UPDATE (2024) Unfortunately this may have been Discontinued!!!!
I have feeling this is probably the healthiest cereal you can buy at Trader Joe’s. Their MUESLI is a blend of whole grain oats, seeds, fruit and nuts and has no added sugars. The recipe was invented by a doctor in Switzerland over a hundred years ago, and is a Swiss classic breakfast cereal. I would bet Roger Federer grew up eating Muesli. Look how far it got him!
This is obviously healthy stuff that even a horse would love. Trader Joe’s version of Muesli is good. One caveat though. If you just pour it into a bowl, add milk, and eat it immediately you may not like it. Unless you are a horse or you don’t mind giving your jaws a work out. So want to let this soften up a bit, meaning let the rolled oats soften up sitting in milk for at least 5, 10 or 20 minutes. Milk meaning of course your choice of real milk or other milk and/or yogurt or kefir). The longer it sits, the softer the oats get. Actually I really enjoy Muesli when I mix some up the night before for “overnight oats” . That way in the morning it’s nice and thick and soft. Making “Overnight oats” is easy. Just put some muesli (or rolled oats) in a container, add liquid and let it sit in the fridge. I do Kefir and almond or soy milk and yogurt. If you find “overnight oats” too mushy for your tastes, just fix up your Muesli and give it a 10 minute soak. I typically add some fresh fruit (banana, apple, dried fruit, berries…) and a bit of something crunchy on top like TJ’s Grainless Granola .
This is a good healthy breakfast, that will keep you (or your horse) going all day.
GLUTEN FREE CRACKERS / SNACKS. With Cauliflower, brown rice, coconut milk, seeds and seasonings
Personally I’m not Gluten Free myself but saw these and wanted to try these for review, and review is taste-wise, these are excellent, delicious crackers, even quite tasty plain by themselves. When I tried them with a small slice of cheese they were even better. Very yummy. Still the reality is price-wise, these crackers are a bit expensive. You don’t get very many for your money, the whole package has only about 30 crackers in it and trust me, these things went down fast and easy. They’re just about one bite. So very good, but would I buy them again? I doubt I will, not because they’re not good, they’re super tasty crackers, I just deem them too pricey. But again I do not have to be gluten free, but if you are and you want yummy Gluten Free crackers, these are terrific if pricey.
Thai Jasmine Rice is wonderful, one of the tastiest kinds of rice varieties out there, alongside Indian Basmati. TJ’s has had regular Jasmine rice for a long time, and that one too is quite good. Recently however they introduced an Organic version if that interests you. The package states it’s CERTIFIED ORGANIC and “Product of Thailand”. Importantly, TJ finally has cooking directions and ratios on the package which seem correct (I have found some printed directions on rice are way off!) On this package they list using a 1:2 ratio, meaning 1 cup rice to 2 cups water and cooking the rice for 15-20 minutes. This is a good starting point for you to use. Now I rinse Jasmine rice very minimally, maybe just once instead of the standard 2-3 time as I want to preserve as much of that jasmine aroma as possible. It’s organic and as far as I can tell, quite clean, you don’t have to go overboard washing this and washing out some flavor. Washing rice these days is mostly about removing excess starch anyway, not cleaning it of debris. Make sure you drain the rice for 10 minutes too in a colander to keep your rice/water ratio on point. If you find your rice too mushy then next time reduce the water slightly. Let it sit too after cooking for 10 minutes. ORGANIC JASMINE RICE $3.49 (2 lb bag)
DIRECTIONS: Bring two cups of water to a boil in a pot with a very tight lid. Add a little salt. Add 1 cup of rinsed, drained rice. Cook 10 mins on medium heat, then reduce heat to the lowest possible heat and continue cooking for 5-8 minutes. Then turn off heat and let it sit for 5-10 minutes with the lid closed. Fluff rice and optionally add a little butter.
BTW where do you store rice? I have taken to keeping it in the fridge if there’s space – otherwise in a dark cool pantry in a zip lock bag.
