This body wash is a must have for hot weather! “Invigorates with Peppermint, Eucalyptus and Tea Tree botanicals….” It’s the perfect product especially right now for the heat wave that much of the U.S. has been experiencing (July 2022). TJ’s Tea Tree Tingle body wash has tea tree oil, peppermint, eucalyptus and other natural essential plant botanical oils, which make for a really refreshing and invigorating body wash for your shower. It smells terrific. It was so refreshing sponging up with this after a really hot summer day in NYC where the thermometer hit 95 today. This stuff was a lifesaver.
Also, I’ve found its great to add a little when I am washing out my gym clothes, as it really makes them smell fresh. Certified Organic. Trader Joe’s sells this for just $3.99, a wow price and its a huge 16 oz bottle to boot.
Trader Joe’s says “A versatile dressing that can be used for salads, marinades and dips.”
I really like this. It’s one of Trader Joe’s best dressings.
It’s delicious as well as versatile. It’s an organic Japanese / Asian sesame based dressing which is great for any salads and I found for making coleslaw/slaws. Savory and a little sweet, with lots of Umami. When I say Versatile I mean this is more than just a dressing for salads. It is also an excellent marinade. For one thing its terrific with chicken. Marinate the chicken in some of this sauce for 1/2 hr or more before grilling, then brush on some more near the end as a glaze. You can also do the exact same thing with Tofu. It is really great as a sauce with the Baked Tofu. Slice up the tofu and pour some of this sauce over and sprinkle with scallions. Its also good just added on top of any sauteed veggies. Cold noodles with sesame sauce (add some more toasted sesame oil and some peanut butter and soy)
You could even mix in a tablespoon of chunky peanut butter into a some of this dressing for a Thai type variation.
Trader Joe’s Sriracha and Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce
“It’s the new ‘IT’ thing in BBQ sauce. You’re welcome”
It’s exactly as described on the label, “It’s got tang, it’s got heat, it has garlic and it has sweet.”
There is a little heat in this tomato based Organic BBQ sauce and for me the level is just right as well as the the little sweetness balancing out the heat. It’s spicyness would be from the organic red jalapeno pepper puree they use, and the Sweet would be from organic molasses. It has a little bit of hickory smoke flavor but not too much. Reading the label you see things like allspice, clove and habanero. So some complex flavors going on there. To me, everything is perfectly balanced to make a very tangy, tasty BBQ sauce. I really love this stuff. I think this is absolutely perfect for grilled chicken – or grilled tofu for that matter. Put it on at the end for a glaze. It was perfect to make the Pulled Jackfruit Sliders on Aloha Buns (see link below for recipe)
Trader Joe’s Sriracha and Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce
Interesting find at Trader Joe’s. Dwarf Banana Plant in Pot ($14.99)
Classify this in, “Now I’ve seen everything ?!” BTW those perfect yellow bananas you aren’t real, they are cardboard cutouts! Fakes! (or Aspirational) So realistic looking, the pictures even have some black spots!
Will these plants really grow (dwarf?) bananas? I’m curious…. Sign says “needs at least 8 hours direct sunlight/day”
“Light nutty flavor that is great in oatmeal, smoothies, pancakes and waffles.”
RANT
Unfortunately Trader Joe’s discontinued their Whole Roasted Flax Seeds – a very good product, and replaced it with this: ORGANIC GROUND FLAXSEED MEAL. This is a bit of a bummer as I preferred to buy the whole flax seeds which I would grind myself. Not terribly hard to do. That way is was very fresh. Compared to flax seeds already ground up as in this product.
I ground the up with I a second coffee grinder, I use for grinding up things besides coffee up, like seeds and spices. So with those whole seeds (now gone) I would grind up the whole flax seeds myself. Which is ideal as they contain natural oils which are best fresh (flax seed oil) . I think Whole Foods might sell whole flax seeds?
For the time being, I got this new version that Trader Joe’s replaced that product with. I use flax seeds in a few ways, for mixing into my Kefir, and smoothies and or adding into baked goods or pancakes.
Sadly these pre-ground flax meal is not as good. The taste is off to me. I don’t know if they use Golden or Brown flax seeds. Just not as fresh for one things. I’m sure Trader Joe’s wanted to make it “easy” (as in, “what kind of customer is going to grind them themselves”?) Guess what, it’s doable and was preferable to me at least if you care about the flax meal being super fresh.
Refrigerate this after opening to keep as fresh as possible, maybe even keeping this in the freezer is best?
In short, that discontinued whole flax seed was a better product. Grinding them ourselves guaranteed freshness, which this does not. So another RANT!
One option might be to just buy whole flax seeds (AMAZON) These aren’t toasted but you could do that yourself pretty easily.
Trader Joe’s new imported Organic BUCATINI has pretty much become my favorite pasta that Trader Joe’s has. This is a high quality organic artisanal pasta in a shape called bucatini, which is a long pasta like spaghetti but with a little hole (buca) in the middle.
