A Trader Joe’s fan blog with some NYC attitude. Mostly raves with a few rants.
28 Feb 2022 Leave a comment
in General, New, News, Pantry, Products, Rave, snacks, Staple, sweets, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: chocolate, cookie, Food, great, no preservatives, product, Products, Rave, review, snack, sweet, Trader Joes, treats
Trader Joe’s DARK CHOCOLATE COVERED HONEY GRAHAMS WITH SEA SALT
They are a little thick so quite crunchy. Each small graham is covered with a thick layer of dark chocolate.
The perfect blend of sweet and savory. Thick chocolate covering. Delicious and addictive.
These are my new favorite treats from Trader Joe’s!
$3.99 a package.
I would buy them again.
19 Feb 2022 2 Comments
in All Natural, Italian, Pantry, Prices, Products, Rave, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: Food, gluten, new, no preservatives, product, Products, Produtto In Italia, Rave, review, Trader Joes
This is a great new pasta Trader Joe’s recently introduced with a great shape. It’s a “Fusilli” (corkscrew) curly shaped pasta with a little hole (bucati) in the center. This shape is very good and will hold lwhatever lovely sauce or ingredients you use with it. You can tell it’s a premium quality pasta just by looking closely: the exterior is not smooth but rough indicating it was *bronze die cut, and produced by a high end artisanal Italian manufacturer (closeup below: note the rough texture). This pasta has a fast cooking time, the package says 7-8 minutes. I just cooked it and at around 6 minutes it was al dente, meaning if I’m going to finish this with the sauce in a pan the way Italians do, I would fish the pasta out at around the 5 minute mark – a minute under al dente.
I just cooked some to taste, quite simply with butter, grated cheese and pepper. It was excellent. This is indeed terrific pasta. This corkscrew hollow shape should be great with many sauces, either tomato based and I think especially with a pesto sauce (green or red)
Trader Joe’s ORGANIC FUSILLI CORTI BUCATI PASTA. Imported From Italy. Organic Durum Semolina Wheat. $1.99. Try this if you see it, it’s really good. Me, I will buy a bunch for our pantry.
* Bronze dies make better pasta as they give pasta rough edges which makes for better sauce adherence.
RECIPE: I made a Tuna Pasta dish with this fusilli. It was excellent.
COLD TUNA PASTA too. (Pasta, One or two cans tuna, drained. Capers, Lemon, Olive Oil, A little mayo, chopped parsley.)
18 Feb 2022 2 Comments
in jar, Mexican, New, News, Pantry, Prices, Products, Rant, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, vegetarian Tags: Food, no preservatives, product, Products, review, Trader Joes, vegan gluten free, vegetarian
TJ’s HATCH GREEN AND RED CHILE FLAKES are terrific and apparently a hit and a popular Trader Joe’s item. When I saw this “Trader Jose’s Hatch Valley Salsa” with “fire roasted Hatch Chile peppers” I guess I was expecting it to have a special taste but in fact found it to be just OK, nothing special at all. Trader Joe’s has had a GREEN SALSA (Salsa Verde) for some time which is fine in this salsa verde style and but which is cheaper at $1.99. This one is $2.99, a premium price. Both have green chiles and tomatillos. On its own this Hatch Valley Salsa was again just OK when we ate it with TJ’s Corn Dipper chips, it didn’t bring a great deal of flavor plus as it is thin and not great for dipping (on the plus side of that, no thickener agents) I haven’t tried this and the regular Green Salsa together to compare them side by side but still, I probably won’t buy this again as I just don’t think the higher price is worth it against the Salsa Verde. It might however be good for cooking a dish like Green Chile Enchiladas. TJ’s has so many very good salsa’s and related products (like Cowboy Caviar which I love as well as the Chlpotle Black Bean Dip) So I am giving this HATCH SALSA a “Meh” as its $2.99. Medium spice heat level. Ingredients: Hatch Chile Pepper, Tomatillos, Lime Juice Concentrate, Garlic Salt.
