Trader Joe's blog and cooking.
The pros: Trader Joe’s Mixed Mushroom and Spinach Quiche is frozen item that can be ready in about 30 minutes. The crust crisps right up and the filling is tasty and does not skimp on veggies.
The cons: Almost all the saturated fat and cholesterol you should have in one day are in this one quiche. Mushrooms do make this a touch watery in some spots. No microwave allowed on this one.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Spanakopita has a dozen tasty appetizer sized spinach pies that are read in about 20 minutes.
The cons: Probably not the most authentic. What you could get at your local Greek restaurant will be closer to the real thing. Some of them were very much frozen together and difficult to pull apart before putting them in the toaster oven
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Spinach Tortellini are ready in literally 2 minutes and they are tasty little tortellini.
The cons: These are tortellini and are much smaller than Trader Joe’s Pesto Tortelloni. Don’t expect filling like Trader Joe’s Spinach Ricotta Ravioli either. There is just no room
The verdict: …
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: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Creamy Polenta is a solid polenta dish with minimal effort beyond microwaving. Reheats well. While the title of the dish is creamy, it actually has a fine risotto like texture to it. A dish that will compliment something substantial. Good balance of veggies mixed into this.
The cons: If you are looking to serve this as a main dish, you might be disappointed. The flavor of the polenta is more muted and the veggies are more pronounced.
The verdict: …
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: …
I love a good dip. Dip is something that I usually order as an appetizer when I go out to eat. But sometimes there are quiet nights in where we just watch TV, Netflix or a movie on DVD. So we make ourselves a couple of drinks and enjoy snack food rather and a real meal. Of all the dips I’ve tried Trader Joe’s Spinach and Artichoke Dip is my favorite.
Pros: Taste, ease of preparing, price of $2.99. It is creamy and cheesy with just the right amount of spinach and artichokes.
Cons: Finding it in Trader Joe’s. Small box which means it can be hard to find. This is one of those items I tried as a sample. I’ve been hooked ever since. If you are having company you might need a few of these. This was a good size for 2 people.
The Verdict: …
Trader Joe’s is so good about expanding the culinary horizon beyond what you find in the traditional supermarket. If you’ve ever been in a Trader Joe’s, keeping most items stocked is a challenge even for the best run store. Some days you can find an item, some days you can’t. In the freezer section, next to the Indian entrees was something I hadn’t seen before: Bibimbap. If you have no idea what this is, it’s a Korean dish with beef, rice, and veggies. I’ve never had it elsewhere so I have nothing to compare it to. So here is what I had while enjoying Trader Joe’s Bibimbap Bowl…
