Trader Joe’s Tag: Teriyaki Steak Tips & Grilled Asparagus

July 28, 2017July 30, 2017 Organic GloryLeave a comment

For the latest installment in my not-frequent-enough series on Meals You Can Make Exclusively Using Trader Joe’s Products, I offer these delicious, grill-ready steak tips and sides. Made using things you can find 100% at Trader Joe’s, this meal comfortably fed our family of three with leftovers, and came together in half an hour on a weeknight after work and camp. It’s also pretty healthy, with just 240 calories per serving of beef, or a total of 10 Weight Watchers points if you eat a really big helping. We cooked this indoors because it was raining out, but these tips are made for the grill. You could also broil them to mimic that fresh-off-the-barbecue sear!

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Teriyaki Steak Tips & Grilled Asparagus

INGREDIENTS

All from Trader Joe’s:

1 package refrigerated teriyaki steak tips (in the meat case)
1 package frozen grilled asparagus spears
1 packaged refrigerated scalloped potatoes or boxed potatoes au gratin*

*Or, substitute a similar potato side. Looking for different options, or rather make something from scratch? Check out my mashed potatoes, homemade scalloped potatoes, roasted potatoes, or classic potato salad.

DIRECTIONS

Prepare potatoes following package directions (or use from-scratch recipes above) while heating up a grill pan/large cast iron skillet/Dutch oven to cook the steak tips. (Or grill ’em outside!) I used my large Le Creuset dish and it worked perfectly by giving all the tips room to brown without crowding on the bottom of the pan.

You can also stick these under the broiler for a few minutes and that would work great, too. You’ll be cooking them for about 7 minutes or to desired level of done-ness.

While the tips are cooking, heat the frozen asparagus either in the oven in a glass dish, or in the microwave in a safe dish, until cooked through, following package directions.

Serve the tips with some pan juices alongside the grilled asparagus and potatoes. Garnish with any additional steak sauce you like; Trader Joe’s island soyaki sauce might be nice here, as would any other sweet condiment that won’t fight the teriyaki marinade. Enjoy!

There’s no need to season these further, as they come already marinated in a sauce that you can just throw right into a hot pot with a little olive oil. This would also go really well with any type of rice side, as well as any other type of vegetable if you don’t like asparagus. I love these frozen asparagus because you can really taste the grilled parts, and they aren’t very mushy, which kind of tricks your taste buds into thinking that you cooked them fresh. Other awesome frozen sides at Trader Joe’s include their Organic Superfood Pilaf (tri-color quinoa with sweet potatoes, kale and carrots), Fire Roasted Bell Peppers & Onions, and Misto Alla Griglia (marinated grilled eggplant, zucchini and red peppers). I also keep their boxed frozen rice on hand at all times, because you can just steam-heat a two-serving pouch in the microwave to go with dinner at the last minute, and they have a wide variety ranging from organic jasmine rice to organic brown rice to barley mix.

Looking for other Trader Joe’s meals? Check out:

Roasted Red Pepper & Tortellini Soup (vegetarian!)

Chimichurri Rice with Chicken Sausage

Lemon Pepper Pappardelle with Hummus Pesto

Soy Chorizo Chili (vegetarian!)

Butternut Squash, Sage & Sweet Chicken Sheet Pan Meal

And, like most people who shop at Trader Joe’s, one of our top meals is their frozen orange chicken sauteed in a pan with TJ’s frozen vegetable fried rice. It’s our #1 takeout substitute for busy weeknight dinners and now even Georgia asks when we can have “OC” again! I make a big batch on a busy evening and she loves to share a plate with Daddy while watching a movie. What other Trader Joe’s foods do YOU love?

Have a great weekend everyone!

Braised Pork with Fig Compote

July 20, 2017 Organic GloryLeave a comment

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For some reason, pork always strikes me as a cold weather dish — but it’s probably just because my mind (and taste buds) immediately associate pork chops with this amazing maple-Dijon recipe, which I make every fall after apple picking. It just screams fall!

Turns out, there’s no reason this can’t be a summer dish, too, and I’ve got the seasonally appropriate topping to prove it. Figs are right in season from June through early autumn, and are full of potassium and fiber, which can help control blood pressure and weight. In this recipe, I’m topping seared and sliced pork chops with a fig “compote,” which is just a fancy way of saying stewed fruit in a syrupy sauce, and laying it over a salad of sauteed kale and farro.

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Farro is an ancient grain that was pretty new to me when I first made this dish, but has since become a healthy staple for us.

Farro is even more packed with protein than quinoa, and also boasts tons of filling fiber, magnesium, iron and zinc. It has an almost nutty flavor and a great firm, yet chewy texture. In short, you won’t leave this dinner hungry!

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Braised Pork with Fig Compote

Serves 2; 700-800 calories per serving

INGREDIENTS

2 boneless, center-cut pork chops
1/2 cup farro
1 bunch kale
1 lemon
2 oz. figs
2 tbps crème fraiche or Greek yogurt or sour cream
2 TBSP sugar
Seasoning: 3 parts flour & 1 part coriander & 1 part fennel seed (1 TBSP total)
For cooking: salt, pepper, water, olive oil
1 bunch tarragon (optional; for garnish)

DIRECTIONS

First, cook the farro. Heat a medium pot to boiling, add the farro, drain and set aside. It should cook for a total of 15-20 minutes, so you can prep everything else while it does so.

Chop the figs, quarter (and de-seed) the lemon, chop the kale (removing the stems), and chop the tarragon leaves, if using, discarding stems.

Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels then season on both sides with salt and pepper, as well as the spice blend, shaking off any excess. Heat a medium sauce pan with olive oil over high until hot, then add the chops, cooking about two minutes per side until they look brown and are cooked through. Transfer to a cutting board to rest, leaving the browned bits in the pan.

In a smaller sauce pan, combine the figs, sugar, a pinch of salt, juice from 2 of the lemon wedges and 1/4 cup of water, then cook on medium/high, stirring, for about 6-8 minutes or until the liquid is mostly gone and the figs appear soft. Remove from the heat.

In the pan with the browned bits from the pork, reheat to medium then add the kale and another 1/4 cup of water. Season with salt and pepper if desired, and stir, scraping the yummy bits up off the bottom of the pan as you go, until the kale is wilted and the water has cooked off (just a few minutes, probably). Add to the bowl of cooked farro.

Add the crème fraiche/Greek yogurt/sour cream and the juice of the remaining two lemon pieces to the bowl of kale and farro; drizzle with a little olive oil. Divide into two serving plates.

Slice the pork chops against the grain, and plate on top of the salad, topping with the compote and garnishing with tarragon (optional). Buon appetito!

Braised Pork 2.png It is so ridiculously, uncomfortably hot out there this week, I don’t foresee much cooking in our immediate future, or anyone else in the Boston area. Bookmark or pin this one for the next time we get some relief from the humidity! It’s all or nothing here in New England when it comes to weather, huh?