“Pappardelle is a hearty noodle with many uses. Traditionally this hearty noodle is served with high-flavor chunky sauces made from game or pork… We like it with a robust Bolognese. It’s perfect for soaking up the flavorful juices of a pot roast and an ideal noodle for soups…”
Trader Joe’s Pappardelle noodles are good, hearty Italian egg noodles. These are especially perfect with robust chunky sauces, like a ragu Bolognese. A bag is $1.99 (8 oz). Here’s what I learned from making these a few times. To bring out the best of these noodles I suggest you don’t just cook them and put them on a plate and top with sauce. If you are just serving these with butter and cheese that’s OK to do. But if you are serving with a sauce (Bolognese maybe?) these will taste best if you finish cooking them in the sauce for a minute or two at the very end. Meaning pull them out of the water at about 4 or 5 minutes, drain (but not too thoroughly) and finish cooking them with 1/2 your sauce till they are al dente (save a little of the cooking water, which you can add to get the sauce consistency you want). Again grab them after about 4 minutes of boiling, throw them into a pan with about 1/2 cup of sauce per portion, cook and toss gently for a minute or two, until the noodles are cooked to your liking. The noodles will absorb the sauce and all the flavors, and make for a very hearty dish (see my dish, served with some asparagus as a side). Top with a bit more of your (reserved) sauce and a little grating of Parmesan.
Pappardelle with Bolognese sauce is made for each other so that’s definitely a combo you should think of for these noodles. If not a homemade ragu Bolognese you can easily use Trader Joe’s TURKEY BOLOGNESE “just sauce”. I can’t say it’s great, but it’s decent if you don’t want to make your own (see my easy turkey ragu bolognese recipe below)
RECIPE – FAST & EASY TURKEY BOLOGNESE: Brown up a pound of ground turkey (optionally you can use ground beef, or mix of 1/2 pound each ground beef and pork, or Impossible meat for that matter). Sauté on high heat in a tablespoon of EVOO. Once the meat is browned nicely add 4 cloves of crushed fresh garlic, 1/2 a chopped onion (optional: a grated carrot) and turn down to medium heat. Add a spoon of wine, balsamico or just water to deglaze the bottom of the pan scraping up any bits. Saute on low covered for about 3 minutes then add a can of ROASTED TOMATOES (with or without chiles). Rinse out the the can 1/4 to 1/2 way full with milk. Add that in. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Italian herbs. Simmer on low for 20 minutes. Serve the sauce with a hearty noodle like Pappardelle.
My DIY Pulled Jackfruit on Aloha Bun with coleslaw
Jackfruit is a tropical fruit, popular with vegetarians as a “meat substitute”. When cooked it can have the texture of “pulled meat” such as pulled pork or chicken or ropa vieja. It doesn’t have much taste but it easily absorbs flavors and sauces and it’s quite good cooked up with BBQ sauce as “pulled jackfruit”. Trader Joe’s carried a pouch of PULLED JACK FRUIT IN SMOKY BBQ SAUCE in a green foil pouch (see below) but it got discontinued. Alot of people liked it and I did too, despite not being vegetarian. TJ’s does sell this can of JACKFRUIT so you can make the same thing fairly easily yourself, just mixing this can of jackfruit with your favorite BBQ sauce. A can is only $1.99 too!
How does one use Trader Joe’s Green Jackfruit in Brine, you ask? It takes on a “meaty” texture, and, much like tofu, absorbs the flavors of sauces. Our favorite preparation involves cooking jackfruit in barbecue sauce, where it eventually shreds like pulled pork, ready to be piled on a warm Honey Wheat Hamburger Bun and crowned with crunchy cabbage.
UPDATE: This is in stores again.
what it looks in the can; frankly not too appetizing, yet!
after cooking the Jackfruit; Now it looks pretty good!
