Organic quinoa with black beans, diced tomatoes and garlic cloves

Organic quinoa with leftover Icelandic haddock, both from Costco Wholesale. I poached the fish in Roasted Green Salsa from Whole Foods Market.

Editor's note: Today, I discuss preparing a one-pot meal, adding fresh sweet-corn kernels to canned-fish salad, a sale on grass-fed beef from Australia, the return of parchment paper and peeled garlic at Costco Wholesale, and a good buy on sweet potatoes at ShopRite.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

What could be simpler than placing ingredients in an electric rice cooker, plugging it in and enjoyed a one-pot, protein-rich meal in about 15 minutes?

That's what I did with:

•  2.5 cups of Nature's Intent Andean Gold Organic Quinoa from Costco Wholesale
•  5 cups of Kirkland Signature Organic Chicken Broth, also from Costco
• 1 can of low-sodium Goya Black Beans
• 1 can of Kirkland Signature Organic Diced Tomatoes
•  A big handful or more of peeled Christopher Ranch garlic cloves.
• Several grinds of Costco's Himalayan Pink Salt or other sea salt
• And a couple of ounces of extra-virgin olive oil.

The resulting dish is wonderfully moist, and even though the garlic cloves hold their shape, they are creamy and melt in your mouth.

Andean Gold Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is imported from Peru.

It is organic, gluten-free and non-GMO. Quinoa also has fewer carbs than pasta or rice.

No pre-washing is necessary.

Third brand of quinoa

This is at least the third brand of organic quinoa sold by Costco Wholesale in Hackenack.

In December 2012, I bought a 4-pound bag of Nature's Earthly Choice Organic Quinoa from Bolivia for only $7.99.

This year, in April, I bought a 4-pound bag of Tru Roots Organic Quinoa for $18.99.

On Sept. 30, on a second or third attempt to find more Tru Roots qunioa, I saw the 4-pound bag of Andean Gold Quinoa for $17.99, displayed prominently at the end of an aisle.

I had two leftover steamed cobs of sweet corn last week when I prepared my crunchy, no-mayo canned-fish salad with yellow-fin tuna, pink salmon, sardines, Dijon mustard, fresh lime juice; chopped green pepper, celery and onion; and ground spices, including cumin, curry powder and garam masala. I cut off the kernels with a sharp knife and added them to the salad. 

At the ShopRite in Paramus last week, I took advantage of a deep discount on Nature's Reserve Whole Beef Tenderloin for Filet Mignon, which is 100% grass fed. The Australian beef loins were reduced to $5.99 a pound from $8.99 a pound. The two, shrink-wrapped loins I bought weighed about 5 pounds each, and they went right into the freezer.

More lost and found at Costco

After at least a half-dozen attempts to buy more Kirkland Signature Parchment Paper, my wife finally found a twin roll at our Hackensack Costco on Friday ($9.69)

We use the parchment paper to line a pan for roasting poultry, beef and pork, or for cooking fish in parchment packages.

My wife also found a refrigerated 3-pound bag of peeled Christopher Ranch California Monviso Garlic. 

The company said it couldn't meet the demand from Costco customers, and the Hackensack warehouse store was without the peeled garlic for about 10 days.

The bag my wife bought on Friday was $6.49, a hike of 50 cents. 

Baked sweet potatoes from ShopRite in Paramus make a great side dish for a smoked-salmon-and-pesto frittata oozing with reduced-fat Swiss cheese, all from Costco. The 3-pound net bags of pre-washed sweet potatoes are only $2.99, and the bags often weigh close to 3.5 pounds.

Going nuts and getting soaked at Costco Wholesale

These 2-pound bags of raw hazelnuts at Costco Wholesale are imported from Canada, but the label says, "Product of Turkey or USA." They are $10.99 a bag.

Northern New Jersey had another day of on-and-off thunderstorms on Monday, but the rain had stopped when I got out of the car at Costco Wholesale, armed with a full-size umbrella.