If you’ve been in a Trader Joe’s you’ve probably seen the word – ELOTE – a few times. One might even say TJ’s has a bit of an obsession with Elote. Just in case you don’t know what Elote means, “elote corn” is a typical Mexican street food consisting of corn on the cob sprinkled with cheese and lots of spices served carts by street vendors. In Mexico City there are probably as many Elote carts as in NYC we have hot dog carts.
Elote corn is delicious, slathered with mayo, lime juice, dusted with chile powder and sprinkled with Mexican Cotija cheese. MEXICAN STREET CORN is not hard to make yourself, and conveniently, you can get everything you need at TJ’s. I just made some a few days ago with some really fresh corn and it was so yummy I thought I would share how to make it easily. You will need: Fresh corn on the cob, Everything but the ELOTE SEASONING, CHILE LIME seasoning, some mayonnaise, fresh lime, and Cotija cheese (like a Mexican parmesan). As far as mayo, TJ’s Chile Lime Mayo might work great or Suzi’s Organic Mayo.
If you can grill the corn, great, but steamed corn is fine. Cook corn. When done, hold it with tongs (or spear on a chopstick) or just put it on some foil. Slather some mayo all over with a spatula (mayo is authentic but if mayo turns you off, just use butter). Next sprinkle on a generous amount of Everything But The ELOTE Seasoning. Next sprinkle a good amount of grated COTIJA cheese (or Parm or Asiago). Squeeze some fresh lime juice on it. OPTIONALLY; if you want even more spice add TJ’s CHILE LIME Seasoning blend and/or a little hot sauce of your choosing. Now enjoy!
Now just in case you are a lazy bones and this sounds too complicated for you here’s a simpler version I do when I’m in a rush. Make your regular fresh buttered corn and just sprinkle a good amount of the EVERYTHING BUT ELOTE seasoning all over it. Easy enough?
Trader Joe’s sells SO many varieties of hummus. I have gone back and forth with about three kinds there. I think this hummus is among their better ones, one reason being that this “Mediterranean Style” hummus has tahini among in the ingredients. Incredibly, at least to me, is that some versions of hummus on offer at Trader Joe’s do not have any Tahini in the ingredients. For allergy reasons perhaps for some customers?
Tahini (ground sesame paste) is an integral part of a hummus recipe and it is partly why hummus tastes good, at least to yours truly. I love hummus made with a good amount of it. I can only imagine some people don’t like tahini or its calories? Or nut allergy? That must be why TJ sells hummus both ways, with or without it? Anyway their “Mediterranean Style” hummus is tasty. It is a little fancier as on top they have a few pine nuts and spices. This is one way hummus is normally presented in most countries. A squeeze of 1/4 fresh lemon juice would be good to add IMO . To serve hummus: Put in shallow bowl and flatten out as much as possible. Run your spoon to make a circular groove all around the hummus and add a pour of your best EVOO. Sprinkle a bit of spice (Ajika for example, or ground cumin or zaatar) all around the perimeter attractively. Voila!
Serve with warm pita or naan or other flatbread.
The Mediterranean Style hummus costs about $4 for a 16 oz tub (it’s 50 cents more then the regular one with no tahini). (Update: This went up a bit but is still their most reasonable hummus and one of the only ones to come in a 16 oz container.)
BTW, you can easily make hummus (which I occasionally do) Here’s are good recipes (best results will come from cooking dried chickpeas yourself not canned ones!)
