Trader Joe’s PERI-PERI SAUCE with fermented and dried chilies
RAVE
This is as the label says: “A CONDIMENT WITH RICH, COMPLEX HEAT”. Peri-peri sauce is one of those Trader Joe’s products that currently seems to be all over the Internet. So naturally I decided I better check it out. First thing to let you know, is that this Peri-Peri sauce is HOT! And when I say hot I mean it. It’s hot people, with a capital H! As in this is surely the spiciest product I’ve ever tasted at Trader Joe’s. It reminded me of the first time I tasted TJ’s (original formula, and sadly discontinued) Organic SRIRACHA RANCH dressing (sigh!). I opened the bottle of this Peri-peri sauce and just tasted a wee bit on a teaspoon all by itself. OMG. My mouth lit up, taste buds on fire. I’m not a chili-head but I enjoy “spicy” and can tolerate most levels of heat. However this Peri-peri was way up there. It took a while for my mouth to calm down and I thought, this sauce is too spicy. However I found the “secret” to using Peri-peri, is to just use it really sparingly. Use it in small even tiny amounts and you will get it’s flavor. Note, it’s quite liquid-y so be careful pouring it lest you get way more than you want. I usually put some on a spoon to gently dole it out in little dots of sauce. Once I realized about using in sparingly I started to really love this stuff. It’s very flavorful and complex with a ton of umami going on in addition to being spicy. The orginal bottle which I expected would last me a few months is already 2/3 gone in just a few weeks! So Peri-Peri may even be addictive. This label says Product of South Africa. Peri-Peri sauce is popular in South Africa, though it’s origins are from elsewhere in Africa, Mozambique or going even back going back to Portugal.
Peri-peri recipes traditionally call for tiny birds eye chilies which are super spicy. The label does not specify exactly what chilies are in it but it does say “fermented” as well as dried chilies. As TJ’s BOMBA SAUCE also uses fermented chilies, from which you get a lot more complex flavors than just “hot”. It also lists garlic,salt, dried chilies and xanthan gum (it’s a thickener). It’s a lovely orange color. The first ingredient listed on the label interestingly enough is LEMON JUICE. So there is a citrus-y background level behind the spiciness which I find works perfectly.
What is PERI-PERI SAYCE good on? Perhaps a better question is what haven’t I tried this on. I’ve tried it on almost everything. For one, a simple thing, I love this sauce on something as simple as cottage cheese (on toast or a bagel or crackers…) Again I just need a few dots of sauce here and there. It’s simply magnificent with chicken, which is what it was created for (Peri-peri chicken). I will next try it on chicken breasts marinated in the sauce. So marinate some white or dark meat chicken in Peri-Peri sauce. You’ll find its just stunning. Use oil in the marinade too of course and go easy on the peri-peri till you learn its heat level, though cooking will of course mellow the heat out. I’ve mixed a little of the peri-peri even into ketchup – that spicy ketchup combo is fantastic with hamburgers. A bit on grilled shrimp or fish? Yes, yes, yes. If you experiment with this (and go cautiously) you will come up with great combinations this sauce is good on. Oh and you can of course mix it with something, say mayonnaise or greek yogurt in whatever ratio you like and come up with a fantastic sauce in seconds. Trader Joe’s PERI-PERI sauce comes in a glass bottle of about 7 ounces for $3.29. I think this is really worth checking out. And check out this recipe for grilled Peri-Peri Chicken below which you could whip up using this I think.
TJ’s Pasta Emporium Gnocchi. “Autentico Italiano”.Made in Italy.Shelf stable package.
These gnocchi are one of my favorite TJ items. They are so handy. I almost always pick up a pack every time I go so I have one in the pantry. Available in the pasta section, these packages of TJ’s POTATO GNOCCHI are terrific and a bargain at just $1.69 (1.1 lbs). The package is shelf stable and can last months in your pantry (you could store them in your fridge if you like but you don’t have to). I probably usually use them within about 1-3 months? The cooked gnocchi have a pleasantly chewy texture, which you can accentuate even more by pan frying them (see below), one way I recommend cooking them.
COOKING: Simply toss these into boiling salted water for about 3 minutes and they’re ready to serve with your favorite sauce. They will float to the top of the water when done. Perhaps even better I’ve found is one can boil them for 1 minute, drain, them throw them in a non-stick or cast iron pan with 2 tablespoons of EVOO to pan fry them until they are golden brown. The crispier texture from this is terrific. Actually an even easier way which I discovered and clearly others have figured out too, is you don’t even have to boil them at all. You can just pan fry them without the boiling. The even chewier crispy texture is great.
PAN FRIED GNOCCHI: Just toss these gnocchi right into a pan with 1-2 tbl. of olive oil and pan fry them until browned on all sides, stirring occasionally. I do a variation on this. I put 2 tbls of EVOO (or even nicer, a mix of half oil and half butter) in a black cast iron (or nonstick pan). Get the oil hot on med. heat until it shimmers. Toss in these gnocchi and stir till coated. COVER THE PAN. Cook covered 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. They kind of pan fry & steam at the same time for the best of both worlds. After 5 minutes or so, take off the cover and continue pan-frying till GDB (Golden Brown and Delicious) maybe another 5-10 minutes.
