Potsticker Soup // @dcgirlinpearls

You know when you're going going nonstop and then the moment you finally pause...BAM! You get sidelined with the flu. Thanks to my flu shot, it wasn't the full-blown flu but not exactly a picnic. I flew back to DC for New Year's Eve to an empty fridge and knew I needed to suck it up and brave the grocery store with the sniffles + coughing. Side note: Nothing's a bigger reality check that you're no longer in the suburbs than riding the Metro with 2 bulging Trader Joe's bags. At Trader Joe's, it was complete chaos. So naturally, I went to the wine section first to get a bottle (okay, three, I panicked with all the chaos) of Prosecco. Now the important stuff was taken care of, I had to think about what to make for dinner. I toyed with the idea of chicken noodle soup for my sore throat but I knew cooking chicken wasn't in the cards for me. I wanted something I could make quickly to maximize the amount of time spent curled up in my fuzziest throw blanket. Then it hit me: potstickers. With the checkout line winding around 3 aisles, I grabbed the ingredients from the non-line aisles and felt pretty clever getting into line and grabbing the ingredients as we moved forward. Everything was going swimmingly until I reached the wine aisle with no potstickers in sight. The key ingredient. The star of the recipe was missing. So yes, I was that girl at checkout who went darting back in a quest for potstickers. All's well that ends well. And this potsticker soup recipe was well worth it! potstickers in a low-sodium broth joint. I added Sriracha because...do I really need to give a reason at this point? Go crazy and add some more greens like shaved brussels sprouts. Now that I'm thinking about brussels sprouts, I really want to make this dish again just to add those li'l sprouts. Make a big pot of potsticker soup, grab your fuzziest blanket and watch the entire first season of Friends in 24 hours. Not that I did that.

Ingredients

2 containers Low Sodium Chicken Broth (Or vegetable) 1 container Trader Joe's Mirepoix (A mixture of diced carrots, onions + celery) 1 bag Spinach 1 bag Trader Joe's Vegetable Gyoza 1 tablespoon Trader Joe's Toasted Sesame Oil 1 tablespoon Trader Joe's Soyaki Sauce Chopped scallions for garnish Sriracha (Optional)

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, heat up approximately 3 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat. Add the mirepoix and stir occasionally until the onion pieces become translucent. Add both containers of broth and bring to a simmer.
 2. In a skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat (deja vu). Add the potstickers and cook until golden brown, turning over once to ensure even browning.
 3. Once the broth is bubbling, toss in the spinach, toasted sesame oil and soyaki sauce. Stir to mix the ingredients and drop in the cooked potstickers. Garnish with scallions + Sriracha and enjoy!

 Note: If you want to store the soup in the fridge, separate the potstickers from the broth so they don't break down.

Healthy Tacos // by Mary Shirley

Hi! This is Mary with Love of Veggies, previously Gold Layer Cake. Weeknight dinners are usually thrown together pretty quickly, and I make every effort to keep them as healthy as possible. Sometimes you just want a taco, but you don't want to ruin the workout you just spent the last hour sweating for. Maybe thats just me. I made a healthified taco, and I'll have to admit I didn't miss the taco shell. I used Romaine Lettuce Hearts as the taco shell. The lettuce held all the ingredients pretty well or at least as well as a taco shell usually holds up. The lettuce had the crunch, just like a taco shell, but it just left the taco tasting fresh and allowed more focus on the taco fillings. I did add a little bit of Trader Joe's Spicy Soy & Flaxseed Tortilla chips on top. These tacos could easily be made into a vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, or meat lovers version. Check out the recipe at my blog Love of Veggies.  

Burritos With a Kick

//recipe by Keri Ann O'Riordan//

Sometimes, I’ll be sitting at my desk wrapping up a long day at work, and the thought of cooking an elaborate meal from start to finish fills me with dread. Okay, okay… dread might be a little dramatic, but you know what I mean. Thankfully, Trader Joe’s has a handful of products that help me put together tasty but incredibly easy-to-make weeknight meals, so I’d like to share one of my favorites! Actually, I have to thank one of the employees at my local Trader Joe’s for the inspiration behind this recipe. The amount of flavor that comes out of such an easy recipe is astonishing. I made mine and forgot the shredded cheese, but I added it to the recipe below because I think it would make a perfect topping. I’d also suggest toasting the tortilla beforehand for an added crunch!

Ingredients:

·       1 package of Trader Joe’s Smoked Andouille Chicken Sausage

·       1 package of Trader Joe’s Chimichurri Rice

·       1 package of Trader Joe’s Habanero Lime Flour Tortillas

·       Trader Joe’s Sriracha Sauce

·       Shredded cheese (optional)

Directions:

• When the sausages are fully defrosted, boil or fry them (whichever you prefer) until they are slightly browned.
• While you’re cooking the sausages, throw the Chimchurri Rice in a pan and cook. It should only take a few minutes, but you should follow the directions on the bag to achieve the best results.
•  Once both the rice and sausage are fully cooked, chop the sausage up into bite-sized pieces and mix the pieces in with the rice.
• Drizzle Siracha sauce on a Habenero Lime Tortilla (which may or may not be toasted), put a few spoonful of the sausage/rice mixture in the center of the wrap, top with shredded cheese, and roll up.
• Enjoy!