As I write this, even more heavy rain is falling today, just as it did on Monday and last Friday.

On Monday, by the time I had checked out with more than $106 worth of fresh wild king salmon, smoked wild salmon, beefsteak tomatoes, seedless watermelon, canned fish and other items, Hackensack was hit by another wind-whipped rainstorm.

Back of the lot

It was a long walk to the car, which I usually park at the back of the lot to avoid the congestion of lazy shoppers who insist on a space closest to the door.

The umbrella kept my head and shoulders dry, but the wind-whipped rain soaked my shirt sleeves and the back of my pants, not to mention everything in my cart.

When I opened my car doors, the seats got wet, and when I grabbed the soaked box of 4 Tropicana half-gallons, the box broke and flew out of my hand onto the carpeted floor in front of the back seat.

A heavy, oblong seedless watermelon (no bargain at $7.49) nearly slipped out of my hands before it landed on a car seat.

One shopper abandoned a bag of sweet peppers at the Heinz Tomato Ketchup display. Did he or she think ketchup is a vegetable?

Kirkland Signature spices come in the same size jar, but their weight varies.

Snacking nuts

In the store, a display of raw, sodium-free hazelnuts caught my eye.

I decided to try a 2-pound bag for snack food, and roasted them at home in a 275-degree oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes, then dusted them with Kirkland Signature Ground Saigon Cinnamon from Vietnam.

We've been doing the same with  Costco's salt-free raw almonds, and four of us usually finish a 3-pound bag in about 10 days.

At 2 pounds for $10.99, the hazelnuts are more expensive than the almonds, but they have a distinctive taste.

At $2.59 for a 10.7-ounce bottle, Kirkland Signature Ground Saigon Cinnamon from Vietnam is one of the cheapest items in the Hackensack warehouse store. Only 3 pounds of bananas at $1.39 are cheaper.

Leftover wild king salmon with steamed organic quinoa, both from Costco.

A canned-fish salad over organic spring mix, with beefsteak tomato and hothouse cucumber, all from Costco. Canned tuna, pink salmon, and sardines are combined with chopped celery and apple, and dressed with hummus, Dijon mustard, lime juice and ground cumin.

A quick egg-white omelet with Trader Joe's Jalapeno Yogurt Cheese and Kirkland Signature Wild Alaskan Smoked Sockeye Salmon from Costco.

More great reasons to keep meat off the table

Leftover fresh wild Alaskan salmon straight from the refrigerator crowning a takeout salad of fresh spinach, tofu, sun-dried tomatoes, cucumbers and beans.

Wild-caught haddock fillets poached in chicken broth with garlic, ginger, onion, lime juice and thyme. I ate them with organic brown rice from Costco Wholesale, where we buy many of the ingredients for our home-cooked meals.  

A no-mayo salad made with canned yellow-fin tuna, pink salmon and Moroccan sardines; plus diced organic celery, is dressed with hummus, Dijon mustard, lime juice and ground cumin. I use canned hummus from Lebanon, adding olive oil, lime juice and ground garlic.

Trader Joe's Organic Whole Wheat Fusilli Pasta with sardines and salted cod fish in bottled Classico Tomato & Basil pasta sauce. For 1 pound of pasta, use a 32-ounce bottle of sauce.

A snack of canned-fish salad, olives, stewed tofu and hummus.

Jamaican Ackee and Salt Fish with sweet plantains.

Fresh wild Copper River Sockeye Salmon with Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto, both from Costco Wholesale.

I seasoned the salmon with a little Himalayan Pink Salt, Aleppo red pepper and lime juice before roasting them in the oven at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on the size of the piece I cut from the larger fillet, below.

Veins of heart-healthy fat in the raw fillet of Copper River salmon.

Worth the detour: 99-cents sardines, cheap wine

Bottles of wine imported from Italy, Spain and Hungary were $3.99 to $5 at Corrado's Family Affair on the Clifton-Paterson border.

