“FLAVORFUL AND HEARTY, GREAT FOR MAKING LARGE SANDWICHES”
For years I’ve gotten the very good, sliced bread Trader Joe’s calls “San Francisco Style Sourdough” round loaf. I’ve found it’s just a great all around sliced bread to generally have on hand, good for toast and sandwiches, sold for an affordable price ($3.49).
This new Trader Joe’s bread is a variation on that other sourdough style bread: This one is CRACKED WHEAT SOURDOUGH“. I like this one too. Its also good. It’s a slightly “heartier” version of the original SF style bread.
Here’s my honest review. The cracked wheat makes a nice variation. This one has a bit of a heartier taste and texture. Not to mention it has slightly thicker slices.
So this bread has some whole wheat flour in it plus a bit of cracked whole wheat, and has a little bit of a darker color, with visible light brown flecks of cracked wheat. The cracked wheat in the recipe makes a hearty slice with a nice soft chewy interior and a nicely chewy crust.
Like the original SF bread, this is a round, sliced loaf which is 24 oz (1 1/2 lbs) but sliced a bit thicker. Here, one loaf has about 13 slices, as compared to the “SF style” loaf which has about 16 slices. The slightly thicker slices make it “heartier”, which might be good for building hearty sandwiches for one thing, or just a bit bigger piece of yummy sourdough toast. This makes a nice hearty slice of toast.
Tip: I find this is best toasted or at least warmed. I say this bread is made to be toasted, even if just lightly. I just find it reaches its full potential toasted or grilled, even a little bit. Which is true for a lot of breads.
TOAST: I toasted this up till golden brown. This makes a great piece of toast. I spread it simply with some good butter and a little jam. So if for nothing else, this thick sliced bread will make you a hearty slice of toast at breakfast, though you will find plenty of uses for it as you will see below.
Now just as is, un-toasted, this bread is fine, but for me, nothing like what it tastes like, after being toasted, even a little. Toasting or grilling this even a wee bit, really brings out the flavor as well as texture.
Of course the thicker slices here will make great sandwiches as it will be a bit sturdier than the slightly thinner slices of the SF Style Sourdough (also great toasted). Sturdy enough to even make a Dagwood sandwich. These thicker slices would certainly, as TJ’s sign says, just be perfect “for making large sandwiches” not to mention Open Faced sandwiches. Think of this for some Avocado Toast as it will be perfect, for one just idea. Grilled cheese? A No Brainer. How about a Tuna Melt? Yes again.
I made a closed TUNA MELT with the Cracked Wheat bread, and that turned out great.
I also used the bread to make an open faced sardine sandwich on a slice of this, lightly toasted. Toast bread, spread a little butter then load it with my favorite smoked sardines from TJ’s mashed up with a little mayo and lemon juice. Very yummy.
What about this bread for Grilled Cheese, you ask? Perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches of any kind. I made a yummy grilled cheese kimchi sandwich (no really, that is a thing now and it works great!) I used cheddar and mozz with a little bit of TJ’s KIMCHI. Super delicious.
So good for sandwiches and good just toasted for breakfast spread with some good butter, with or without jam.
For my next endeavor using this bread, I am thinking of doing an “egg in the hole” for next Sunday’s breakfast, which I expect would be great using this hearty bread grilled up.
So my review is that TJ’s sliced cracked wheat sourdough bread is it is well worth checking out if you want slightly healthier sourdough at Trader Joe’s and you want your slices a little bit thicker.
(PS – This seems pretty popular and sometimes they do seem to sell out of this, but it usually comes back in a day or so; Ask the store Captain if you don’t see, it when they expect it back in stock)
I call this “sourdough style” bread. In the style. Don’t think “sourdough bread” like you would get at a high end bakery ($15?)
STORAGE – Generally I will freeze bread if keeping it more than three days in the fridge. Since it’s sliced, its pretty easy to take out a slice or two as needed. In the freezer its good for a month or two, but can get freezer burn if you are not carefully wrapping it and keeping it tightly sealed. Double bagging it isn’t a bad idea. Some people I know always keep bread out on the counter at room temp. They give me a slice and sometimes I see green mold (bread will develop mold after maybe a week if no preservatives like this one) Not recommended!
Wow is this new dried Green Mango from Trader Joe’s good. I found it just delicious. All I know is that bag went fast as I could not stop eating it.
Strips of green mango which have been cut into thin strips, then sweetened and dried. They are not hard or tough, just pleasantly chewy. Now green, or unripe mango is tart. These are sweet with just the tiniest hint of tartness which makes this quite savory and delicious.
TJ’s has this to say: “Just how does our glorious Green Mango get its tangy twist? It’s pretty simple, actually. Our Thai supplier picks their mangoes early, before they’re ripe. The mangoes are peeled, sliced into strips, and sweetened with cane sugar, then dried in a unique process that uses vegetable-based glycerin to keep the Mango soft, but never mushy.”
