it up.

This recipe is very flexible and is great for beginner cooks, as you are really just mixing ingredients up together. It can be served ice cold, or can sit out at room temperature for a few hours and it will still taste great. Many of your vegetarian friends will appreciate how good it tastes.

What you need:

  • 1 can Trader Joe’s black beans, drained and rinsed
  • ½ cup Trader Joe’s Roasted Corn, thawed
  • 2 green onions, sliced thin
  • 1 can Trader Joe’s Fire Roasted tomatoes with green chilies
  • Salt, pepper

1 bag, Trader Joe’s Tortilla chips

How to:

1. Combine in a bowl the black beans, roasted corn, green onions and fire roasted tomatoes with green chilies. Stir to combine.

2. Season with Salt and pepper to taste.

3. Serve with plenty of chips for dipping.

If possible, make the dip the day before to allow the flavors to develop overnight.

Variations:

  • Use your favorite salsa in place of the can of tomatoes and green chilies.
  • Add 1tsp. (or more) Trader Joe’s taco seasoning for more kick.
  • Add 1tsp. (or more) Trader Joe’s cumin.

Feel free to try your own experiments with this easy recipe- you might find that you discover a whole new dip that you just love.

Sonorian Caviar

Sonorian Caviar

Durango Dip

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Trader Joe's Taco Seasoning Mix

Trader Joe's Taco Seasoning Mix

This recipe is #2 in a series of easy recipes for Cinco de Mayo

This is a creamy easy dip that goes great with chips or is good served on tacos, enchiladas or burritos.  We first tried this dip at a friend’s super bowl party. We were just thrilled to find out how easy it was to make AND that all the ingredients were from Trader Joe’s- yeah.

What you need:

  • 1 pint Trader Joe’s sour cream
  • 1 package Trader Joe’s taco seasoning
  • Optional items: green onions (sliced thin), shredded cheese, olives

How to:

1. Place the pint of sour cream in a bowl and mix in 1 tsp. of Trader Joe’s taco seasoning. Add the green onions if using and stir until everything is combined. Taste the dip and add more taco seasoning if you like (our friends used the whole package of Trader Joe’s taco seasoning, which was delicious, but spicy)

2. Spread the dip into a serving bowl or dish and sprinkle with shredded cheese and sliced olives.

Variations:

  • We thought this dip would be great as a layer on a 7 layer bean dip.
  • Add chopped up bacon for a smoky flavor.
  • Add fresh herbs such as parsley and chives in with the green onions

This dip will also be better if made a day (or two) before you wish to serve it.

Yes, that is really all there is to this dip. At the super bowl party, our friends were using this dip on a veggie tray that was filled with baby carrots, zucchini and cherry tomatoes. This dip was soo tasty that somehow (and we will never tell…) the dip made its way across the table and found its way onto a few of the bowls of chili.  Yummz!

Trader Joe’s Beef, Bean & Cheese Dip

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Trader Joes Beef, Bean and Cheese Dip

Trader Joes Beef, Bean and Cheese Dip

When you think of bean dip, do you think hot or cold?

Well, we usually serve this  dip  cold, made with beans, cheese, salsa and if it’s a “special” occasion, maybe sour cream or guacamole on top. This is fantastic during a hot summer, but eeks! it’s cold out folks!

So we were pleased to find this product at Trader Joe’s:  Trader Joe’s Taco Seasoned Beef, Bean & Cheese Dip.

We were looking for something new, to devour at 5pm as we waited for the rest of our group to assemble for a late night birthday dinner.   Also the Opening Ceremony for the 2010 Winter Olympics would be on that night, and nothing says “Party Food” like watching the Olympics. So we were searching for something rich and delicious to help us celebrate our many events that evening.

Now ironically we found this lovely item mixed in with the frozen snacks and appetizers.  We were looking for something new and different that would heat up easy/quick and be a little more filling than some that we usually purchase.

This item lived up to all our hopes…

We warmed it up from frozen and it was very quick in the microwave (only 4 minutes).  The contents of the tray were not a big blob of  “stuff” either. You could see the cheese, the green onions and sour cream patches. It actually looked very good and home made-ish…. Not exactly as beautiful as the package leads you to believe, but still presentable….

OK it would have looked more home made if we had placed the dip into a glass container, and not used  the little plastic tray….

As far as taste, it was wonderful. Everyone in our group agreed that it was in fact a “winner” and several people said that they would purchase this in the future.  In fact the only “problem” we had was to remember to take a  picture before we finished the entire tray!

Trader Joe's Beef, Bean & Cheese Dip

Trader Joe's Beef, Bean & Cheese Dip

So two thumbs up for Trader Joe’s Taco Seasoned Beef, Bean & Cheese Dip