During my latest Trader Joe’s run one of the products I was most looking forward to trying out was the cheese & corn arepas. I knew it would be the perfect side dish for chili and mexican style grain bowls. I had a lot of fun creating different arepa filling mixtures so today I’m sharing three of my favorite arepa variations.
1. Spinach & Black Bean Arepa – Serving Size: 1/2 Arepa
YOU WILL NEED:
1 Trader Joe’s Cheese & Corn Arepa, cut in half
2 tablespoons black beans
2 tablespoons chopped spinach
1/4 cup guacamole
1 teaspoon greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon cotija cheese (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F
2. Cook arepa following directions on package or until cheese is melted and arepa is golden brown
3. Make avocado crema by combining: guacamole, greek yogurt & lime juice, mix throughly
4. In a separate small bowl combine spinach & black beans; mix throughly
5. Let arepa cool for 5-10 minutes. Once cooled cut in half, fill with spinach mixture & enjoy!
2. Tempura Cauliflower Arepa – Serving Size: 1/2 Arepa
YOU WILL NEED:
1 Trader Joe’s Cheese & Corn Arepa, cut in half
2 tablespoons Trader Joe’s Kung Pao Tempura Cauliflower
2 tablespoons black beans
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon chili lime seasoning
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. Cook arepa & tempura cauliflower following directions on the packages or until both are golden brown
3. Combine cooked tempura cauliflower, black beans, hot sauce and chili lime seasoning in bowl; mix throughly
4. Let arepa cool for 5-10 minutes. Once cooled cut in half, fill with cauliflower mixture & enjoy!
3. BBQ Chicken Arepa – Serving Size: 1/2 Arepa
YOU WILL NEED:
1 Trader Joe’s Cheese & Corn Arepa, cut in half
2 tablespoons Trader Joe’s breaded chicken tenderloin breasts, chopped
2 tablespoons black beans
2 tablespoons BBQ sauce
1/4 teaspoon chili lime seasoning
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. Cook arepa & breaded chicken following directions on the packages or until both are golden brown
3. Combine cooked breaded chicken breasts, black beans, BBQ sauce and chili lime seasoning in bowl; mix throughly
4. Let arepa cool for 5-10 minutes. Once cooled cut in half, fill with BBQ chicken mixture & enjoy!
P.S. Looking for more quick & easy recipes? Check out our previous quick & easy recipe blog posts