“Low Fat” huh? Well they certainly left out adding any olive oil to this sauce, even though any Marinara sauce recipe calls for olive oil. Which may be just among many reasons two different tasters found this to sauce to be way less than good. My neighbor bought this, was very disappointed, and gave me the rest of the jar to get a second opinion on it. I didn’t like it either. Apparently we are not alone in not liking this. Sporked had this pasta sauce ranked at the bottom of a review of 16 Trader Joe’s sauces:
“If you want the best marinara sauce, this ain’t it. It’s flat and watery and the herbs taste like the old dried stuff you find when you’re moving.” (-Sporked) Hah! They gave this 2 1/2 out of 10. I concur.
Organic does not always mean good.
This also costs quite a bit more, almost twice the price of one of Trader Joe’s best pasta sauces, the well regarded ROASTED GARLIC MARINARA ($1.99). That’s the one you should buy. Simple and good.
Trader Joe’s has recently introduced their own HOISIN SAUCE.
What’s hoisin (hoy-sin) sauce you say? Hoisin is a classic Chinese sauce . I’m pretty sure I first learned of it eating Peking Duck, as its the traditional classic slightly sweet sauce spread on the pancakes with the duck and scallions.
“Made from fermented soy bean paste and brown sugar, making it vegan. Highly versatile condiment for stir fry sauce. Mix into sauteed mushrooms or noodles“
“Like any truly great #HoisinSauce, ours expresses a certain sticky sweetness, savory character, and velvety texture that make it exceptionally versatile. It’s made with a base of fermented soybean paste, black sesame paste, and brown sugar, and seasoned with aromatic spices like star anise, garlic powder, coriander seed, and Szechuan peppercorns.”
Most people know hoisin sauce from eating Peking Duck served in buns or pancakes. Naturally it matches well with duck but also chicken, pork and perhaps even a bit on a hamburger. You can use this with other ingredients (garlic, ginger, soy sauce) to add to Asian dishes, like stir fried dishes, and noodle dishes, etc or meats. Its versatile and good to have in the fridge for making Asian dishes.
A good versatile Asian sauce to to have in the fridge. Will last a long time.
“Our newest Cream Cheese Spread is celebratory, creamy, super savory, and full of flavor for all your summer schmearing needs. Trader Joe’s Red Bell Pepper, Garlic & Parmesan Cream Cheese Spread is a zesty combo with a heavy-handed sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, is flecked with red bell pepper, and studded with minced garlic throughout.”
( FYI it says “Limited”) so you may or may not find this…)
When I just tasted it on a spoon by itself. It seemed a bit on the strong side, predominately tasting of parmesan cheese. Of course its meant to be a spread, so I put a shmear of this cream cheese on a cracker. They were very good together. I used this spread the next morning on a toasted bagel spread with this stuff, topped with lots of slices of cucumber. That was quite good. It was good on bread and many things. In fact, I can easily see using some of this added to a pasta dish, thinned out with a bit of pasta water to make a creamy sauce. I’ve learned recently that some Italians actually use cream cheese mixed into pasta to make it creamy! I think this could match well in a sauce with sauteed cherry tomatoes.
So I do think this is worth a try if you see it. I would buy it again and experiment some more with it on different things, IF I can find it.
Chefs and pro cooks love these as its the purest, most natural form of vanilla. “Bourbon Vanilla” is considered the best vanilla, from Southeast Asia. I did check the label but assume these may be from Madagascar.
Pro cooks scrape out the tiny seeds inside these pods with a knife and use that in recipes that call for vanilla. Don’t throw out the pod after using either as they still have lots of aroma. You can put the pods into a large jar and and cover them with about a pound of sugar. Let that sit for a few days or more as the vanilla beans infuse the sugar so it becomes yummy Vanilla Sugar.
$2.99 for two vanilla beans
In addition to these Trader Joe’s has lots of other vanilla products like BOURBON VANILLA BEAN PASTE and they are all on the shelves now for the FALL/WINTER baking season.
Of course that old phrase “a cup of Java” immediately came to mind when I saw this name Java of The Gods.
Here’s a new Small Lot coffee at Trader Joe’s (Sep ’24) which I have to say for me at least is a BIG HIT. I give this one a very big thumbs up. If that name alone – JAVA OF THE GODS – doesn’t get your attention, just wait till you open up the bag and take a whiff. Its smells INTENSE. When I took a deep whiff, instantly my brain reacted with something like, “Yeah Baby!” This smells like COFFEE with a capital C. I seems more than worthy of the name “Java of the Gods“. If you like a dark roast, you should try this. It is heavenly.
“Dark Roast”. Do you see the sheen on the beans? Maybe you could call this “French Roast” as PORTO RICO IMPORTS – a place I used to buy beans from place – refers to the roast just before Espresso?
Porto Rico describef a French Roast like this : “The beans are deep brown and have developed a glossy coating, the result of the coffee oils being forced to the surface by the roasting process. The flavor of these coffees tends to be more developed then the lighter roasts. They will be strong with a deadly aroma. Also known as a continental roast, and Spanish roast.”
