I recently went to Fig and Olive for dinner. The food was fantastic. There was one item that took me by surprise when we went there: Zucchini Carpaccio. I split an appetizer and it’s something I would have ever had ordered in a million years. Priced at $12 it’s not something I’m going to run there and order on regularly. It’s something tasty, simple, with a good balance between acid, texture, salt, and pepper. On top of everything else, it’s vegetarian and relatively healthy. It’s uncooked and with thinly sliced zucchini you won’t miss it being cooked….
cheesy
Trader Joe’s Mozzarella Whole Milk Low Moisture Cheese
The pros: Trader Joe’s Mozzarella Whole Milk Low Moisture Cheese is sold as a full pound of cheese.
The cons: Difficult to cut even slices, not nearly as flavorful as Trader Joe’s Pre-Sliced Mozzarella. This is less like fresh Mozzarella and more like a harder Polly-O.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Chunky Portobello Mushroom Ravioli
The pros: Fresh and tasty pasta ready in about 5 minutes from when you boil water. Sautéed mushroom and garlic taste with a light cheese filling. Trader Joe’s Portobello Mushroom Ravioli reminded me of the mushrooms that come with a chicken marsala.
The cons: If you don’t mushrooms much, then avoid these because the filling is mostly mushrooms and a bit of cheese.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Spinach Ricotta Ravioli
The pros: Trader Joe’s Spinach Ricotta Ravioli has a fresh pasta taste, freshly sautéed spinach taste and texture in the filling
The cons: It’s also light on the cheese filling which might not make everyone happy.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Organic Frozen Pizza Crusts
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Frozen Pizza Crusts are quick, easy, fast, and convenient way of making homemade pizza so you don’t have to spend $15 on a pie.
The cons: Very bland tasting crust. It needed more salt, so if its flavor you are looking for please add it. Be sure to have a pizza peel before making pizza. A regular spatula or turner will not pick up a pizza pie. Just saying. Have the right equipment.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Roasted Cauliflower and Cheese Mezzelune
The pros: Trader Joe’s Roasted Cauliflower Cheese Mezzelune is a lovely well balanced, but slightly under stuffed ravioli that is a good balance between roasted cauliflower and cheese.
The cons: None really come to mind.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Truffle Mac and Cheese
The pros: Trader Joe’s Truffle Mac and Cheese is a tasty, well done mushroom mac and cheese with the notes of truffle that are pronounced without being overdone.
The cons: Watch the calorie count, this box actually contains 2 servings so about 600 calories if you are bringing this to lunch with you. If you’ve never had truffle before, there is a distinct earthiness that’s hard to describe, but it may not be a flavor everyone will appreciate.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Cheese Enchiladas
The pros: Trader Joe’s Cheese Enchiladas are in the freezer section and is better than other major brands of enchiladas but..
The cons: Just average, nothing special, stick with your local Mexican restaurant for the real thing.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Camembert Cheese and Cranberry Sauce Fillo Bites
The pros: Trader Joe’s Camembert Cheese and Cranberry Sauce Fillo Bites are crunchy, flaky, tasty appetizer that I found addicting. Cranberry adds just enough acid to make this exciting on the palate. Serve this at a party and these will disappear.
The cons: Only 8 pieces come in a package. Watch cooking times. Mine were done in 8 minutes in a convection toaster oven.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Mozzarella Sticks
The pros: Trader Joe’s Mozzarella Sticks are pretty good mozzarella sticks from a freezer bag. Breading was crisp out of the toaster oven. Watch cook times, there is a a fine line between not melted and puddle of cheese (which still will taste good for the record)
The cons: Bread crumbs didn’t stick as well as I hoped. They were a bit messy. I’d also cook them a minute or two longer than recommended as I want my cheese to be as melty as possible.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Corn Pudding
The pros: Trader Joe’s Corn Pudding is a tasty custardy corn dish loaded with cheese. I’m not sure why 1 cup was the serving size which will fill you up.
The cons: A whopping 60% of your saturated fat is coming in one serving.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Scalloped Potatoes with Quattro Formaggio
The pros: Super cheesy scalloped potatoes ready in 20 minutes from the oven. No runny milk at the bottom of the dish. Trader Joe’s Scalloped Potatoes with Quattro Formaggio was nothing but cheesy goodness with nice even pieces of potatoes.
The cons: None that I could think of.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Italian Bigonda Cheese with Herbs
The pros: If you take the texture and firmness of a mozzarella cheese, the taste of a cheddar cheese with a splash of herbs you would have Trader Joe’s Italian Bigonda Cheese.
The cons: If you don’t like dried herbs like the ones listed in the ingredients in your cheese, then you should pass on this. Although I personally hate caraway seeds and fennel seeds they didn’t play a strong role in this cheese. The parsley and chives were more noticeable visually and in flavor.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gratin
The pros: Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gratin is tasty, flavorful and cheesy cauliflower dish that might make non cauliflower eaters think twice about passing over this vegetable.