“But what makes our traditional hummus different? First, consistency. Mediterranean Hummus is super smooth and creamy, a bit more “whipped” than many of our other hummus choices. The texture of hummus tends to be different depending on where in the world it originates, so it makes sense for us to offer some of that variety in our stores. We’ve also taken the liberty of topping Trader Joe’s Mediterranean Hummus with crunchy pine nuts, and a bright blend of parsley, red bell pepper, and olive oil which creates a distinctive flavor and texture profile we think you’ll really enjoy.” – Trader Joe
UPDATE SUMMER 2025: Trader Joe’s changed this product. It’s in a new package for one thing and for another thing it seems to have changed the ingredients in that new label has tahini as third ingredient listed after canola oil. It was previously listed as second ingredient. So there is less tahini now. I have been getting the ORGANIC HUMMUS (it does cost a bit more)
We know Trader Joe’s carries a ton of all kinds of chips. These are one of my favorites out of all of them. So why are these corn chips are so good? I think a big reason is they only have 3 ingredients! They list : organic yellow corn, organic sunflower oil, sea salt. That’s it. They must be using the best organic corn they can find, these chips have a super tasty corn flavor. These chips are both thick and a bit curved. They’re thick enough to stand up to any dip you put them in, such as guacamole, salsa or what have you. Even on their own with nothing on them, they still taste fantastic. They have been $1.99 (forever) but I bought them last week and I got yet another case of TJ inflation sticker shock to see TJ raised the price of these. They’re now $2.29.
Beside this plain version, TJ has a spicy variation, the delicious “Organic Elote Corn Chip Dippers” (Elote aka Mexican street corn flavor) which is an amazing chip, those are loaded and I do mean loaded, with spices; these cost a little more than the plain version, Elote chips are now $2.69 (also up 20 cents). The Elote chips are excellent and pretty spicy. Personally I love them with, among other things, cottage cheese or Greek yogurt, in other words something plain as they bring plenty of spices on their own.
“A zesty dip with hearty black beans and the smokey kick of chipotle peppers”
UPDATE Spring 2022 : ITS BEEN DISCONTINUED!!
(For the archive…..)
Trader Joe’s CHIPOTLE BLACK BEAN DIP is delicious. I think this could even be one of their best products. It’s one of my favorites in any case and I try to always have a jar in the panty… It’s that good. It matches especially well with tortillas, or any of TJ’s excellent chips especially corn. It matches perfectly with TJ’s Organic Corn Chip Dippers. The Chipotle Bean Dip gets a spicy back beat from two kinds of chiles, chipotle and ancho chiles, which give this a slightly spicy heat level plus a tomato-y undercurrent. This dip is terrific as-is on its own but it’s also good as an ingredient. When I make quesadillas or tacos, I sometimes spread a little of this on the tortilla before cooking them or just serve some on top or on the side when I plate them. Naturally this is way healthier dip to put out for people compared to dips which have loads of calories / fat like a sour cream or cheese based dip. You can even mix a jar of this with a half can of the refried black beans which will make a nice side dish or a less spicy but still tasty dip, depending on the ratio. If you find this dip too thick, just mix in a teaspoon or so of lime juice, vinegar or water and thin it out to your liking. A jar of the BLACK BEAN DIP is $1.99 for 12 oz.
You have to try this dip with TJ’s terrific Organic CORN CHIP DIPPERS (or the Elote cousins) as the thick corn chips with this is a super combination. And AVOCADO of course! TIP – Gussy this up with cheese? Sure. Heat this up and top with grated cheese so it melts. Yum!
“We start with vine ripened tomatoes, then we fire roast them to a subtle smokiness before adding organic green chiles… They’re ready to use in salsas, sauces, soups and stews….”
Ingredients: Organic fire roasted tomatoes, organic tomato juice, organic green chili peppers, organic vinegar, sea salt, citric acid, calcium chloride”
These excellent organic diced tomatoes are a great pantry item, and in fact I always keep a few cans in mine as they are such a useful ingredient. They are indeed “fire roasted”, you can even see little bits of char and smell a little smokiness. You can use this as-is on tacos and quesadillas as a simple salsa, or make a slightly improved one quickly in seconds just by just adding a few things (ie, chopped onions, garlic, cilantro). Use this as an ingredient in sauces, stews or soup as you would any canned tomatoes, but these will be tastier than plain ones. These make the base of terrific rices dishes, say cooking some Mexican rice or what have you, mixed in for some of the stock or water. And its great for lots of other cuisines too… I made a delicious Italian Ariabiatta / Puttanesca style pasta with a can of this, olive oil, a spoon of tomato paste, lots of garlic, capers, olives, a spoon of Bomba and some grated Pecorino over the finished pasta (or try this with Gnocchi). It only took about 5 minutes to come together and the finished pasta dish with Gnocchi was delicious. We devoured it.