17 Feb 2022 7 Comments
in All Natural, can, fish, News, Pantry, pescatarian, Prices, Products, Rave, seafood, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: canned, Food, healthy, heart, no preservatives, product, Products, Rave, review, tinned, Trader Joes
Wait a second… You want me to eat those yucky looking fishies?
Don’t click away in disgust.
There are a so many reasons for you to add sardines to your diet, if you aren’t eating them already. If you think sardines look yucky, read about all the health benefits they have. They are one of the healthiest foods you could eat and come with a TON of health benefits. And they are pretty cheap! At least at Trader Joe’s.
Sardines are not just good for you, they are one of the healthiest fish you can eat. Into Protein? A can of sardines is loaded with protein (21 grams) and they are a terrific source of calcium (the regular ones with bones, not the boneless/skinless). Women especially need to get lots of calcium.
Sardines also provide heart-healthy Omega-3’s that may help with reducing inflammation, improving cognition and more. Sardines have the lowest levels of mercury of any fish.
Are they farmed? No way. All sardines are WILD caught and they are plentiful in the oceans. So sardines are a highly sustainable fish, unlike many fishes that we like to eat. And they are cheap, they are probably the least costly fish you can buy. So lots of benefits.
But not only are sardines healthy to eat, they are DELICIOUS. Europeans love them, and eat lots of sardines. While this may not be the case here in the U.S, you should change that by adding them to your diet if you don’t already.
Trader Joe’s sells at least three varieties of canned sardines. My favorite ones are the SMOKED SARDINES IN OLIVE OIL (purple can). One can gives you a whopping 21 grams of protein. Plus Calcium and Omega’3. I probably eat a can for lunch at least once a week.
SERVING SUGGESTION: Take out the sardines, put them into a dish, and mash them up with a fork. Add 1 large teaspoon of mayonnaise, a squeeze of fresh lemon (1/4 lemon?), and a nice grind of fresh black pepper. If you like hot sauce, add a bit. (optional, chopped parsley or scallions) Mix the mixture up well. You can spread the mashed sardines on your favorite crackers, or some freshly toasted bread with a little butter. This will go great on the Scandinavian kind of flatbread (open sandwich) or on some warm Lavash. Enjoy!
Trader Joe’s carries a few varieties of sardines. My favorite? I recommend the sardines in the purple can (“in olive oil smoke flavor”). They are probably my favorite of all TJ’s sardines.
But if you can’t bear the sardines with skin (which by the way contain the most calcium due to the soft edible bones, so soft you won’t notice them) If that is beyond your ability, then get the skinless boneless ones (grey can). They could be a good starting point if you are squeamish, however when you mash up sardines, frankly they almost look like tuna fish.
I recommend the lightly smoked sardines (in the purple can) as the tastiest sardines Trader Joe’s sells. You can even sauté potatoes in the left over oil in the can which will make a delicious potato dish.
By the way, the bones? They are so soft when cooked you probably won’t notice anything.
Country of origin: Portugal (purple can), Canada (blue), Morocco (grey)
Get some more ideas here: https://wildplanetfoods.com/blogs/blog/celebrate-the-season-with-tinned-sardines?_pos=16&_sid=47d07da19&_ss=r
15 Feb 2022 8 Comments
in All Natural, Asian, fish, frozen, General, New, News, pescatarian, Products, Rave, recipe, Recipes, seafood, spices, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: dinner, freezer, frozen, healthy, ideas, no preservatives, prepared foods, Products, Rave, recipe, review, Trader Joes
(defrosted)
This is the wild same Argentinian Red Shrimp TJ’s has but packaged up with seasoned butter for a ready-to-cook meal. Convenient, yes, but naturally you pay extra for said convenience. We made this and the finished dish with the sauce was very tasty, but honestly nothing I could not have done with maybe 5 minutes of little effort. This pack is $8 for a 9 oz portion which cooked, makes for two meager portions for 2 as a dinner. To make this into a full meal (for two) I served the shrimp with a few sides plus a salad and a little French bread. Follow the instructions on the package which are to thaw overnight in the fridge. After defrosting I used a thin knife to get it out of the package (actually a bit tricky) and tossed the whole mess into a hot nonstick pan with a little (extra) butter. These Red Shrimp cook fast – they will be done in about 1 1/2 minutes – so be careful not to overcook them if you want the shrimp to stay plump and juicy.