HOW TO MAKE PULLED JACKFRUIT MINI SLIDER BUNS: After opening the can, dump the liquid out and put the fruit into a colander. Rinse the jackfruit thoroughly and drain it. To get the texture, I just used my fingers and crushed up the jackfruit piece by piece. The seeds you can mash or crush or leave as is. Sauté the jackfruit in a pot in some EVOO (or butter) for about 5 minutes on low heat, stirring it gently. Add your favorite BBQ sauce (1/2 cup per can?) in. I used the SRIRACHA ROASTED GARLIC sauce, a good match. Cover the pan and simmer on very low heat for about 20 minutes stirring every 5 minutes or so and making sure it doesn’t burn. It will be thick when done. Turn off the heat and let it rest for about 10 minutes. When you are ready to assemble the sandwiches, put a scoop of the jackfruit on†o the bottom half of a TJ’s ALOHA BUN (or brioche roll). Top with some coleslaw and the top half of the bun. Enjoy! A bit messy to eat but quite tasty! 1 Can served 2 of us easily with the fixings.
Directions as per TJ’s website
(note I liked it without the water, or just a few tablespoons)
Prepare Pulled Jackfruit: Drain jackfruit and pat dry. Partially shred jackfruit chunks into smaller pieces. In a sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add jackfruit and sauté for five minutes. Add BBQ sauce and water to pan and stir to evenly coat jackfruit. Cover pan and simmer on medium-low heat, 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally and pulling jackfruit apart as it becomes tender.
Prepare Tangy Cole Slaw: While jackfruit cooks, in a large bowl, toss cabbage blend with mayonnaise and apple cider vinegar to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
Prepare Sandwiches: Place a scoop of pulled jackfruit on the bottom of a bun. Top with diced onions, coleslaw, and bun top. Eat and repeat until satisfied!
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
Trader Joe’s sells this beer which they call “Simpler Times”. It may be one of the most inexpensive beers one can buy, anywhere. $10 bucks for a 12 pack…$5 for a six pack! It tastes like more. This beer is actually quite good.
This Lager choice is surprisingly decent, very easy to drink, crisp and well-balanced and it pairs well with food. Not over hopped. Its more than fine just drunk on its own. Also surprising is it’s ABV of 6.2% alcohol.
It’s brewed by a “family-owned craft beer brewing company in Wisconsin, which has been brewing beer for 150 years”. We found it quite refreshing chilled, tasty and a super bargain for under a buck each even with tax and deposit.
There is also another version of Simpler Times which is a Pilsner which is crisp and light, maybe a bit less flavorful than the Lager but still pretty good. That one may been MIA though.
If you are looking for a decent beer at real bargain, TJ’s SIMPLER TIMES beers are worth trying.
One reader said this: “A very pleasant and enjoyable beer! A welcome relief from most over-hopped American beers. If you like Belgian/Octoberfest malt forward brews, try this one.” Another said, “For the price and quality, this frosty beer can’t be beat!”
They sell a 12 pack for $9.99 (meaning $5 for a six pack) and the price has stayed there – Will tariffs affect this? (aluminum cans). Stay tuned!
UPDATE: AUG 2023 – FYI Some folks have reported that TJ’s might have stopped selling this however I did check recently and saw the Simpler Times Lager was still being carried at my local TJ’s (NYC UWS 72St); I only saw the Lager, didn’t see any of the Pilsner version. These were however placed all the way on the bottom shelf, where they were even a bit hard to see. Price still was $9.99. Less than a buck a beer.
This is now one of my favorite New Products at Trader Joe’s. A fully cooked, lovely fillet of Roasted Salmon. Find it in Refrigerated near the fresh fish and smoked salmon. This cooked piece of salmon is so handy and convenient, especially for hot summer days, or anytime you don’t want to cook (or smell) fish cooking. The salmon is fully cooked but just barely, it’s incredibly moist, so you can even heat it up a wee bit if you like, which I did. Now the first time I bought this I didn’t check the dates carefully, and when I opened it, I smelled the tiniest bit of a fishy smell. A sprinkle of lemon took care of that and it tasted fine. However the second time I bought it I checked a few packages and noticed some had a date maybe a day or even two older than another package. So naturally I picked out a package with the most recent date, and when I opened it that night for dinner the salmon had no smell at all. So check the packages carefully and get the latest dated ones.