The cons: It makes a healthy item slightly unhealthy, but that’s why it’s a gratin.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
So I may have had Thanksgiving early in my household. So they’ll be a lot of reviews of items that are worthwhile to serve in the coming days. The holidays can be very stressful because of all the preparation that needs to be done in advance. I cheated this year. Everything came from Trader Joe’s. So I got everything I needed out of the freezer an hour before company came. I cut out all the cook times from the boxes and placed them next to each item that was about the head into the oven so everything could be ready all at the same time. One of the appetizers that came out of the freezer was Trader Joe’s Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms.
The pros: Easy appetizer that won’t kill you in calories. Cheesy, spinachy filling that wasn’t overdone with bread crumbs.
The cons: Takes a bit longer than most appetizers in the oven. Mine took 30 minutes. These should be served straight out of the oven. Mine cooled down pretty quick.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Cranberry Chevre
The pros: Trader Joe’s Cranberry Chevre is super tasty. Would have never thought to add cranberry and goat cheese. They were an awesome combination. Super fresh addition to a salad.
The cons: None that I can think of.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Arancini Bites
The pros: Trader Joe’s Arancini Bites are ooey and gooey cheesy rice balls that have a molten chunk of cheese waiting for you if cooked correctly. Ready in under 15 minutes. This is one of my go to items if I need a quick side, appetizer or I’m just too lazy to make dinner.
The cons: No microwave allowed on this one.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Harvest Gorgonzola Tarte
The pros: I was pleasantly surprised that Trader Joe’s Harvest Gorgonzola Tarte was not as terrible as I was anticipating. The combination sounded unappealing, but since I’ve eaten every other tart in the line I had to have this as well. I enjoyed this almost as much as I did Trader Joe’s Tarte d’Alsace with Ham, Onions, & Gruyere. That is still my favorite, but this is a solid runner up worth a look. For $3.49 it’s one of the less expensive tarts.
The cons: You’ll need to like veggies, but all of the veggies tasted sautéed and were tender. The bottom of mine was a bit soggy after cooking.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Tarte aux Champignons
The pros: Trader Joe’s Tarte aux Champignons has a strong mushroom smell right out of the oven. Cheese was delicious and unexpected from a pizza like tart.
The cons: Can’t use the microwave and the tarte was a bit soggy in the middle. So watch you cooking time.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Buenalba with Sweet Paprika Cheese
The pros: Trader Joe’s Buenalba with Sweet Paprika Cheese is a unique tasting cheese that is hard to place. It says that its raw goat and sheep’s milk cheese. It truly ended up tasting like Bleu Cheese (If you are into that sort of thing). It’s not spicy at all.
The cons: Trader Joe’s Buenalba cheese tasted like Blue Cheese and not the velvety smooth goat cheese taste I was looking for.
The verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Pizza Greco Roman
Pizza used to be a cheap thing from the local pizzeria. Now, pizza in the surrounding area can now set you back close to $20 a pie. On the other end of the spectrum, if you catch a good sale at the supermarket you can get a personal sized pie for $1. Trader Joe’s Pizza Greco Roman is $3.99 and for that you get 2 pies. So we are looking at about $2 per pizza here. So here is the breakdown of what you get:
The Good: A solid choice in the freezer section of Trader Joes, thin crust, good amount of toppings. Personal pie size.
The Bad: No microwave on this one, but maybe thats a good thing. Sitting down and eating 1 pizza is 3 servings so keep that in mind.
The Verdict: …
Trader Joe’s Gnocchi al Gorgonzola
I’ve reviewed other Trader Joe’s Gnocchi such as Trader Joe’s Gnocchi alla Sorrentina and Trader Joe’s Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Butter and Sage (which for the record is my absolute favorite). So being unable to find my favorite flavor that I had purchased the week before, I picked up the Sorrentina and this one, Trader Joe’s Gnocchi alla Gorgonzola.
Gorgonzola is similar to blue cheese, just an Italian variation. So I was curious by this one. I found this to be completely confusing flavor, but my husband loved it. If you like a gnocchi alfredo with the subtle taste of bleu cheese this is likely for you. Blue cheese of any variety has the potential to overwhelm any dish, but that was not the case here. It was enough blue cheese to muddle the alfredo flavor.
So what do you get for $2.99?…
Trader Joe’s 3 Cheese Wafers
Need a light snack? Now, don’t take the packages words to heart. Is it crisp? Yes. Cheesy? Yes. Little? Oh yes. Very little. Are they perfect with cheeses or charcuterie? I’m sure, but you’d have to have really tiny pieces to make it fit on Trader Joe’s 3 Cheese Wafers….