A bottle of Charles Shaw California Cabernet Sauvignon (Two-buck Chuck) from Trader Joe's, left, supposedly contains the same 750 milliliters as the imported bottle next to it. The Charles Shaw bottle costs $2.98 at the Westfield store.

Editor's note: Today, I discuss a shopping trip to Paterson's Middle Eastern food bazaar; a canned-fish salad with chick peas, feta cheese and spinach; and plastic-bag recycling.

I still jump into my hybrid car and drive 10 miles to Paterson's Middle Eastern food-shopping district for the best prices on sardines, wine, yogurt drink and other products.

At Fattal's Bakery on Sunday, I picked up 20 cans of Al Shark-brand Moroccan Sardines in spicy oil or tomato sauce for 99 cents a can (4.23 ounces and 4.38 ounces, respectively).

A 1-gallon container of Merve Ayran Yogurt Drink was $8.69.

Parking at Fattal's (975-77 Main St.) is far easier than at Brothers Produce in the Paterson Farmers' Market, another source of 99-cents sardines.

Then, I drove a short distance to just over the Paterson-Clifton border and Corrado's  Family Affair for 1-pound bags of salted cod fish, but the store didn't have any.

So, I picked up store-made crumbled feta cheese ($2.99 a pound) and a bunch of fresh spinach ($1.69 a pound) I needed for a recipe.

In Corrado's liquor store, I bought 5 bottles of imported red wine ($3.99 to $5 each).

Canned-fish salad with chick peas, apple, feta cheese and spinach, served over fresh spinach leaves dressed with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Fishing for salad

I had seen a tuna salad with chick peas, feta cheese and spinach on the cold food bar at the Whole Foods Market in Paramus, and decided to try it with the items I got at Corrado's.

But I didn't stop at tuna, adding cans of pink salmon and sardines with their liquid to my canned-fish salad.

Then, I diced a Gala Apple and celery, including the leaves; drained, rinsed and added a can of chick peas; and crumbled feta cheese.

I washed the fresh spinach leaves and cut them into ribbons and added that to the salad with spinach stems.

The dressing was Dijon mustard, fresh lime juice and ground cumin, all added to taste. 

Canned-fish salad with organic spring mix, beefsteak tomato, olives and garlic cloves.

Recycling bags   

ShopRite is the only supermarket chain in North Jersey that accepts plastic bags for recycling, but we also put plastic food wrapping, plastic food seals and any other flexible plastic in the same bag.

     

ShopRite in Paramus has two large bins for recycled plastic bags.

Golden Pineapples were 2 for $5.

I didn't go home empty handed, picking up 2 Golden Pineapples for $5. 

When I told the cashier I would take the pineapples without a plastic bag, she gave me the 10-cent credit for customers who bring a re-usable bag.

Good food that won't clog arteries or add inches

A well-balanced meal of whole Spanish Mackerel, stir-fried asparagus and quinoa with Korean seasoned vegetables. The fish was poached in a sauce of organic diced tomatoes, red wine, Dijon mustard and non-fat Greek yogurt.

The fresh-fish display at H Mart, the Korean supermarket in Englewood, where the wild-caught, silvery Spanish Mackerel were $3.99 a pound on Thursday. Fresh-water carp was 99 cents a pound, but I would have had to buy the whole fish, which looked like it weighed 20 pounds or more.

Canned-fish salad (pink salmon, yellow-fin tuna and sardines) with Earthbound Farms Organic Spring Mix, Sunset-brand cucumbers and Italian olives.

I added a Gala Apple, above, and diced celery, garlic and onion to the canned-fish salad, along with Dijon mustard, ground cumin and fresh lime juice, all to taste.

The crusty, butter-free baguette from Balthazar Bakery in Englewood is still only $2. I slice and freeze it for sandwiches for other members of the family, but allow myself only the "heel" or end of the loaf with a big dinner salad.

Hemp is a legal variety of cannabis (marijuana) that is grown for fiber and seeds, such as the nutty tasting Hemp Hearts I found at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack last week, above with a salad and below. A 28-ounce bag was a pricey $14.89.