For under five bucks you get a lovely fillet of farmed Atlantic salmon from Norway. No bones. Skin on. You can slip off the skin in a second. I actually enjoy salmon skin if its crispy. So I tossed the fillet into a hot pan skin side down for maybe 90 seconds to crisp up the skin. Then I flipped it and gave it about 30 seconds on the top side too to get a little sear and color (this is all completely optional of course as it is already cooked). However I did think it was slightly improved with this little searing and I was very careful not overcook the fish. Plating it up I sprinkled some TJ’s DILL SEASONING BLEND on which is a perfect match for this. I flaked up the fish with a fork, put it on a plate with a squeeze of lemon. It was delicious and a pretty good deal for $4.99 (5 oz portion) Of course the fresh Norwegian farmed Atlantic salmon TJ sells for $10/lb is an even better deal if you don’t mind cooking.
note a little color from my searing the fish briefly
To second time I tried this salmon I thought it would be perfect to make some Japanese “Nori Hand Rolls”.
Sushi Style Salmon Hand Rolls Bites
I made some Sushi Rice and served up these tasty little bites of Salmon Hand Rolls (“Temaki Sushi”) with the salmon and matchsticks of cucumbers on TJ’s SEAWEED SNACKS (nori). One piece of salmon was enough for two of us with the rice and other things. We REALLY enjoyed these sushi bites. You take a square of nori in one hand, gently spoon on a little sushi rice add some salmon and cukes, then pop the whole bite into your mouth. This is super tasty. Really, try making this, it’s fun and delicious.
Want to learn how to make sushi rice? Its not hard and TJ’s carries the rice vinegar (you have salt and sugar). Sadly I’m afraid they’ve discontinued the CALROSE RICE they had! I’m bummed about that as med/short grain rice is best for sushi rice and it was easy to get it at TJ’s while they had it. Oh well. In a pinch, Jasmine works if you can’t get short/med grain rice.
I would think even though this salmon is cooked its still best to use it the day you buy it, if you can. If not, you could keep it in the coldest part of the fridge to use the next day (or in a pinch freeze the whole package and when ready to use, do an overnight defrost in fridge).
PS – If you dont like / eat salmon skin, and you have a pet, don’t throw it away; Wash it off as much as possible and give it to your cat or dog. They’ll likely go nuts getting some healthy healthy Omega-3’s and fish oil.
Trader Joe’s suggest this goes well with the new TAMARIND SAUCE (I’ve yet to try it)
60 Second Tamarind Salmon Sweet and tangy with a gentle heat, Trader Joe’s Tamarind Sauce delivers maximum flavor with no prep time required. Slather it on a Trader Joe’s Fully Cooked Salmon Fillet and serve atop a bed of rice or salad greens for a protein-packed, positively satisfying meal that’s ready in about a minute. For a pleasant crunch, top with Trader Joe’s Crispy Onion Chips and fresh green onions.
This package can make a really really good coleslaw. We really liked the slaw made with this, a variation from a regular salw made from cabbage. To make the slaw, I basically used the recipe on the package with one difference. I used way less than the “one cup” of your favorite salad dressing as they suggest. You don’t need that much; if you need more sauce just add a little vinegar and a little honey or palm sugar. Yes it does say “organic shredded broccoli stalk”. I promise you won’t even know, the finished slaw will soften up and be like any regular coleslaw after it marinates for awhile (20-30 minutes). Personally I never throw out the stalk when I make broccoli, I peel and cook it – but when I met my wife, she just chopped of the head and threw out the rest!
(here’s my modified recipe) COLESLAW : Dump the package in a bowl. Add one grated apple (grate on box grater with skin), add a handful of dried cranberries or golden raisins, add about an ounce or two of Organic Apple Cider Vinegar and add just enough of your favorite dressing to lightly coat things (maybe a 1/4 to 1/3 of cup? The package says 1 whole cup of dressing – come on, that’s way too much. I used TJ’s Organic Ranch Dressing. Or you can just add some mayo. A sprinkle of DILL SEASONING will be nice in this. Mix everything up and let it sit for about 20-30 minutes in the fridge to marinate. It will soften up. The slaw can easily stay in the fridge for the next day. This is a very tasty and healthy side dish!
And you can cook this too. Just sauté these veggies for about 3 minutes in a butter or olive oil if you prefer a cooked dish.