Frankly if you want to get more bang for your buck it’s easy to just buy a pound of shrimp and make a similar sauce. Buy the bag of frozen WILD RED ARGENTINIAN SHRIMP ($10.99) and just add some butter and seasonings. This package is convenient but not great value and its so easy to make shrimp and add a few things. Personally I probably won’t buy this again, I’ll just do it myself. Your call.
Need a recipe for a sauce? Here you go:
GINGER/GARLIC BUTTER SAUCE: Grate or finely chop 1/2″ of fresh ginger and 2-3 cloves of garlic (optional: a little grated fresh lemon peel too); Melt about 2 tablespoons of butter in a hot non-stick pan; Toss the garlic and ginger into. Sauté 30 seconds, then toss in your (defrosted) shrimp and cook tossing them for about 60-90 seconds just until the shrimp turn opaque (max, 2 minutes lest they will shrink up). As soon as they are opaque and pink. add the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Optional: if you like spice, add a small spoon of BOMBA or your favorite something spicy to taste. Add a pinch salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped parsley or scallions. Serve with rice and/or crusty bread to mop up the tasty sauce.
https://www.traderjoes.com/home/recipes/honey-aleppo-shrimp
(NB: TJ’s recipe says cook the shrimp for 5-10; just ignore that unless you want really overcooked shrimp! Cook no more than 2 minutes)
12 Feb 2022 2 Comments
in All Natural, Prices, Products, Rave, recipe, Recipes, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: chicken sausage, inflation update, no preservatives, price increase, Products, review, Trader Joes
Trader Joe’s carries a number of different kinds of chicken sausages, all of which are pretty good. The ones I especially like are the Smoked Andouille, Spicy Jalapeno and these, “Smoked Apple Chardonnay” Chicken Sausages. If you’ve never tried any of the many chicken sausages TJ’s has, these might be good to try first as they are mildly sweet with a general kind of middle of the road flavor that most people might like. I find them convenient to have on hand to get a quick dinner ready. You can use the chicken sausages in a variety of ways. You can grill, sauté or roast them. They are already fully cooked. Still for flavor I think you want to get a nice sear on them.
Pictured below is a dish I made using these sausages (two) of pan fried gnocchi and green beans. I just sautéed everything in olive oil with lots of garlic until lightly browned and then tossed in some French Green Beans at the end. Grate a little Parmesan on top. Easy, yummy dinner.
There are no artificial ingredients listed (no nitrates for example). Ingredients include: chicken, dehydrated apples, celery juice, onion, pepper, nutmeg, thyme, ginger, chardonnay, rosemary. The TJ Chicken Sausages come in a 12 oz package of 4 for $3.99. Trader Joe’s has a few varieties of other chicken sausage flavors too, so try them all and see which you like best. I liked this one, Roasted Garlic and Andouille….
And the latest Unexpected Cheddar Chicken Sausage
This is a recipe for the Andouille Chicken Sausage with TJ’s Southern Greens (you might use these sausages but the Andouille ones would be a bit more Southern)
INFLATION UPDATE: Prices went up; now $4.29 (Apr 2022)
09 Feb 2022 3 Comments
in All Natural, General, Italian, organic, Pantry, Prices, Products, Rave, Recipes, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: Products, Rave, review, Trader Joes
Trader Joe’s has some decent regular pastas (in the blue bags) which are a steal at 99 cents. However for a tiny bit more, you can have a better pasta being the ones labeled “ORGANIC PASTA” (with red lettering) which are a level up. If you haven’t checked them out yet, you should. These Organic Pastas cost $1.29. They are well worth the slightly higher price because you’re getting a higher quality Italian pasta. Almost “artisanal” as one can see by the rough texture, this pasta was manufactured using “bronze dies” which high quality pasta makers use. Bronze dies make better pasta as they give pasta rough edges which makes for better sauce adherence. Compare these pastas to the blue bags which are smoother. Cheaper pasta’s are extruded with Teflon dies which give them a smoother exterior. Bronze dies are expensive and wear out which is one reason why “good pasta” costs more.
