Soy Ginger Chicken Breasts with Korean Spinach Salad and Basmati Rice

This is a meal I have made a million times for my family and friends and it never fails to please. This is simple and healthy Asian cooking that includes my mother-in-law's recipe for Korean spinach salad or shigumchinamul. You can make this 100% from Trader Joe's ingredients in no time at all. I recommend marinating the chicken first and letting it sit in the fridge for a few hours. Turn on the rice cooker to make the Basmati rice starting about an hour before you want to eat. Then make the Korean spinach salad because it has to chill.

Ingredients for Soy Ginger Chicken:

• 4 Trader Joe's all natural or organic chicken breasts
• Trader Joe's Trader Ming's marinade

Ingredients for Rice:

• Trader Joe's brown Basmati rice

Ingredients for Spinach Salad:

• 2 bags Trader Joe's fresh organic baby spinach
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted and lightly crushed

Preparation:

1. Marinate chicken breasts in at least 1/4 cup marinade so they are evenly coated. Store in fridge until ready to use. Do not marinate more than 3-4 hours.
2. Prepare rice by placing 2 cups of rice and 4 cups of water in a rice cooker and set to "cook". Or make it on the stovetop by bringing it to a boil and then lowering it to a simmer and cooking until done, about 45 minutes for any brown rice. Or buy Trader Joe's precooked brown rice!
3. Make Korean spinach salad by steaming or blanching spinach, squeezing out most of liquid and adding soy sauce, sesame oil and sesame seeds. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. When ready to eat, remove chicken from marinade, place on foil lined heavy duty baking sheet and broil on high for 3-4 minutes per side. Keep an eye on them because they can burn easily. When they begin to color, flip them over and cook on the other side until done. Place on a cutting board and slice thin. Arrange on plate with steaming rice and cold spinach salad and enjoy an Asian feast. Of course, a little kimchi would complete the meal!

Turkey BLT

I missed BLTs so I looked in Trader Joe's for a healthier alternative to bacon. I went through about 5 products and found their turkey bacon which has no added nitrities or nitrates and decided to try it out on the family in the form of a BLT. Despite some initial skepticism, they all tasted it and said it was a keeper. Yes, another gourmet TJ's sandwich to offer to the mix.

Ingredients:

• Trader Joe's whole wheat bread, toasted or fresh whole grain bread sliced and toasted
• Trader Joe's uncooked turkey bacon
• Trader Joe's fresh plum tomatoes or other variety
  
• Trader Joe's Boston lettuce
  
• Mayonnaise or nayonnaise
• salt and pepper
  

Preparation per Sandwich:

1. Cook 2 slices of turkey bacon per sandwich in a skillet over medium heat, turning frequently and remove when the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.
2. Clean and slice one tomato per sandwich. Clean and dry lettuce and remove any tough veins.
   
3. Assemble sandwiches by spreading a thin layer of mayonnaise on both sides of bread, placing sliced tomatoes on one side and sprinkling with salt and pepper, layering on the bacon and then the lettuce and covering with the second slice of bread. Cut in two and serve with sandwich pickles.
   

Ants Inside a Log

My four-year-old wanted a peanut butter and graham cracker snack for preschool, but they have a strict nut policy so I had to invent something equally appealing. He liked the name and really enjoyed the snack. I hope your kids do too!

Ingredients:

• Trader Joe's cinnamon grahams
• Trader Joe's no rBST light cream cheese
• Trader Joe's organic Thompson seedless raisins

Preparation per snack:
Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on inside of two cinnamon grahams, sprinkle raisins on top of one, pressing to make sure they stick to the cream cheese. Cover with the other, cream cheese side in, and pack or serve.