Trader Joe's Knows

Like any warm blooded mammal, I love Trader Joe's.  If you aren't obsessed with their consistently delicious, inexpensive, and widespread selection, I don't know how you function in society.  I recently discovered the recipe section on the Trader Joe's website and it gave me yet another reason to love the store.  One of the joys of Trader Joe's is their pre-seasoned food items.  They do all the work for you and make the flavors usually found only in gourmet stores accessible to all.  Sometimes, however, I understand that you want to make the dishes your own.  By mixing the curry chicken with fresh veggies and putting it atop refrigerated dough, for example, you get a new take on pizza that's semi homemade.

I didn't make any curry chicken pizza, but I did make a great, healthy scallop dish, courtesy of the website.  After rendering the fat of some chopped bacon, I added in sliced leeks, chopped apple, and thyme and sauteed for about 8 minutes.  Unfortunately, I got distracted and ended up sauteing for more than 8 minutes, resulting in a less crunchy veggies, but it was still tasty.  Once the veggies and bacon are ready, add your scallops and cook them for about 1.5 minutes per side.  Add some salt and pepper and serve it all over pasta (I would have preferred spaghetti but only had shells in the house).  The apples and applewood smoked bacon gave the dish a sweet flair, which scallops pick up well.  Apples and leeks are two ingredients I rarely use so I was thankful to be given a little guidance.  Traditional cookbooks are great, but it's good to know what a great resource Trader Joe's website is.  This recipe may have utilized a few pre-seasoned or chopped ingredients, but the final product seemed to be all mine.