Tahini Broccolini

How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways.  I shop at Trader Joe's so often that I'm almost embarrassed by the frequency.  Shopping at Trader Joe's enhances my mood.  The food is high-quality and healthy, and the prices are very reasonable.  While they don't carry everything, they do have a a lot of great stuff, and much of it's organic--yay!  Additionally, the people who work at Trader Joe's are helpful and friendly, the island-themed decor is appealing, the background music is fun (gotta sing along), and the food samples are tasty (at the very least, I have a tiny cup of coffee, which fuels my after-work shopping).  I could go on and on.

Like the author of the The I Heart Trader Joe's Vegetarian Cookbook, Kris Holchek Peters, I think that Trader Joe's is the best.  I recently made a trip to Trader Joe's (luckily, we live very close to one!) to pick up a couple of things I needed to try out the Tahini Broccolini recipe from the cookbook. (I received this cookbook as a Christmas present from my sweet hubby, as mentioned in my last post.)  I needed the two most important ingredients in the recipe, broccolini and tahini sauce.

Of course, I bought more than just those two items (it's impossible to resist the tempting goodies at TJ's, many of which are now staples in our home), and I made an exciting discovery--organic coconut milk!  I will use this the next time I make curry.  But for now, here is the recipe for Tahini Broccolini.

TAHINI BROCCOLINI

Grilled in the panini press

Ingredients:
2 (8-ounce) packages of Trader Joe's Broccolini, ends slightly trimmed

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 (8-ounce) container Trader Joe's Tahini Sauce

Serves 3 - 4

 
Directions:
I've "rewritten" the directions for this simple recipe just a bit.  The basic idea is to season the broccolini with the olive oil, salt, and pepper, then to roast or grill it for about 8 - 10 minutes, until the stalks are tender (but still crisp), and to serve it with the tahini sauce.  I used 1 (8-ounce package) of Trader Joe's Organic Broccolini and about half of the 8-ounce container of Trader Joe's Tahini Sauce, as this was a side dish for two, me and my husband.  I was intrigued by the idea in the cookbook, to grill the broccolini in a panini press.  I'd never thought of doing that before.  I grill sandwiches in the panini grill, but that's about it.  Our panini press is on the small side, so I grilled the broccolini in two batches, using a medium heat.

After grilling the broccolini, I put it in a warm oven (about 250º) for a few minutes, to heat up the cold tahini sauce, and to keep the vegetables warm; then I sprinkled it with some oregano (because I can't leave well enough alone).  It really is delicious! 

This particular recipe is vegan and gluten-free.  The I Heart Trader Joe's Vegetarian Cookbook features 150 recipes, and includes a vegan version of every recipe.  I may try several other recipes from this cookbook.  The Tuscan Tomato Soup, African Peanut Stew, and Thai Lentil Simmer sound especially tempting. 

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I'm linking this post to Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads, and Foodies Read 2016, hosted by The Spirit Blog.

Thanks for reading!  Are you also a Trader Joe's fan(atic)?  Your comments are welcomed.