The hole really helps this pasta to absorb sauce way more than spaghetti does (twice as much). Bucatini can be really a good match also with hearty sauces such as a Bolognese sauce or ragu. This pasta is excellent obviously for most Italian pasta dishes, and a few even specify this shape, (recipe idea links below).
In the picture is a simple pasta dish I made with this bucatini pasta and just a basic marinara tomato sauce. Even with just marinara and cheese it made a delicious pasta.
Cooking tip: This says cook for 8-10 minutes. I would suggest pulling it from the water under al dente – say around the 7 minute mark THEN FINISHING it in a pan with sauce for a minute or two so it can absorb the sauce and flavor a bit. So pull the slightly undercooked pasta, toss it into a pan with maybe 1/2 the sauce you are serving it with, and finish cooking the pasta with the sauce adding 1-2 tablespoons of the cooking water as needed. (watch Vincenzo do this in the video below) Always save a 1/2 cup of your pasta cooking water. Starchy pasta cooking water is the magic “secret” ingredient to cooking pasta the way Italians do. Finish cooking the pasta for a minute or two until it’s al dente or to your desired degree of done-ness. Plate it up and serve with a bit of extra sauce on top. Garnish with a little grated cheese and chopped parsley. The Bucantini swells up a bit with the sauce giving it a delicious texture and taste. You can even try this Bucantini pasta to make Asian noodle dishes! No really. It works pretty well as an Asian noodle in a pinch.
TJ’s Organic Bucatini pasta is selling for $1.49 for a 1 lb. package. Ingredients: Organic Durum Semolina. PRODUCT OF ITALY. Here’s a few recipe ideas for bucatini too….
These teeny tiny chia seeds truly are a superfood powerhouse. If you aren’t eating chia seeds already perhaps you should be. I eat some every morning.
No doubt you’ve heard about them. How they are a true superfood with lots of health benefits being benificial to heart health, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and more. Not too mention digestion and keeping you regular as they provide lots of soluble fiber.
These teeny blacks seeds are packed with protein, Omega 3‘s and other goodies, again especially fiber. When soaked in liquid the seeds both swell up and gel up absorbing twenty seven times their weight in water. By the way the chia seed gel smooths things in your digestive tract so can help keep you regular. Another benefit.
They are especially great for adding to smoothies, cereal, pancakes or drinks. They can be used as a natural thickener. The seeds are so tiny they have a tendency to go everywhere and I do mean everywhere, so be very careful when you use these. If you spill these, well they are a real pain to clean up. Get them wet and they stick to everything. So don’t wet them. If you do spill them just try to brush them or vacuum them up and good luck with that…!)
TIP: Careful handling them!! These tiny seeds can go everywhere in an instant if you are not very careful. Rather than using the bag they come in, I pour the seeds into a small glass jar and just use that (and a tiny scoop) as its much easier to handle, than opening and closing this bag all the time. I have spilled seeds many times and they are not easy to clean up as they are so tiny and when wet stick to everything.
I usually mix them into soy milk, oat milk or kefir. Leave them a few minutes to absorb the liquid. They will swell up in 5-10 minutes. Then I add them to my yogurt/kefir/soy milk liquid .( Don’t eat them without soaking them in liquid.)
TJ’s Chia Seeds (12 oz) $4.99. $5.49$5.99, and actually went back down to 5.49 last time I got them)
PRODUCT OF PARAGUAY
Trader Joe’s sells a number of super food seeds including chia seeds, flax seeds, a mix of chia and flax, as well as hemp seeds. All of these are good for you and are things you can easily incorporate into your diet, daily, especially I think at breakfast where you can add 1 or 2 tablespoons into your cereal, yogurt or smoothie. Try CHIA SEED PUDDING; very easy and very good! (another one in link below)
Trader Joe’s carries a lot of “powerhouse seeds” like CHIA, FLAX and HEMP SEEDS. My Trader Joe’s has a “Smoothies Section” featuring all of these plus other products to make smoothies (protein powders, etc)
I use a good deal of olive oil for cooking. However there are times when you want, or a recipe specifies, using a “neutral flavored oil”. Meaning not olive oil which has distinct flavors.
In that case I will probably use this oil: TJ’s Organic Sunflower Oil. It’s a good neutral oil, obviously made from sunflower seeds, and Organic to boot.
This oil is a fine all-around oil and basically if I’m not using olive oil for something I’m probably using this one. For example it’s what I would use if I am making a Chinese or Asian dish. Chinese cooking usually specifies a “neutral” vegetable oil that won’t affect other flavors in the dish. Plus Sunflower Oil is good for high heat, and good for Wok cooking. I had to look up “high-oleic”. That this sunflower oil is High Oleic means its quite healthy too, maybe even more than olive oil.
TJ’s Organic Sunflower Oil is pretty reasonable at $3.99 for a 33.8 oz bottle, far less than olive oil. So you probably want this as your “other” oil, like me. I would buy this again.