Manitoba Harvest raw, shelled hemp seeds are a product of Canada, vegan and made with 100% wind power, according to the bag, and are good for sprinkling on salads, cereal and yogurt.

Wild-caught haddock from Iceland coated with a Super Spice Mixture and served with brown rice and diced organic tomatoes prepared in an electric cooker. The spice mixture is made by combining every spice and dried herb I have in the house in a large plastic container, which I keep in the refrigerator.

Salted cod fish with whole-wheat fusilli pasta in bottled sauce, above, and with onion, sweet pepper, tomato and ackee, a Jamaican fruit available in cans, below.

All of the canned, fresh and salted fish I used in these home-cooked meals came from Costco Wholesale in Hackensack or H Mart, a Korean supermarket in Englewood.

H Mart also sells 16 ounces of seasoned vegetables for bibimbap, a rice-based comfort dish, but I used them with organic quinoa and didn't add the usual ground beef (Jinga Seasoned Vegetables, $7.69).

The best 100% whole-wheat pasta I've found comes from Trader Joe's, where it is only $1.39 for a full pound and organic, too.

Organic diced tomatoes, organic brown rice, organic quinoa and Earthbound Farms Organic Spring Mix are available at Costco Wholesale. 

Imported canned ackee in brine is available at ShopRite in Rochelle Park and Hackensack Market on Passaic Street. 

 

How to use Costco Wholesale as an ATM

A shopping trip to Costco Wholesale in Hackensack on Friday proved exhausting.

This month, many shoppers were spending their American Express rebate checks.

Editor's note: Costco Wholesale shoppers get rebate checks that far exceed their annual membership fee. Today, I also discuss Starbucks coffee and two more fish dishes.

I received more than $450 in rebates on  purchases at Costco Wholesale, gasoline stations, restaurants and everywhere else with my TrueEarnings credit card from American Express, and they arrived in the form of two checks.

A week apart, I took the checks to my Costco in Hackensack, spent only part of the total and walked away with lots of cash.

That's a no-fee ATM for the frugal shopper.

A cup of Starbucks Blonde Veranda Blend brewed at home.

Hold the milk 

Starbucks describes its Blonde Veranda Blend of whole coffee beans as "mellow and soft," and I can add that the brew is free of any trace of bitterness.

I bought 1 pound for $6.95 during a promotion (regularly $11.95), and asked for it as a Turkish grind, essentially a powder.

I brewed a few cups on Friday, and didn't add any of the usual low-fat milk.

After drinking a cup, I decided it is better than anything I have bought in recent years at Fairway Market in Manhattan and Paramus.

 
More fish dishes

Sliced cucumber with canned fish salad -- pink salmon, yellow fin tuna and sardines with diced celery and apple; Dijon mustard, lime juice and ground cumin. Most of the ingredients are available at Costco Wholesale.

Leftover pan-fried fresh wild cod from Costco Wholesale served over leftover Goya low-sodium black beans with Kirkland Signature Diced Organic Tomatoes.

H Mart helps me make a quick dinner

Prepared Korean food with homemade, stir-fried collard greens.

Dinner on Monday night was stewed, wild-caught Alaskan pollock; thin, pan fried slices of whiting, stewed tofu and collard greens -- all from H Mart in Englewood.

The Korean supermarket has a terrific selection of prepared food, fresh fish and an array of fresh greens for stir-frying.

The stewed pollock and tofu are made with red pepper, but the whiting is so bland it needs gochujang, a red-pepper paste in a squeze bottle, and it has a few small but annoying bones.

Pan-fried whiting with gochujang, tofu and store-bought guacamole.

Pan-fried whiting, left, and a variety of Korean pancakes.

H Mart's kimchi selection, but I prefer to buy Arirang Kimchi where it is hand-made a couple of blocks away at 191 W. Englewood Ave. in Engflewood.

