I have to admit that I had never been a Trader Joe's shopper. I always thought that it was a health food store, but when I went in, what I found was a lot of wine, dried fruit, and nuts. Nothing on my shopping list. I tried it out a couple times, but only for snacks and treats, and who needs to make a special stop just for a sugar hit? Not me! I may not truly eat healthy, but I like to tell myself that I try. I am allergic to sulfites, so trying out new brands and products means carefully reading product labels. Which means digging through my purse to find my glasses, and then carefully reading the label. And I found A LOT of sulfites in TJs food. So I continued to shop at my local Vons, where I knew where those nasty preservatives were hidden.
Chelsea was working for a Realtor during her Senior year of high school, and used to stop to pick up lunch on her way to work, frequently at Trader Joe's. When she told me I could get a deli salad for $3.99 I was skeptical, but because there is NO good, cheap food anywhere near my office, I was desperate and decided to give it a try. So one busy day, in the middle of tax season, I ventured in to my local TJs. The refrigerated case was full of a wide variety of good looking salads. I took the time to pull out my glasses, and read a few labels. I decided on their Roasted Butternut Squash, Red Quinoa and Wheatberry Salad. It turns out that this salad does contain sulfites, in the yellow currants, but they are easy to remove from the salad because each ingredient is in a separate little scoop.
I took the salad back to work, tossed it at my desk (after removing those troublesome little currants), and devoured it. Now I'm a convert to TJs. All it took was a recommendation that I trusted, and the faith to dive in wholeheartedly. So, because I truly believe in my new discovery, I want to share what I've found with my friends. But what I'm going to share is a recipe of my version of this salad. You can add the currants if you like.
Trader Joe's Roasted Butternut Squash, Red Quinoa and Wheatberry Salad
10 minutes prep time, 30 minutes baking time Serves 4
3/4 lb cubed butternut squash
olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
cinnamon
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
2 c prepared red quinoa
2 c prepared wheatberries*
8 oz baby spinach
1/2 c Craisins
1/2 c sliced almonds, toasted
3/4 c crumbled Feta cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss the butternut squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and a sprinkling of salt, pepper and cinnamon. Roast on a cookie sheet for about 20 minutes, until tender. Meanwhile, toss the red pepper and red onion with a little bit of olive oil and grill on a grill pan until lightly charred. Cool squash, red pepper and onions slightly before tossing with the remaining ingredients, and some vinaigrette.
Honey Sesame Vinaigrette
2 Tbsp Soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
pinch garlic powder
1/4 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 c canola oil
Whisk Soy sauce and vinegar together, then whisk in honey until it dissolves. Add garlic powder, ginger, and sesame oil and stir in. Whisk in canola oil until the vinaigrette is smooth. Store extra vinaigrette in the fridge, in a tightly sealed bottle. Shake well before using.
* I had to hunt a little for the wheatberries. TJs doesn't sell them, but I found them at my local Sprouts Market. They were pre-packaged, just over one pound was under $2, and they'll keep for about 6 months. To prepare them, I covered them with water and boiled for about 20 minutes. Make sure the pot doesn't boil dry, add water as necessary, or use a large enough pot to have extra water to start. I know from experience.
Enjoy!