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”
These seem to be pretty popular so I checked them out. My take was they are super cute for one thing if you serve them to someone. Taste wise, they’re pretty good. The chocolate coating was good, the ice cream good, however the one in these is not quite as good as TJ’s “premium” coffee bean ice cream, COFFEE BEAN BLAST. The cones had a slightly stale texture especially at the bottom. So while OK, frankly these wouldn’t make me want to give up a scoop of TJ’s excellent “super premium” Coffee Bean Ice Cream instead of these if given a choice. So while really cute to serve to someone, personally I would prefer a scoop of the better ice cream. The MINI CONES come in a package of 8 for $3.79. If I had a choice of picking this product over a quart of ice cream which is almost the same price don’t think I would get these. I’d get the bigger ice cream, better taste and value, over the “cute factor”.
“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 “SPICY JOLLOF SEASONED RICE MIX” with dried tomatoes, onion and garlic
There was actually a little controversy across the internet when this product first came out, as some viewed this as a bit of cultural appropriation on Trader Joe’s part. What is JOLLOF RICE ? It’s a very famous African dish eaten widely across parts of West Africa, especially Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and The Gambia. Even in Africa the dish has a little controversy. Whose version is the best? Is it Nigerian or Ghanaian – or Senegalese where it has a different name (Tchebu Jen) ? The dish is considered the national dish of Senegal where it’s Thieboudienne or Tchebu D’jen. (The word “Jollof” is an English variation of the word “Wolof” which means both a language and a people/tribe)
In my lifetime, I’ve eaten many many plates of authentic Senegalese Tchebu D’jen in many African restaurants back in the day when there were a dozen African restaurants on 116th Street in Harlem when the street used to be known as Petit Dakar . I love this dish and variations of it. Taste a real version of this dish if you ever have the chance. An authentic “JOLLOF RICE” (aka Party Rice, aka Tchebu Djen) from Nigeria, Ghana, or Senegal is an amazing dish. It’s complicated to make with a number of ingredients, another reason that Trader Joe’s coming out with this “instant” version caused a wee bit of controversy on the internet. The mix was developed by a Nigerian family here I believe.
Here’s my take. Out of the package, this is a far, far cry from an authentic African Joloff Rice. I fixed it up when I made it. It has some potential if you fix it up to make something better, not close to what your Nigerian granny would make but something semi-OK and better than just making this package as is.
Here’s my suggestions on how to fix this up: In a large pot, put a tablespoon olive oil and butter (you probably don’t have Palm Oil which is best) Stir in a huge tablespoon of tomato paste. Cook for 30 seconds and add a chopped up tomato, 1/2 a chopped onion, 4 cloves of garlic minced. Cook 2 minutes, then add your cooking liquid (water, but chicken or veggie broth would be better). 3 cups as the package says is a lot. I reduced to about 2 3/4 cups as the veggies have water. Add a few carrots and a 1/4 cabbage. Boil for 5 minutes. THEN add the package of this “JOLOFF RICE” mix. Add some Smoked Paprika and as much as you like of some spicy mix of PERI-PERI, BOMBA, or ZHOUG . Once it boils lower to a simmer and cook covered for 20 minutes. Turn off heat. Let it sit 5 minutes covered to absorb all liquids. When you are ready, serve rice with vegetables on the side/top, and serve some of those spicy sauces on the side for people to adjust to their tastes.
Tchebu Jen is made with smoky dried stockfish in the broth and served with fresh fish. I ate it with some fish on top (smoked sardines and salmon) Other ideas are serving this with grilled chicken or maybe grilled SHAWARMA chicken.
TJ’s SPICY JOLLOF SEASONED RICE mix is $2.69 for an 8 oz package.
“Originating in West Africa as far back as the 14th century, Jollof rice is more than just an esteemed and storied dish, it’s a cultural force of its own. It’s served as the inspiration for countless recipes across the African diaspora, including jambalaya and gumbo. It’s even sparked a friendly (if not, at times, heated) rivalry between a handful of nations regarding who makes the best version. If you’ve ever had the chance to try it, you know exactly why it’s remained such a vital part of African cuisine for over 700 years.”
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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