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Trader Joe’s Pecan & Hazelnut Crusted Salmon

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Trader Joe's Fish and Vegies for Dinner tonight

Trader Joe's Fish and Vegies for Dinner tonight

Like salmon?

Well, we sure do and we found a new product at Trader Joe’s that is just wonderful:

Trader Joe’s Farm Raised Pecan & Hazelnut Crusted Norwegian Salmon (now that’s a mouthful!)

Now, you might be wondering how this tasty little number has escaped out notice for so long? We are wondering that ourselves. In our defense, it seems that our Arizona Trader Joe’s store, has created a new section in the cold case which can only be described as “Salmon Land”. There are a number of different packages of smoked salmon, and also a number of different packages of fresh salmon to try. (Yes, you guessed right-  we are going to be “tasting” all those new kinds of salmon soon)

As you know, we both just LOVE nuts, so when we saw this package of salmon with nuts all around, we knew what we were going to have for dinner tonight!

This meal for two was so simple to make that it would be great for those who are just learning to cook.  You can add your favorite side dishes (maybe you like rice or carrots or corn) and just have a quick and delicious meal.
Now, truthfully, the directions on the package were a bit lacking, and so we just cooked the fish the way we normally would. There were two pieces in this package, so we just placed each piece on a piece of tin foil (use a bit of oil or spray on the foil so the fish does not stick) in a pan, and cooked it in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Trader Joe's Fish and Vegies in the pan

Start Cooking!

We also served the fish with one of our favorite Trader Joe’s frozen vegetables: Trader Joe’s Brittany Blend (a mixture of green beans, yellow beans and carrots) as well as a piece (or two or three…) of Artisan bread. This week it was Trader Joe’s Artisan Bread-Roasted Garlic with Thyme– YUM!
This meal was just wonderful. The fish had a nice crunchy nutty crust that gave a special flavor to the entire meal. We just love that vegetable blend (good color on the plate as well) and the bread? Well, what can we say but YUM!

This meal would make a great special occasion dinner (think Mother’s Day Dinner) or a easy meal any night of the week (Hey it’s Wednesday!).

Trader Joe's Fish dinner

Ready to Eat!

So check out your refrigerated fish area the next time you are at Trader Joe’s- there may be a great surprise in store for you.

PS- that cute little wedge of lemon comes with the Fish- Nice touch Trader Joe’s!!

Trader Joe’s Easy Soup Recipe

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Trader Joe's EZ Soup

Trader Joe's EZ Soup

Here is an easy soup recipe that we made last night. We like to have the basic ingredients on hand for those nights when you wish  to  make a quick soup. Like those  days when the weather gets suddenly cool and you think “gee I wish we could have soup tonight”  without a lot of prep and running around.

We call this Trader Joe’s EZ soup.

This soup starts with some basic ingredients, and then you can add other items to jazz it up, or leave it as is- that is up to you.

Another idea: make this soup on a weekly basis, as an easy and  great way to use up leftover vegetables and meat and rice and pasta. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination (and how hungry you are)

Basic Ingredients

  • Trader Joe’s Stock in a box- any kind you like
  • Trader Joe’s Organic Foursome frozen mixed veggies
  • Trader Joe’s garbanzo beans
  • Trader Joe’s white beans

How to:

Combine these ingredients in a pan and heat till boiling, then simmer for 5- 30 minutes to blend the flavors. If you have the time/ desire, cook some diced onions and garlic in the pan for 5 minutes before adding the beans. Then you can season the soup with salt and pepper, Trader Joe’s seasoning blends or whatever you prefer.

Variations:

Italian Soup:

  • ½ to 1 jar spaghetti sauce (good way to use up leftovers)
  • Cooked short noodles like penne
  • Trader Joe’s Italian seasoning mix
  • Cooked sausages cut into chunks

Chicken soup:

  • Add leftover diced chicken
  • Egg noodles or cooked rice
Trader Joe's EZ soup with Pork

Trader Joe's EZ soup with Pork

Here is one of our Trader Joe’s EZ soups with some leftover smoked pork shoulder and a can of diced green chilies added for some kick!  (go leftovers, go leftovers- our neighbor just LOVED this soup).

Enjoy this recipe and let us know how you jazzed up your Trader Joe’s EZ soup

Trader Joe’s Oatmeal Soap

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Trader Joe's Oatmeal Soap

Trader Joe's Oatmeal Soap

Here is a new product that caught our eye the last time we were at Trader Joe’s:  Trader Joe’s Oatmeal Exfoliant Ginger Almond Soap.

Can you really have too many bars of soap in the bathroom?

Well, the answer could be, yes. In fact we are approaching a dangerous situation in our tub, as we bought yet another new product. It’s not that the products we have are bad; it is more that we LOVE to buy/try new stuff.

So when we saw the oatmeal soap I knew we would have to make room for one more product.

This soap is a nice big bar that produces lots of thick white lather. It also has nubby bits of oatmeal studded in the bar, so there is almost a “scrubby” thing going on when you use the soap. And the smell…. the combination of oatmeal, ginger and almost… yum! But the best part is that the scent is pleasant and NOT strong or overwhelming in the least.

Also, we like that this bar is firm. We do not like those soap bars that feel soft and almost dent or break apart after only a couple of uses. Or those fancy soaps that seem to “melt” away after the first week.

Because of the oatmeal (or despite the oatmeal who really knows) this soap is gentle on our skin and is not drying it out like some soap can.

Have you tried this product? What did you think?

Trader Joe’s Giant White Beans

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Trader Joe's Giant White Beans

Trader Joe's Giant White Beans

Recently while shopping at Trader Joe’s, this little item caught our eye. I love how Trader Joe’s arranges all their “new stuff” on an end cap, so that you can check there and find new items. Sometimes we seem to be in a rut and like to check out the new items for something different so I like to know there is a section where we can go and look and see what is new. But who am I kidding, we shop at Trader Joe’s on a weekly basis, and I am always seeing new stuff when I look in other people’s baskets.

Anyway, back to these beans. They looked interesting, especially the part at the bottom of the label that noted that they were made from a “Traditional Greek Recipe” –hmmmm had to think for a sec…wait….SOLD! We just LOVE Greek food.

So the label says they are Giant White Beans, right? Well, that really was NOT a joke – They are HUGE! I was going to measure them, but they were soo good that after the first taste, I just forgot and continued to eat my way through my dish-sorry.

More Trader Joe's Giant White Beans

More Trader Joe's Giant White Beans

We served these beans for two meals- we can’t believe that we did not gobble down the whole jar on the first day, looking back. Anyway we served them first alongside a simple salad, so that we could really get the flavor.

The second time, a few days later, we mixed the remaining beans and their yummy sauce with a can of drained tuna fish and made a Greek- Tuna mixture that we ate also with a salad.

We thought these beans were just terrific and we enjoyed eating them the two different ways. These beans would be a nice addition to a “Tapas” night assortment of cheese, olives and breads to add some nice flavors.

We hope you try them next time you are at Trader Joe’s looking for something different.