On Sunday, my wife picked fresh, wild-caught whole sea bass for $5.99 a pound at the Englewood H Mart at 25 Lafayette Ave. in Englewood.

I seasoned mine, rubbed the skin with olive oil and fresh lime juice and roasted it in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Reduced-fat cheese, lettuce and smoked wild salmon.

On Monday, I picked up bulgogi marinade and two heads of red-leaf lettuce for a Korean barbecue dinner the meat eaters in the family were planning to have.

My wife thinly sliced free-range Nature's Reserve whole beef tenderloin for filet mignon, which she is marinating before cooking it on a stove-top grill. 

The cooked beef slices are dipped in gochujang and wrapped in lettuce, along with rice and kimchi, before they go down the hatch. 

I sometimes grill shrimp as a substitute for the beef. 

You can use lettuce wraps for other dishes, such as canned fish salad with diced celery and apples, Dijon mustard, lime juice and ground cumin.

Or just use lettuce to wrap slices of reduced-fat cheese and smoked wild salmon with whole-grain Dijon mustard. 

H Mart's stewed tofu and pan-friend whiting are $6.99 each, collard greens were 99 cents a pound and stewed tofu usually is $4.99.

Lettuce wraps with canned fish salad.

 

Leftovers get lost in the refrigerator

Organic whole-wheat spaghetti with salted cod fish and anchovies.

Canned-fish salad with celery, Dijon mustard, lime juice and ground cumin.

Editor's note: Why do I end up eating all of the leftovers? Also today, a trip to Costco yields two beautiful all-cotton shirts, and I rave over the salads at a Thai restaurant.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

On Christmas Day, I had a canned-fish salad with tuna, salmon and sardines as part of a homemade Feast of the Seven Fishes, relying on what I had on hand.

A few days later, I went looking for the canned-fish salad, and couldn't find it. 

So I made more, this time adding a small dice of sweet apple to cans of pink salmon and sardines with celery, Dijon mustard, lemon juice and ground cumin.

Today, rummaging in the refrigerator for a snack, I found the first version behind several other containers. 

I tried them side by side, and definitely prefer the one with the apple in it. 

Leftovers don't get any respect in our house from anyone but me.

In an effort to cut down the time and work that go into home-cooked meals, I make large batches of mashed sweet potatoes, pasta with sardines, canned-fish salad, 10-grain hot cereal with dried fruit and other dishes.

But I'm the one who usually ends up eating almost all of them, as other members of the family -- the meat eaters -- chase after a fresh taste sensation almost every night.

If something is good, I can eat the same dish a few times a week.

On Sunday afternoon, I made a pound of Trader Joe's Organic Whole Wheat Spaghetti with bottled Victoria Marinara Sauce, salted cod fish and anchovies. 

Even though I mentioned my intention to do so to my wife that morning, she prepared a big pot of tripe soup, and I was the only one who had spaghetti.

I ate it with leftover flounder no one but me touched after we had it for dinner one night, and my teenage son never had any of the fish.

Multi-tasking at Costco

I went to Costco Wholesale in Hackensack today for Kashi Trail Mix Chewy Granola Bars and raw, sodium-free almonds, and came home with those items and two beautiful, all-cotton shirts for only $17.99 each.

  

My salad days

I continue to be wowed by the salads at Wondee's, our favorite Thai restaurant (photos above).

On Saturday night, we shared a crunchy, fresh green papaya salad with lemon juice, chili, peanuts, green beans, tomato and dried ground shrimp (Som Thum, $8).

We also shared a second salad, from the vegetarian menu, of crispy tofu tossed with shredded apple, carrot, orange and onion in lime juice and chili paste (Yum Rod Pedt, $10).

Our entree (photo above) was steamed jumbo shrimp topped with sweet and sour chili sauce (Koong Lard Prig, $17).

We also had wonton and seafood soups.
 

Wondee's Fine Thai Food and Noodles, 296 Main St., Hackensack; 201-883-1715. BYO. Free parking in rear off Camden Street.