Another indication of the better quality of the TJ “Organic Pasta” the pasta is it is lighter in color, indicating a slower drying time (again, makes for better pasta). TJ’s carry a number of kinds of these organic pastas: spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, radiatore…. All good. The package directions state around 10-11 minutes of cooking time. I do a minute or two less than al dente, then finish cooking the pasta in the sauce as Italians do (they never pour sauce on bare pasta). TIP: Always save some pasta water to add in tablespoons as needed.
So check out TJ’s Organic Pastas as they make terrific dishes. Not that the regular pastas in the blue bags are bad. These just a even better. By the way, TJ’s does sell special ones labeled “Artisanal Organic” pastas. Those may cost around $3 or or less.
https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/organic-papperdelle-pasta-nests-069919
https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/organic-italian-artisan-gigli-pasta-060942
Any of these pasta shapes would go great of course with TJ’s CACIO E PEPE sauce – or any other favorite you like. If you want a real authentic Italian sauce, I suggest trying your hand at Pasta Puttanesca. I made it last night and it was fantastic (you can get the Capers, Olives, Anchovies at TJ’s). Watch VINCENZO make it, it’s easy and delicious!
04 Feb 2022 3 Comments
in Asian, frozen, General, Pantry, Products, seafood, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: dumpling, pescatarian, Products, review, shrimp, Thai, Trader Joes
Thai Shrimp Dumplings / Gyoza
First to clarify, there are no “Thai seasonings” in these, nor are they spicy. They’re “Made in Thailand” hence the name (Gyoza being Japanese for dumplings BTW). TJ’s THAI SHRIMP GYOZA are frozen dumplings, with shrimp as the first ingredient listed along with cabbage and other vegetables, in a thin yellow wonton type wrapper. You can either steam, pan fry or microwave them. The skin is thinner than the “regular” TJ” dumplings. Taste-wise, these are well, OK, if nothing to write home about. One might say the shrimp flavor is “delicate”. Or one could say they don’t have a very distinct shrimp flavor. I also wish the shrimp in the filling were even more coarsely chopped with bigger pieces texture-wise, or they used a few whole baby shrimp in the mix. These shrimp dumplings are not going to compete with a shrimp dumpling from a good Chinese restaurant. Interestingly, out of the package you will notice they have browned bottoms as if they were already slightly browned or cooked. If you can, do pan fry these, perhaps a little bit more effort but worth it, as the more you brown the bottoms I think the tastier these will be. A bag of these Shrimp Dumplings now go for $5.50. There are about 15 dumplings in the 1 lb package. The funny thing is I’ve read people say these Thai Shrimp dumplings taste almost the same as TJ’s “Thai Vegetable Gyoza” the vegetarian version of these. Therefore the real question for me is since these don’t have a really distinctive taste of shrimp, are they worth the higher price versus the cheaper regular bags of Chicken or Pork dumplings Trader Joe’s has. If for variety, sure, or maybe you are a pescatarian. Frankly however the regular dumplings are better value (they were $2.99. Now $3.49) The wrappers on those are a little thicker which is more to my personal preference. Which is why I usually buy the big blue or red bags of frozen TJ dumplings as opposed to these “fancier” pricier, dumpling that are in boxes or colorful pouches. Anyway, try these at least once and decide yourself if they are worth the extra price. Funny enough I think if you made a few Red Shrimp to serve with these that would be a great combo!
