Corny Grains

Recently, when I was out and about running errands, I was unable to find a particular brand of guacamole chips that I needed to buy for work as a market sample. (My group does R&D, creating flavors for the snack food industry; and, as part of my job, I am frequently required to shop for market products.) I added a trip to Trader Joe’s to the already long list of be-bopping I had to do even though I would have preferred not to go there on that particular day.

When I got there, I didn’t see the product I was trying to find; and one of the employees told me the store didn’t carry it. Hmmpf! Well, after the extra miles and time to get there, I wasn’t a particularly happy camper. I decided to get over being cranky by heading to the back of the store where they offer a free cup of coffee and samples of whatever they’re promoting at the time.

As I approached the coffee area, there were two women ahead of me sampling something. I saw the first woman take some products off the sampling table and put them in her cart. The second woman did the same, so my antennae went up immediately. The sample offering was an Israeli couscous blend with corn salsa and feta salad dressing mixed in; and the couscous blend, corn salsa, and feta dressing were all Trader Joe products. All it took was one mouthful for me to join the other two women in placing the three ingredients in my cart. A long Memorial Day weekend was coming up, and I knew it would be just the perfect side dish for the barbecued ribs I was planning to make.

This recipe is incredibly tasty and so ridiculously easy that you will be somewhat embarrassed to give the recipe to anyone who asks for it—and they will ask for the recipe.

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Ingredients

1 16-oz. package Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains Blend
2 13.75-oz. jars of Trader Joe’s Corn and Chile Salsa
1 8-oz. bottle of Trader Joe’s Greek Style Feta Dressing
Optional add-ins: chopped green onions, sliced black olives, black beans, crumbled feta cheese

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Directions

Cook Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains Blend (Israeli couscous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans, and red quinoa) according to directions on the back of the package (I used water, not broth) and chill. After couscous blend has chilled, add two jars of Trader Joe’s Corn & Chili Salsa. Add entire 8-oz. bottle of Trader Joe’s Greek Style feta dressing and toss. Serve. Accept compliments.

Source: Trader Joe’s

Mary says:

August 21, 2011 at 9:27 am

I really liked this salad. I served it at a family reunion and many people asked for the recipe. I added some chopped fresh bell peppers but it really was good just as is. It’s a nice alternative to a traditional pasta salad. The different grains make the texture and flavor really unique. I will certainly make this again. One question I had though was should I make the grains with water or chicken broth…the package said either was ok. I did both- 1/2 water and 1/2 broth…turned out very good, but I wondered what Fran did when she made it?

Fran says:

August 21, 2011 at 12:48 pm

Mary, so glad you liked it! I’ve made it three times so far this summer, and each time I just used water. When I sampled it at Trader Joe’s, I asked the woman who was giving out the samples whether she had used water or broth; and she told me it was made up with just plain water. It was very flavorful as it was, so I decided not to mess with success.

1. maureen says:
  
  May 20, 2015 at 3:55 pm
  
  Help.. I got all the ingredients to make this and was lost on the first step.. so I called the friend who had made this.. she told me she added whole pkg and didn’t increase water or butter… so I did the same and mine stuck to pan… Did anyone make this using the whole pkg of grain and is so, did you increase water and butter???? or did you just use the 1/2 pkg…???
  thanks…
  
  1. Fran says:
    
    June 1, 2015 at 5:46 pm
    
    If you make the whole package of couscous as I did, you need to double the water. I believe the directions on the package give instructions on making just half the package.

CK says:

May 26, 2018 at 2:31 pm

How many does this serve? I am having a gathering with 10+.

Fran says:

August 3, 2018 at 1:43 pm

This recipe will easily serve 10 people.

Teresa Jimenez says:

August 28, 2020 at 8:03 pm

Is there an alternative vegan dressing I could use?

Fran says:

September 13, 2020 at 9:17 pm

I don’t have a specific vegan dressing recipe to give you–but, since most of the flavor comes from the corn salsa, I think you could get away with any number of vegan dressings. If you can find one which uses a vegan mayonnaise, I would go with that.

Corny Grains

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