UPDATE_1 (Jun. 2022) Seems to be M.I.A. Possibly either a supply chain issue and hopefully not discontinued. Update_2: It came back in stock and was available for awhile. Update_3: (Jan 2025) I looked for it for last two months. MIA again.
What is FARRO ? Farro is an ancient grain, a type of wheat, known for its nutty flavor and chewy texture, and is a versatile ingredient used in various dishes like soups, salads, and risotto
The Italian word farro can mean “ancient grain” and refer to a few older varieties of our modern day wheat such as, emmer, spelt and einkorn wheat, all of which are forerunner grains of our modern wheat. TJ’s Farro is a tasty and healthy whole grain. High fiber, high protein.
FARRO is a good whole grain which is quite nutritious. FARRO a good source of protein, fiber and has lots of nutrients. Its a healthier alternative to some refined grains for example, white rice (and don’t get me wrong I like and eat white rice). Farro has even gotten a bit trendy in the food world. Maybe you’ve seen farro served as a side dish at a fancy Italian or other kind of restaurant. It’s tasty.
It has a nutty taste and slightly chewy texture. It’s delicious on its own with just some butter, salt and pepper. You can cook it in water, with a pinch of salt or cook it in some broth (veg, chicken or beef) which will of course make it even tastier. Farro is a good grain for using as a “bed” to put something on top of, or as a side dish. Just like you might use rice or orzo for example. Trader Joe’s 10 minute Farro cooks quickly. In 10-12ß minutes.
We like to make farro either as a side dish or part of the Main, say mixed with other veggies, sometimes as the base of a protein bowl. Whole grains like this normally take about 45-60 minutes to cook however TJ’s “10 Minute Farro” obviously cooks much faster. I am just guessing that it’s been parboiled to cut down on the cooking time. So it’s really convenient, and healthy and it’s not too expensive either. Trader Joe’s 10 Minute Farro sells for $1.79 1.99 for an 8.8 oz. bag
There is a good sounding recipe written on the Trader Joe’s bag for “Farro with Sausage & Apples” (using chicken sausage).
TJ’s farro is something I buy all the time, along with other grains they have. Farro is good to have in the pantry.
HOW TO COOK FARRO: I suggest the “SIMMER” method described on the bag. Use 1/2 cup Farro and 2/3 cup water or broth or combo. Put that in a pot. You can add a little butter and maybe salt depending if you used water or broth. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, and cook covered for about 10-12 minutes. Turn it off and let it stand 5 minutes before serving. Pretty easy!
You can mix cooked farro with cooked brown rice to come up with your own version of something like TJ’s famous (or maybe infamous) “Brown Rice Medley” (which TJ’s Discontinued much to the outrage of many people who read this blog!)
Trader Joe’s ORGANIC POLENTA; cooked; ready to heat and serve. Gluten Free.
Ingredients: Water, Organic Corn Meal, Salt
Just in case you are not yet familiar with Polenta, it’s simple and delicious. Polenta is inexpensive, healthy, gluten free, and vegetarian. Its just coarsely ground corn. That’s it. This Organic Polenta from Trader Joe’s comes in a plastic tube. Its been precooked which save you about 45 minutes. It’s ready to slice up into 1/2″ slices which you grill up into crispy fried polenta rounds. This is really yummy and cheap. This is why polenta has been a staple of Italian “cucina povera” for centuries, very similar of course to “grits” here in the US. TJ’s tube of cooked polenta is convenient, shelf stable, and is only $1.99. One tube can easily make a dinner for two. We love it as an alternative to pasta. I recommend you pan fry it as being the best way to serve this. The package also says you can bake it. Any way to get it crispy. Please don’t consider microwaving as it also says on the package!. For polenta to be tasty it is best as crispy as possible, as this way it gets a really nice chewy “meaty” texture.
As shown in the first picture is how I made the polenta into dinner recently. I sautéed the slices in olive oil plus a little butter to help it brown better, for maybe 10 minutes a side – note, this is double the recommended time of 4-5 minutes on the package. Trust me, you want to get this very golden brown and delicious. I flipped it over and put a bit of mozzarella on each slice which melted as the other side cooked. When it was ready to serve, I plated it up and spooned over tomato sauce, in this case TJ’s Roasted Garlic Marinara sauce which is quite good by the way. I grated some extra cheese, Asiago all over. This made for a delicious Italian dinner along with a little salad and crusty bread. Dinner for two for about $4 bucks.
I always like to keep one of these shelf stable packages of TJ’s polenta in the pantry as it can make an easy, fast dinner for those times when you have “nothing” to eat in the house. A tube of this and a jar of sauce and you have dinner in 10 minutes. Not to mention Polenta’s perfect for Meatless Monday’s. Would I but this again? Yes I buy this regularly, its an excellent cheap TJ product and a great staple to have in your pantry.
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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