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.
Double Concentrated Tomato Paste, Ingredients: Tomatoes. Salt
For some time I mourned the loss at Trader Joe’s of their handy Italian TOMATO PASTE in a tube which they “discontinued” maybe a year or two back. At the time I asked the TJ’s Captain to look it up and he said it was not even on order and that he was pretty sure it was gone for good. Fortunately it magically appeared back on the shelves recently at my Trader Joe’s and for that I say, HOORAY! So did Trader Joe’s change their minds? Did they lose a supplier and could not find one for years? Who knows? In any case I’m just glad to see this as this is a product I used to buy all the time.
Sometimes you don’t need that whole little can of paste, so the great thing about the tubes of tomato paste – an essential kitchen item, people – is obvious. Say you just need 1 tablespoon of tomato paste for something. Now you don’t have to open a whole small can up. Then figure out what to do with the rest. With the tube one just squeezes out the tablespoon. The paste in the tube can last a few months in the fridge. Which is better than finding that half used up can of tomato paste in the back of the fridge which I forgot I had, which now looks bad so I throw it out.
$1.49 (which is half what the tomato paste in a tube costs at regular grocery stores)
BTW did you know that tomato paste is one food that is Pure Umami*?
GOOGLE:
*Tomato paste is a great source of umami flavor:
Umami-rich Tomatoes are naturally high in glutamates, which are chemicals that create umami, the savory depth of a food. Concentrating the flavor of tomatoes into tomato paste makes it a powerful umami ingredient.
Versatile – A small amount of tomato paste can add a lot of flavor to many dishes, including soups, sauces, stews, braises, and bread dough.
Easy to use – A tablespoon of tomato paste can have the same flavor as 100 fresh tomatoes.
Flavor develops with browning – Browning tomato paste in the skillet caramelizes the natural sugars in the tomatoes, which enhances the umami flavor and reduces acidity. To brown it, just add some tomato paste into oil or butter on med/low heat and gently stir for about 3 mins or so till it darkens in color.
Other ingredients that are high in umami include: Miso paste, Soy sauce, Aged cheeses, Potatoes, Dried mushrooms, Anchovies, and Fish sauce.
“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.
“NOT FROM CONCENTRATE” – We were really impressed at how good this pineapple juice tastes. Pretty simple ingredients. “Pineapple juice from Costa Rica”. Just 100% pure pineapple juice. No preservatives, no nothin’ extra. No doubt like me you love finding simple, pure ingredients.
Both of us thought the juice tasted delicious. So yummy, not too sweet, a little tangy. So refreshing. If you blind folded me, I would probably ask if someone just squeezed a pineapple for me.
Find it near the fresh orange and other juices, in the Refrigerated case.
“Trader Joe’s salted edamame are blanched, salted and then quick frozen to seal in the freshness. Hand picked in Southeast Asia, blanched, salted and quick frozen to seal in the freshness. Edamame are a good source of fiber. They can be served hot or cold.”
If you’ve every been to a Japanese restaurant, you probably have seen and maybe eaten edamame (soybeans). They are cooked in their pods, served warm, with a little salt sprinkled on. Simple but Delicious.
The pods are kind of fuzzy with the beans inside of course like green peas but much larger. Traditionally you eat them with a combination of mouth and fingers, sucking out a bean or pushing with your fingers. I find the experience of eating edamame not only fun but addictive. This is legit playing with your food. The beans are delicious and a little sweet. Trader Joe’s “Salted Edamame” are exactly these. Fully cooked edamame soybean still in the pod, frozen and bagged.
These really only need heating up which you can do in either in a microwave or on the stovetop. I usually rinse the frozen pods under cold water in a colander for a second, then toss them into pot with a tablespoon or two of water and let them steam covered for about two minutes until they are hot, then serve, sprinkling on a bit of freshly ground pink salt when serving them.
TJ’s frozen edamame in pods make a delicious and healthy appetizer, snack, or side, or ingredient. Everybody seems to love edamame, young or old, and maybe especially kids? Because these are an accepted way to play with your food! Gotta eat with your hands.
Soybeans are just full of protein of course. Just a 1/2 cup have 8 grams Protein not to mention fiber. So Good Eats! Trader Joe’s frozen edamame are terrific to buy ($1.99) $2.29. Equal to way more expensive frozen edamame you might find in a Japanese or Asian market where they might double the price. I love having these in the freezer at all times for whenever the edamame mood strikes.
Actually I buy both versions of at TJ’s, as they sell them both way, these unshelled one as well as already shelled (like frozen peas). Shelled soybeans are great for an ingredient, again like peas. I use those the same way I might use or add frozen peas. The shelled ones can be added to foods, stews and are just terrific served on top of a bowl of rice with a little butter.
Whenever you served unshelled edamame be sure to put an empty bowl on the table to toss all those used, empty pods
“A crispy crunchy combo of rolled outs, cornflakes, sprouted quinoa, almonds and more”
GLUTEN FREE
This is another decent granola at Trader Joe’s. Unlike a few others now, this one doesn’t have the large clusters. Its got flakes. Its GLUTEN FREE (it contains oats, coconut, roasted almonds, cornflakes, maple syrup, quinoa… All Organic) Very tasty with a nice coconut flavor. Not too sweet either. And of course naturally GLUTEN FREE (oats, nuts, corn…)
I typically enjoy this with yogurt and/or kefir perhaps some dried cranberries and sliced banana… its worth trying especially if you are GF
“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:
Simply put you might think of Creme Fraiche as the more refined (French cousin) of American Sour Cream. Both are made by culturing cream and are thick and tangy and let’s face it, very tasty! But Creme Fraiche has a higher fat content so its a bit richer plus it can stand heating/cooking without breaking where as sour cream might separate. Naturally it costs more. It can be used in most ways you might use sour cream.
For one idea; you can make a nice topping with it. Mix in some sugar and a touch of vanilla into Creme Fraiche, then use this wonderful topping with most any fruit, baked good, desserts or what have you.
Oh those French! They have such wonderful charcuterie and other pork products. However I wasn’t expecting to see it listed in these sweets which are a PRODUCT OF FRANCE.
A friend gave us these pretty tasty chocolate marshmallows to test out. They are pretty good if a bit sweet for my tastes. However as we were looking at the ingredients listed, we were all a bit surprised when when one of us noticed something we weren’t expecting.
She said “hey did you know this has pork in it?” I wasn’t expecting that! We looked at the label yes its got “pork” (“pork gelatin”). Now gelatin is in lots of food products (as gelatin or collogen) and I believed it was usually made from (cow) bones. However it can be made from other products too.
Just so you know.
Anyway just so you know!
So this could make this problem a bit of a no-no for some people, like Kosher Jews or Muslims. Sure Kosher products are clearly marked “K” for Kosher but but not Halal items have no markings to my knowledge. And there are many people who avoid pork for other reasons…
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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