Last week it occurred to me that I hadn’t been to Trader Joe’s in a long while, so when I went on my periodic supermarket run at Westlake, instead of going to Safeway, I went to the Trader Joe’s located just on the other side of the shopping area. Parking is a pain over there, but at that end you can combine your trip with a leisurely browse at Cost Plus World Market upstairs, the new Linens ‘n Things next door, or Starbucks across the street, which I was almost tempted to visit. (Momentary reverie: Westlake has changed so much since I was a kid! While I have fond memories of the Woolworth’s and J. C. Penney there — oh, and going to Straw Hat Pizza with my grandparents — the whole place used to be a bit sleepy and rundown.)
Before I set out, I browsed the Trader Joe’s website and found a quick recipe for pizza, which we made that night. Granted, most of the ingredients are pre-processed and packaged, but it was fast and easy to make and very yummy. Here’s the recipe (PDF), which makes four individual pizzas:
1 package frozen tandoori naan (regular or garlic flavor)
1 jar vegetable tapenade
1 package chevre
fresh cilantro (chopped)Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place frozen naan on cookie sheets and warm in oven for 5-10 minutes. Remove from oven and spread a thin layer of chevre on each naan. Next, spread a light layer of tapenade over the chevre. Sprinkle with cilantro and place back in oven for 5-10 more minutes or until chevre is softened and pizza is hot. Cut into finger-friendly slices and enjoy!
The tapenade I found at the store was roasted red pepper and artichoke; I bet pesto would be great too. You know I love pesto.
I’d forgotten the quirky delight of shopping at Trader Joe’s. I’ll have to go back more often!
8 replies on “Some enchanted pizza”
I am so glad TJ came to my neck of the woods in the Chicago burbs. We love to go wander and see what new interesting things they have to try.
People down here in my neighborhood are chomping at the bit for TJs — I can’t figure out how San Jose works still, I live in one of the gayest neighborhoods (in relative terms) in the largest city in the Bay Area; and yet we don’t have a Trader Joes or a Whole Foods. Heck, we just recently got a freakin’ Target. Our Trader Joes is finally under construction, as is a Whole Foods, so sometime by the end of the year we can pick up some three buck chuck and cruise cute guys by the cheese. ::grin::
I can’t live without TJ’s. You know you can always send Thom shopping at the one that’s walking distance from our office. 😉
Mmm. I love me some TJs. Their goat cheese is so friggin’ cheap! YUM! If only the one closest to me didn’t require a car to get to. *sigh*
Straw Hat Pizza (insert nostalgic sigh)
Oh, I love TJ’s. We have three in Pasadena and I try to go weekly. That pizza sounds amazing! Thanks for the recipe.
Don’t forget that if you’re in the mood for a traditional pizza, you can buy fresh pizza dough at TJ’s and roll it out yourself. Try something daring and roll some out and grill it on your BBQ – a nice smoky flavor to your pizza.
That pizza recipe sounds yummeh!