$1.69 for a 14.5 oz can. There is a plain only tomato version too for $1.49 if you don’t want any green chiles.
TJ’s Organic Roasted Teriyaki SEAWEED SHEET SNACKS (aka Korean Gim/Kim)
These are very similar to the single pack roasted Seaweed Snacks TJ carries. You know, the little green sheets of seaweed that American kids love! These however come in a convenient “six pack”. They are labeled Organic and “Product of Korea” and “teriyaki flavor”. Unlike Japanese nori seaweed sheets which are sturdy and solid (used in making sushi) these Korean seaweed mini sheets (aka Gim or Kim) have been roasted with sesame oil making the texture much airier and crumbly so they will break apart if you bend them too much. So while not great for rolling up as traditional sushi, I do use these to make a kind of “easy sushi” style mini hand roll. Putting a spoon of Asian rice in the middle, then something on top of that (especially good with Spicy Tuna*) and a few strips of cucumber. These are so tasty. You can hold the seaweed in one hand and add the other things carefully, bend it gently and pop it in your mouth in one or two bites. Quite yummy this combo! See pic and also Maangchi’s descriptive How To in the link.
$3.49 for a six pack. I have a feeling these may work out to be a bit more economical than the single packs?
TIP: snip a few sheets up into little thin strips for a super rice topping.
* EASY SPICY TUNA RECIPE (using canned tuna)
Drain the water or oil from a can or two of your favorite tuna fish. To the tuna, add 2 tablespoons of Mayo. Then add about a tablespoon (or two) of your favorite hot sauce of your choosing such as Sriracha, Zhoug, Peri-Peri or whatever you like, to taste (you can add more if its not spicy enough when you taste it with the rice). You might add a few chopped Hot and Sweet Jalapenos to the mix. Add a chopped scallion or two, mix everything together, and refrigerate for an hour to blend the flavors. Serve with cooked Asian rice and these Seaweed Sheets.
HOW TO MAKE EASY SUSHI MINI HAND ROLLS: Hold a sheet of seaweed gently. With your free hand, put a teaspoon or two of cooked rice on it gently and make a slight indentation for the tuna topping. Add some spicy tuna and strips of cucumber. Not too much in one square or it may fall apart, just enough for a nice big bite. Put in to your mouth carefully!
You can also the tuna just putting some a spoon on top of asian rice in a bowl. You put a little tuna, a crunch of cuke, and then cover that with a square of seaweed. Carefully “fold it” (bend gently) into a little package using chopsticks (or your fingers).
Naturally you can use other toppings. Smoked salmon and avocado is a classic too.
Serving these with some Kimchi on the side would be great.
Trader Joe’s Savory Thin Mini Multiseed RICE CRACKERS with Tamari Soy Sauce (GLUTEN FREE)
These are delicious little savory mini rice crackers in the Japanese vein (aka “senbei“). Each is tiny, a little bigger than a nickel so quite literally bite size. They are crunchy and tasty, great on their own out of the package. Or top them with whatever you can think of (cheese, cream cheese, cottage cheese, smoked salmon, tuna salad, etc) They could make a great base for little mini bite sized hors d’ouvres (imagine for example a little cream cheese, smoked salmon, and dill).
Ingredients include brown rice and white rice flour plus sesame and flax seeds and tamari soy sauce. Though it doesn’t specifically say “Gluten Free” on the package but one can assume from the ingredients that these certainly are gluten free. An 8 oz bag costs $2.99. After you try them you may buy them two at a time if a package goes as fast in your house as it does in ours.
I just enjoyed them as a snack with a little dollop of cottage cheese and Green Dragon/GDS . YUMMY
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