Product Placement Wednesday - Trader Joe's Carefully Curated Collection Flavored Olive Oil

Yes, Product Placement Wednesday is back! Think of it as a recurring character in the cast that is my blog rather than a series regular. Too many things to blog about and not enough time to do it! For this "PPW" I have a GREAT item. One you will not want to miss!

Trader Joe's Carefully Curated Collection Flavored Olive Oil

Our friends at Trader Joe's are starting to fill their shelves with their fall seasonal items (pumpkin lovers take note!) and one of my favorites from last year is on the shelves ahead of schedule! I was told that this just arrived this week which was perfect timing as I am running dangerously low on all three flavors. So what are these wonderful flavors? Included in this pack you received Basil, Lemon & Hot Pepper. You can see some of Trader Joe's recommendations via the link above but here are some of my favorite uses:

Basil - Toss with whole wheat pasta, fresh tomatoes and your cheese of choice.

Lemon - Drizzle on a salad of butter lettuce, Parmesan cheese, avocado and blueberries.

Hot Pepper - Try this oil with the Jalapeno Chicken Sausage, brown rice, sauteed tomatoes, and feta cheese.

Keep in mind these are finishing oils - not cooking oils. I have experimented with all of them and the combinations are endless. I recommend adding a bit of nice salt to bring your dishes to life.

You can find the Carefully Curated Collection Flavored Olive Oil either in the olive oil section and/or in the new product section depending on your store. These oils have a great date on them (mine is 2015) so if you cook for a crowd you may want to pick up more than one! They would also make a great gift for the chefs in your life.

What are your favorite combinations with the flavored olive oils? I would love to hear from you!

Iron Chef West Hollywood, Part 4

I can't believe how many recipes I have yet to post! There are still some from The Bachelorette and Bachelor Pad plus at least one picnic! Today's post was a recent dinner Katie and I made. It was not completely Iron Chef style like we've done in the past but we did still somewhat throw it together.

Meatless Meatballs and Vegetable Saute

8 meatless meatballs

10 baby zucchini, chopped

1/2 cup frozen leeks

1/4 cup white onion

1/4 cup red onion

1 tablespoon garlic

dried rosemary

coarse sea salt

Trader Joe's Flower Pepper

garlic olive oil

parmesan cheese

cooked brown rice or whole wheat pasta

1. Saute onion and leeks in a bit of water to help soften.

2. When onions start to look clear, add baby zucchini and garlic and continue to saute until zucchini softens. Add more water if needed.

3. Microwave meatless meatballs per package instructions.

4. Add rosemary, salt and flower pepper to vegetable mixture to taste.

5. Add meatless meatballs to vegetable mixture.

6. Top brown rice or whole wheat pasta (we used rice) with meatballs and vegetable mixture.

7. Drizzle with garlic olive oil and top with parmesan cheese.

Trader Joe's Kale Salad Knock Off

Note - This is a knock off of a new salad that Trader Joe's is carrying. It sounded so good but the dressing had so many calories that I figured I should just try to make it myself! The original doesn't include avocado and does include almonds but I made the substitutions based on what I had at my house. I have made it again with wasabi almonds and it was also delish!

4 cups of kale

1/2 cup edamame, shelled

1/2 avocado, chopped

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon garlic olive oil

1/8 cup fresh lemon juice

coarse sea salt, to taste

1. Combine kale, edamame, avocado, cranberries, (& almonds if you desire).

2. In a separate bowl, combine yogurt, garlic olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.

3. Top kale salad with dressing and mix well to coat the entire salad. The dressing is really thick so it will take a minute or so to combine properly.

Iron Chef West Hollywood, Part 2

I am so behind with recipes! Apparently I was cooking up a storm in the month of July with my fabulous creative co-chefs! Katie and I whipped up this little dinner and her "secret ingredient" was baby broccoli. The rest were items in my pantry, fridge & freezer. This meal was really good with the baby broccoli being the standout. The best of our recent Iron Chef nights is yet to come. Hopefully this week but I have a ton of Bachelorette/Bachelor Pad recipes too!

Baby Broccoli with Goat Cheese

1 package of baby broccoli (not sure of the exact size however it was purchased from Trader Joe's)

1 oz goat cheese, crumbled

olive oil (for cooking)

Vintage Merlot salt

1. Cook baby broccoli in a skillet with olive oil. Add a little water as needed to soften the broccoli.

2. When the broccoli is tender, remove from skillet and place on plates.

3. Top with crumbled goat cheese and sprinkle with merlot salt.

Brown Rice with Roasted Garlic Salt

This was a great way to use up some extra pre-cooked brown rice. We just warmed it up and topped it with Roasted Garlic Salt for a low calorie but delicious finish.

Veggie Sausage with Garlic Mustard Aioli

Another simple dish from items in the freezer. We heated frozen veggie sausage and served it with Garlic Mustard Aioli sprinkled with fresh chives.