A DEADLY AROMA! Perfect. Grind up these beans and your kitchen will smell like Porto Rico’s store… I promise you will get an intense deadly aroma, with yes, as described right on the bag with notes of “Caramel, Nutty, Cocoa”.
I brewed up the ground coffee using a Moka pot. I even get a bit of crema done that way with this coffee. I would think these would work especially well in a true espresso machine. But even French Press or a pour over too. Any brew method should work as well. My brewed coffee was lovely. A rounded dark delicious cup of Java. I made a cappuccino with it, which is what I usually make in the morning. Naturally a dark coffee like this one is great for coffee drinks made with milk (cafe con leche, latte, cafe au lait….) as it will stand up to the milk.
I have a mental top 10 list of a few coffees at Trader Joe’s. This Java of the Gods got added to my list. This is a lovely coffee for anyone who can appreciate a dark roast. If that’s you, this small lot one is well worth a try
So we have another excellent SMALL LOT COFFE at a fairly reasonable price. Personally I will get a few bags next time I go while its still available, as TJ’s Small Lot coffees are Limited Editions and are around for a few months usually.
“The mild, slightly briny flavor and tender, meaty texture of Trader Joe’s Calamari Pieces in Olive Oil should win over even the most ‘tin-ative’ tasters; especially when incorporated into a charcuterie board with toasted Organic Baguette slices, Mini Heirloom Tomatoes, Colossal Garlic -Stuffed Olives, and fresh lemon wedges. And these Calamari also score a definite tinned-fish win when added to a bowl of Spanish Rice, or to a batch of prepared Linguine with Pesto & Tomatoes.”
Are you Tinned Fish aficionado? If so try this new product Trader Joe’s just introduced which could be interesting to all of those into exploring canned/tinned sardines and other fish, as this is a current popular craze that has really caught on big time via social media. This CALAMARI is a good addition to your tinned fish options.
Trader Joe’s newest addition to their line of canned seafood is: “Calamari Pieces in Olive Oil”. (calamari aka “jumbo squid). This is a Product Of Spain where fishermen catch the squid in the traditional manner, jigged/line caught. The squid is cleaned and the tentacles are cooked in olive oil and canned. When I opened up a can I thought the small pieces of the calamari (tentacles only) looked appealing. Nothing too scary.
The squid had a nice briny taste and was both tender and slightly chewy at the same time. Its good as-is out of the can however this was certainly improved with a squeeze of lemon and a few grinds of black pepper, so I say those are a must with this.
You could enjoy this as right out of the can as an appetizer with perhaps some toasted baguette or other good bread, or on some crackers. Or you might use this in a dish, for example to make a rice dish. You could make an easy Japanese style rice bowl – just top a bowl of warm rice with some of this squid and the juice. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of soy sauce.
I could easily envision using a can of this to make something like a “linguine with clam sauce” type of pasta just using this calamari instead of clams. Add lots of garlic, parsley, lemon, white wine and olive oil, either just like that or perhaps with a tomato sauce. Or using this in perhaps a Paella type of rice dish…
Use your imagination with this Calamari in Olive Oil! Let us know in the comments what you come up with.
$3.99
I would buy this again.
“The large tentacles of the captured Calamari are cleaned & cooked just enough to yield a firm, yet tender texture. They’re cut into 1.5-centimeter chunks and packed with extra virgin olive oil & salt.”
Read more about this on Trader Joe’s website here:
My recommendation? Don’t buy the version of these noodles which are in the red package. Get this one (black package) they came out with later, as it has a way better sauce (“Spicy Garlic and Sesame”)!
They came out with an improved sauce flavor of the popular SQUIGGLY KNIFE CUT NOODLES – this one with “spicy garlic sesame” sauce, as opposed to the the original one’s packet of “soy and sesame” sauce (which I found so crappy I suggest you not use it and make your own sauce)
This one comes with the sauce in 2 packets, one being the sesame sauce in a separate packet.
MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM BETWEEN TWO CHOCOLATE WAFERS
Well, my wife bought these for us to try. All I can say is this… about two days later she told me I had to go buy her another box as she found only one left. I had eaten most of them.
She barely got a chance to eat any of them and she wasn’t too happy about it. OK I confess this was true. I did eat almost all of them. I couldn’t stop myself! These are “Dangerously Good”, as we say in our house.
Basically these are small ice cream sandwiches; with mint chocolate chip ice cream between two chocolate wafers, like an Oreo/Joe Joe’s but these wafers are pretty soft.
The combination of mini and double chocolate inside and out is really good!
Eating just one of these is nigh on impossible, in fact I dare you to try eating just one (you will want another as soon as its finished)
Four of these have 240 calories, so figure one of the mini mouthfuls comes out to 60 calories.
The box goes for $4.49 (15 oz/12 mini ice cream sandwiches)
I would buy these again. (I have to. I ate almost the whole box myself)
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