Trader Joe's blog and cooking.
The pros: Trader Joe’s Les Petites Carrots of Many Colors are ready to go peeled and similar sized carrots ready to be roasted.
The cons: This item is pricey as compared to a very similar product called Carrots of Many Colors. You’ll want to put something under the carrots. The purple ones let go enough moisture that you would think a squid as on your pan.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Rainbow Cauliflower is new and adds to a growing list of cauliflower products. This is a solid choice if you are looking for a side.
The cons: While cauliflower may help you feel full, there doesn’t seem to be much fiber in this stuff.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Stir Fry Vegetables is a nice sized and easy to prepare stir fry mix.
The cons: The balance of the veggies could have been better. Mine seemed to be mostly pea pods.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Mexican Style Roasted Corn is a flavor explosion. I thought it was fantastic on its own and could be used to compliment a number of dishes.
The cons: If you have food allergies, then some of the allergy information was a bit unexpected.
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 Nacho Kale Chips are vegan, tasty, nacho flavor without any cheese. Therefore it’s healthier in than potato chips and comes in a resealable bag for portion control
The cons: At almost $4 per bag, you are paying the equivalent of almost $32 per pound for kale.
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 Steak and Stout Pie has a delicious pie crust, directions were on point, surprisingly filling for a small pie.
The cons: Trader Joe’s Steak and Stout Pie is also a calorie and nutritional bomb. Microwave is not recommended if you want the crisp pastry crust which means if you are hungry right now you are at least 45 minutes from eating this.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Pizza Veggie Burgers is a tasty veggie burger that lives up to its name. It tastes like a pizza.
The cons: Judge this against a real burger you might not appreciate the fact that this product is not trying to be meat or impersonate any meat variety….
The pros: Tasty, slightly spicy and doesn’t pretend to be meat. Better if prepared on the stove top or oven which gives it a tasty crust. Trader Joe’s Quinoa Cowboy Veggie Burgers are filling as a burger or as a side.
The cons: A bit mushy in the microwave, but the taste was still there.
The verdict: …
The pros: A new addition to the freezer section. Trader Joe’s Cauliflower and Broccoli Vegetable Patties are quick and easy that taste fresh and require minimal work. While they won’t work out as a burger, they will make a nutritious side dish.
The cons: You’ll need to add something here to make it more flavorful. This is a blank canvas. I found the addition of a bit of salt to be essential. No microwave allowed on this one.
The verdict: …
The pros: Recent addition to the freezer aisle. Trader Joe’s Carrot and Pea Vegetable Patties looks like the picture on the package. Good source of vitamins, good ingredients. Healthy. If you need a break from frozen veggies this might give you a break.
The cons: Trader Joe’s Carrot and Pea Vegetable Patties has good potential but taste was bland but is improved with salt when it’s done cooking or by hot sauce.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Pork Gyoza Potstickers comes in a large bag that has lots of suggestion on how to prepare this product.
The cons: While the directions say this can be prepared in the microwave, you really shouldn’t. Ever. Even with a wet paper towel the pasta partially dried out and was rubbery. The filling does not have a lot of flavor or salt, so you may want to consider dipping this in something salty like a soy sauce.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Beef Shepherd’s Pie is an all in one meal that contains vegetables, meat and starch
The cons: Not a well done shepherd’s pie and some of the soggiest mashed potatoes I’ve had. The mashed potatoes overwhelmed this dish as did the lack of flavor here.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Chicken Shu Mai is pretty good. The quality of the shu mai reminded me of the bags of the shu mai I used to buy from the Asian market. Simple preparation. Came out fine in the microwave. Super tasty sauce.
The cons: I found the microwave directions to be off. Mine needed 3 minutes instead of the 1-2 suggested on the box. Also, I recommend that you put the bag of sauce in a bowl of hot water to at least bring it up to room temperature. Sodium seems high, but that is likely due to the sauce being figured into the nutritional value. Sauce should also be sold in a bottle. Sadly, it isn’t.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Jaipur Vegetables does not take up space in your freezer. It’s a pantry item. Was ready in about a minute.
The cons: You’ll need a separate microwave safe dish or container if you are using the microwave. You might find that this is a hard to find item because for me it’s located on the bottom shelf of my local Trader Joe’s.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Vegetable Birds Nests is a quick appetizer ready in about 10 minutes. If you enjoy fritters, you’ll probably like this. Sauce was a very tasty tempura sauce. You probably won’t even need the second packet. Nests are good on their own, but the sauce is what really makes them.
The cons: While this looks like it would be a healthy choice in the appetizer section, it is tempura fried. While you might be expecting veggies here, it’s mostly onion. It felt very greasy on my hands and may benefit from sitting on a paper towel for a minute or two.
The verdict: …
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….
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: …
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: …
Yes, you read the title correctly this article is all about The Stress-Free Trader Joe’s Thanksgiving and Holiday Dinner Ready in 1 Hour. It is possible to have a complete Thanksgiving dinner ready in an hour. …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Portobello Fries are a phenomenal alternative to potato fries. Imagine tempura fried steak. Instead of steak put in the meatiness of portobello mushrooms with the right balance of subtle seasoning.
The cons: Some of the largest pieces were not as crispy as I would have liked. No microwaving allowed on this one. Because the mushrooms were all different sizes cooking times will vary. Some will be ready before others.
The verdict: …
The pros: How do you get people to eat their veggies? Make them into fries like Trader Joe’s Julienned Root Vegetables. A unique blend of different root vegetables that can be roasted into essentially fries.
The cons: For some there is going to be way too much pepper on this.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Black Bean and Jack Cheese Burrito is a really tasty, cheese is melty after 90 seconds in the microwave, quick meal on the go.
The cons: It’s 40% or more of your daily value of sodium, saturated fat and fiber (bad if you are not used to this much fiber)
The verdict: …
