Trader Joe's blog and cooking.
So if I’m going to do all these bread reviews, it’s only fair to share something that could use some bread. Or something for all that bread to sop up. I love a good sauce, but with almost a foot of snow being predicted by the weekend, I was thinking about some hearty meal planning and lots of staying indoors by the weekend.
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Well, it wouldn’t be the beginning of the year without looking at the lighter options available at Trader Joe’s. Now, I’ve had my fair share of Mac and Cheese offerings from the Pepperoni Mac and Cheese, Truffle Mac and Cheese, Gluten Free Mac and Cheese, Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, and Hatch Chile Mac and Cheese. And yes, they are mostly pretty good.
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The pros: Trader Joe’s Smoked Salmon Poke Bowl is another new addition to the refrigerated section and has a lot of familiar flavors.
The cons: My brown rice was a bit more on the undercooked side.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Classic Hamburger Buns are basic buns.
The cons: These are completely average hamburger buns.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Lemon Pepper Pappardelle is thick cut pasta that has a nice lemon taste.
The cons: Flavor might not be for everyone. Best served with olive oil or butter. Expensive compared to regular boxed pasta.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Beefless Ground Beef has a texture that is pretty close to ground beef. This is a blank canvas that will take well to your cooking abilities. This product does need your love an attention.
The cons: This probably will not make a good “hambuger.” It needs something to be added to make this product better. Strongest flavor present is onions.
The verdict: …
Velveeta and Kraft have nothing to worry about with Trader Joe’s Microwavable Mac and Cheese. The taste of Trader Joe’s Microwavable Mac and Cheese was just ok. Most importantly, you’ll have to bring your own dish.
The pros: Trader Joe’s Microwavable Mac and Cheese is only 230 calories per serving.
The cons: You might need to add additional water beyond what the instructions call for as my pasta came out dry every single time.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Wine Country Chicken Salad has large chunks of chicken, cranberry, celery and walnuts with some poppy seeds sprinkled in for some subtle texture.
The cons: The balance in this product seems wrong. There was too much mayo and the chunks of cranberries were left in huge chunks.
The verdict: …
During the winter holiday season I noticed Trader Joe’s Mini Quiche Duo . As quickly as they appeared in the freezer aisle, they seem to have disappeared like so many other well done products. Sadness about that product aside, I decided to be adventurous and try the much larger Trader Joe’s Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche. It’s closer to being full sized. Good enough for 1 person or two if you have a side that you’ll serve with it.
The pros: Trader Joe’s Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche had a nice flaky crust out of the toaster oven, loaded with broccoli and had a nice cheesy taste.
The cons: While the directions for Trader Joe’s Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche say you can put this in the microwave, I think you might end up sacrificing the quality of the pastry crust here. Nutritional information is a bit of a bummer after knowing it tastes so good.
The verdict: …
Sometimes you just don’t have the time boil a whole big pot of water to make pasta. Maybe you also don’t want to dirty a pan for a sauce either. Trader Joe’s Penne Arrabbiata is a decent choice in the freezer aisle, but may need some adapating to what you like.
The pros: Trader Joe’s Penne Arrabbiata is al dente pasta with a slightly spicy tomato sauce. Out of the microwave was pretty good for freezer food.
The cons: Don’t expect the Arrabbiata sauce to blow you away. It’s just ok because there is one classic flavor missing.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter and Oat Bars are tasty. The frosting adds a nice peanut butter sweetness to it.
The cons: If you are looking for a bar with a smooth texture, Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter and Oat Bars isn’t it.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Handmade White Tortillas are super tasty and very fresh tasting. These are imperfectly shaped which makes them seem a bit more homemade.
The cons: I wish these were available in more sizes and I wish I could find this on a more consistent basis.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Thai Sweet Chili Veggie Burger is an Asian spin on their other veggie burgers. Was tasty out of the frying pan. Heat is subtle but present. Trader Joe’s Thai Sweet Chili Burger had enough oil in the burger to cook it without oil in a pan.
The cons: If you are looking for that fake meat flavor, you are out of luck here.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Grilled Eggplant Wrap is a decent wrap but the star was the spicy tahini sauce.
The cons: For a vegan dish, this has quite a bit of fat in it. Sitting in the refrigerated aisle did the bread on this no favors.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Yuzu Hot Sauce tastes like lemon and can compliment anything lemon based by adding a touch of heat.
The cons: Trader Joe’s Yuzu Hot Sauce is a bit pricier than other hot sauces.
The verdict: …
The pros: If you are a fan of Arnold’s Sandwich Thins, Trader Joe’s Multi Grain Slims is pretty darn similar. High fiber and only 100 calories.
The cons: High fiber, so if you aren’t used to much fiber in your diet these might be a shock to your system.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Beef Cabernet Pot Roast is well seasoned, well trimmed and tasty overall.
The cons: You might want a gravy with this, or at least make your own gravy out of the juices. No actual red wine in this.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Garlic and Herb Pizza Dough is inexpensive, quick, easy, little wait time, you are only limited by your own creativity.
The cons: Short shelf life but can be frozen.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s This Fig Walks Into a Bar is organic, flavorful, some nutritional value, tasty, inexpensive compared to other organic snack bars.
The cons: The entire line of “This Insert Fruit Name Here Walks Into a Bar” cereal bars are addicting, it’s just a matter of which flavor you’ll enjoy. I found this to be the sweetest of the bunch.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Chicken Enchiladas Verde are pretty close to what you might expect in a Mexican Restaurant without having to go out or pay restaurant prices.
The cons: Calorie count is higher than expected. Each enchilada is one serving. Don’t get me wrong, they are filling and nicely sized. The taste might convince you that eating all of them is a good idea….
The pros: Trader Joe’s Cheese Enchiladas Rojo are pretty close to what you might expect in a Mexican Restaurant, if not possibly better.
The cons: While the directions don’t mention it, my enchiladas stuck to the bottom of the pan that I used (and no, the pan they come in can’t go in the oven). Some cooking spray or parchment could have dealt with that issue. Calorie count is higher than expected and it’s easy for one person to sit and eat all of these in one sitting.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Tomato Feta Soup is a very tasty and fresh tomato soup that is nothing like the canned variety.
The cons: The taste of the feta cheese didn’t come through the other flavor here.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Pear Halves are well peeled, sweet, tender pears. They did a good job of making sure there were no extraneous inedible parts of the pear remaining.
The cons: Price. For what you are getting here, it is pricey compared to the grocery store. You can get a similar sized jar of similar quality. They can be found on sale for 2/$5. If Trader Joe’s is the only place you are going to shop, then there is no issue. If price point is your concern, it might be worth a trip to another store.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Zucchini Fries are tasty, lightly battered pieces of zucchini that when cooked were nice and crispy. Vegan if that is important to you.
The cons: Salt level will need some adjustment to taste, slices of zucchini were very uneven which leads to uneven cooking where some fries were super crisp (almost burnt) in 25 minutes. Others were mushy. Bag is not resealable.
The verdict: …