Dipping sauce: I would not go a strong sauce with the shrimp dumplings, you probably want to keep it on the light side. Maybe a bit of low-sodium soy sauce with a teaspoon of vinegar (or lime juice) and some fresh ginger added. If you have Fish Sauce (Nam Pla, etc) around, a little bit might be good to give these a little more of a shrimp-y taste. Trader Joe’s once carried an excellent brand of fish sauce, Red Boat, but they stopped carrying it unfortunately.
Ingredients in the Thai Shrimp Gyoza include: Shrimp, White Cabbage, Chives, Scallions, Ginger, Garlic. Made In Thailand, No Preservatives, No Artificial Flavors. They’re in the frozen section.
RATING: “Meh”. Chinese restaurants have nothing to worry about.
04 Feb 2022 Leave a comment
in All Natural, coffee, drink, General, Italian, Pantry, Prices, Products, Rave, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: coffee, espresso, moka, no preservatives, Products, Rave, review, Trader Joes, vegan gluten free
I was surprised the first time I saw the famous red ILLY logo staring at me from the coffees shelf at Trader Joe’s. Really? Trader Joe’s is now selling ILLY coffee?!? Yes it is and let’s hope it stays that way. ILLY is one of the most famous coffee brands worldwide and in Italy for 80 years on. Their red logo is instantly recognizable around the globe. The ILLY coffee company has a long history. They produce terrific coffee. I think one only finds this premium brand at some special stores and not at the supermarket. So yes I was happily surprised to find I can buy it and TJ’s now and for a decent price too ($9.99 for 8.8 oz). This is a very good coffee, a blend of 9 different Arabica origin beans in a medium dark roast in a medium fine grind. It should be good for most any coffee maker, in an espresso machine, for a Moka pot (which is what I have switched to), doing drip or pour over coffee and great if you like strong dark roasts. I use this for a Cafe Con Leche (with milk) done in a Moka pot and its perfect for that.
Here’s what ILLY says about this FORTE BLEND which was developed about 80 years ago.
https://www.illy.com/en-us/eshop/coffee/drip-coffee/ground-drip-forte-coffee-extra-bold-roast/8834ST
It’s vacuum sealed in this terrific looking metal container which even has a rubber gasket to keep air out once you open break the vacuum. Keep it in the fridge after opening and use within about two weeks when it’s at its freshest.
30 Jan 2022 4 Comments
in cheese, Pantry, Trader Joes
Trader Joe’s “Italian Tortellini with Pesto Filling” (in the pasta section)
I tried these Trader Joe’s “Authentic Italian” Tortellini with Pesto Filling pasta. I was quite disappointed it’s very mediocre. Think about it. Is there really some way to take a fresh stuffed pasta, dry it out, then have the filling return to the way it was before? Nope, and this proves it. Another thing the pasta here and its dried filling basically need different cooking times. When you cook this according to the directions the pasta is overcooked while the filling seems to need another few minutes to be done. The package states cook 18 minutes. 18 minutes? That’s a really long time to cook pasta. Taste-wise, its really meh and I basically detected no taste of pesto. Fresh basil and dried basil are completely different animals, fresh basil leaves being extremely fragrant while dried basil has much less flavor (this is made with dried basil even to start with). I don’t find these tortellini worth the $2.99 they go for, which is more than most of the dried pasta TJ sells. I would not buy them again. Honestly Trader Joe’s carries so many other excellent pasta’s that you will do better with. If you buy almost any pasta (I recommend the Organic Artisan ones) plus a $3 jar of TJ’s green or red pesto, you will come out with something far superior to this stuff and just as easy to make. If you really want a stuffed pasta, try some of the fresh ravioli in the refrigerated section. Some of those are pretty good. Or buy some frozen ones. But dried? E IMPOSSIBILE COSI. In this case, I can only imaging the Italians having a good laugh making this for export only. They would never eat it in a million years.
Ingredients (filling): Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs (!?!), sunflower oil, water, dried basil, garlic powder. It says Product of Italy.
UPDATE: Today I saw a sign on these – “Will be Discontinued soon” and to stock up if you wish. (Me, I’ll pass but I will pick up a few of the decent Italian packaged Gnocchi)
Good riddance I say.
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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