Tag Archives: trader joes

Chicken+Vegetables+Coconut Milk Curry+Wheat Berries

20 Feb

This delicious and nutritious dish is a super easy one pot meal. Packed with a rainbow of nutrients and vitamins, protein, and healthy grains. It is more than a complete meal. Perfect for cold, rainy and lazy nights. Bom Apetite!

Ingredients
  • 3 organic chicken breast, deboned, cut into cubes and marinated in Bragg Liquid Aminos
  • 1 tbs coconut oil
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 1 large sweet onion, chopped or grated
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tbs ginger, grated
  • 1/8 tsp red chilli flakes
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbs mustard seeds
  • Trader Joe’s South African Smoke Seasoning Blend*
  • sea salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 medium sweet potato, diced
  • 1 can of organic diced tomatoes, or 5 large skinless Roma tomatoes
  • 2 leaves laminate kale, chiffonade
  • 2 leaves chard, chiffonade
  • 10 mini sweet bell peppers
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 1 tbs red curry paste, or more to taste
*Ingredients listed on Trader Joe’s South African Seasoning Blend are paprika flakes, sea salt, garlic and basil. If you can’t find it, you can substitute for basil, paprika and dried chiles such as Guajillo or Chipotle. Be careful, and taste as you add it. The goal here is to create a smoky flavor, and not to overwhelm your palate.
Method:
  1. Place the stovetop burner on medium high and put the coconut oil and olive oil in a medium frying pan. Add the onions, curry paste and ginger. Sautee for about 4 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add garlic, red chili flakes, and mustard seeds. Watch for the  mustard seeds, as they will start to pop.
  2. Add the chicken, and cook it for about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes,sugar, sea salt and ground black pepper, Trader Joe’s South African Smoke and cook for another 5 minutes.
  3. Add sweet potatoes, kale, chard, and coconut milk.
  4. If you want more liquid add chicken stock, water or tomato sauce. I like mine thicker, rather than soupy.
  5. Turn stove down to low and let the flavors marry for about 20 minutes. Check for seasoning, and add more if necessary.
  6. Serve with Jasmine Rice, Brown Rice or Wheat Berries. If serving with wheat berries, it is better to place them in the bottom of the bowl, and serve the curry on top. It prevents the wheat berries from getting mushy and soggy.

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For the Wheat Berry:
I like wheat berries prepared in different manners. Usually, if I am making a salad I prefer it to be crunchy and chewy, so I don’t soak it, just boil it for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. For this recipe, I like to soak one cup of wheat berries in water for about 8 to 24 hours. Then I quickly boil it in one cup of chicken stock, and reduce the heat to medium low for about 15 minutes, just to absorb the flavors of the stock. You can also use vegetable stock, or just water seasoned with salt.
Cooked Pre-soaked wheat berries

Cooked Pre-soaked wheat berries

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Easy Trader Joe’s Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe

21 Nov

For all those procrastinators out there, who have not thought about Thanksgiving Dinner, do not despair. There is still time to prepare a succulent turkey, just follow this Trader Joes recipe, and you will impress your guests.

It is simple, and easy. It is the recipe I follow every year, and I was never disappointed. The Turkey gets crunchy on the outside and juicy and soft inside. They recommend you use a brined turkey, but in case you don’t want to brine it for tomorrow, or could not find one already brined, don’t worry, just add a little bit more salt to the Herb Butter.

Pre-Prep

  1. Remove the neck and giblets from inside the bird
  2. Rinse the bird inside and out with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel
  3. Let the bird come to room temperature (about an hour)
  4. Pre-heat oven to 400 F

Herb Butter

  1. Rinse one package of each:  Thyme, Rosemary and Sage
  2. Let herbs dry on paper towel
  3. Place 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature in a food processor with the herbs, and salt and pepper to taste, or if you are feeling like it, chop herbs by hand, and mix all together

The bird

  1. Transfer the bird to a roasting pan with a rack
  2. Loosen the bird’s skin with your hands and rub the Herb Butter all over it, under the skin and inside the cavities
  3. Stuff the cavity with 3 lemons cut in half, and 3 peeled and halved sweet onions
  4. Truss the bird if you like, keeping the legs together

Roasting

  1. Place the bird in the oven for about 30 minutes
  2. Turn the oven down to 325F and let it roast for about 2 hours. Carefully open the oven, take the pan out and baste the bird.
  3. Make a little tent with aluminum foil and place the bird back in the oven
  4. Keep checking the bird. When the temperature reaches 165F in the thickest part of the bird (thigh meat). Remember that cooking times vary depending oh the bird’s weight. I used here a 13 lbs bird.
  5. Let bird rest covered in foil for about 30 minutes. Carve and serve.

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