What to serve with them for a sauce? Almost anything you can think of which you would do for pasta. Of course great with with your favorite TJ tomato or marinara sauce. TJ’s jarred Pesto works quite well with these. It can even be as simple as just butter and grated cheese plus some black pepper, a kind of Cacio E Pepe. Speaking of which – In TJ’s C&P sauce! Or get inventive. In the photos below you will see I cooked them with greens (swiss chard but you can use any greens like kale, spinach, arugula…) I used lots of garlic and lots of grated Rosemary Asiago *. The gnocchi were delicious with greens. Of course any Italian cheese works Parmigiano, Pecorino, Asiago) even some Mozz cut into cubes to melt in. I had these last week with some leftover Bolognese sauce I had in the freezer and they were simply amazing with Bolognese sauce. TJ’s even has a vegan bolognese sauce.
Are these better than the frozen Kale and other Gnocchi? For me actually they kind of are and frankly these are half the price of the frozen gnocchi which I feel don’t have the same textural integrity when cooked this way (pan fried) though I could experiment some more.
Anyway if you never tried these packaged Gnocchi, check them out. I can’t tell you how many times when we “had nothing in the house to eat” I found we had a package of these in the pantry and then had a dinner ready in 20 minutes for a few dollars.
Pan fried Gnocchi with Swiss Chard and Asiago
*RECIPE : PAN FRIED GNOCCHI with Swiss Chard & Rosemary Asiago Cheese – Separate leaves and stems from Swiss Chard. Cook the cut stems with 3 cloves of garlic smashed until tender in olive oil. Remove greens from pan then into same pan, toss in a pack of gnocchi with a tablespoon of EVOO and 1 tbl butter. Cook covered as discussed above till browned all over. Now add back the swiss chard plus chopped up leaves. Cook and toss around in pan till leaves are cooked till your liking. Toss in some chopped parsley or arugula. Season to taste with a little salt, sprinkle of lemon juice and lots of black pepper (optionally – a spoon of BOMBA) Grate a few ounces of Asiago, Pecorino or Parmigiano over all and drizzle with good EVOO. Serve 2 as dinner or 4 as a side.
(Can substitute Kale, Arugula, Spinach or any green)
Trader Joe’s Super Premium MINT CHIP ICE CREAM (Mint Chocolate Chip)
Trader Joe’s carries many excellent ice creams and frozen desserts.
This Mint Chip is one of my favorite ice creams they have. It’s deliciously creamy with a real fresh mint flavor that is cooling and refreshing on a hot summer day. Its also loaded with little slivers of chocolate. The color is a natural, creamy white not a fake green that most commercial brands have from adding food coloring. Frankly the reason the box is a bit messed up in the pic as it was so good I didn’t take a picture until after we finished the whole package! We particularly liked this as part of a coffee float with iced coffee! This ice cream, or the wonderful Coffee Ice Cream they sell too!
I find MINT CHIP ICE CREAM is especially great in the summer time with its refreshing minty freshness. Not too mention Spring, Fall, or Winter!
Inflation has been in the news a lot recently and I’m really noticing it “in action” in supermarket prices including, or is it especially, at Trader Joe’s. Certainly you have noticed TJ’s prices on many items creeping up all the time? I am getting small sticker shocks now on a shopping run at TJ’s. Then when you hit Checkout and they all add up, a big sticker shock. All those “small” increases add up. I’m sure you are noticing in your food budget not going as far. I sure am. I’ve noticed price increases at TJ’s on so many products. Here are a few:
Ground turkey, which was $2.99 a pound for some time, was now $3.49. Another kind of ground turkey, which was $3.99 a pound, went up to $4.29. A pack of Pita was $1.29 for many years. Now it’s $1.59. Peanut Butter: $1.99 since I can remember…now $2.29. The always great deal on the Pane Italiano bread for 99 cents? Its now $1.29. Isn’t that about a 30% increase on this one item? The inflation rate supposedly in the US is around 5 per cent. So why a 30 per cent increase on this particular item !?!
TJ Peanut Butter – it was $1.99 forever. Then raised to $2.29. Then raised again to $2.49 (price as of aug 2021)
Organic Carrots – were 99 cents forever. Now $1.49 – a 50 per cent increase?! Wow.
We are seeing raises followed by raises in just a few months. So even what seem like “small increases” of 30-50 cents on many items add up by the time we get to the cash register to quite a few dollars. And we had already had some increases during Covid-19 due to shortages and supply chain issues….. As we know unfortunately it’s quite rare once something goes up in price that it ever goes down in price. What if anything can we consumers do? Do we have to just grin and bear it? Unfortunately I don’t have an answer or any magic solutions. All I know is it’s harder for us consumers at an especially bad time for many people. Are companies like Trader Joe’s taking advantage of inflation being in the news so much, and being opportunistic now about raising prices? Anyway I just thought I would put this out there if anyone wants to Comment about price increases at Trader Joe’s.
At least you can vent here, so feel free to do so in the COMMENTS section (please just keep them PG).
This is what I have started to buy at Trader Joe’s pretty regularly. It’s very lightly sweetened from the honey and I find perfect especially for breakfast with some fruit and my granola in the morning. But I also find other uses for it. I use it like “creme fraiche” or whipped cream as a topping for desserts with a bit lower calorie count than either of those. TJ sells it in a big 32 oz container for $4.99 or small cups for $1.29. It’s quite yummy.
I think these are just delicious. These are my new favorite snacks. Crunchy… we’re talking Super Super Crunchy. They are a “PRODUCT OF PERU”. From a variety of Inca Corn called “Choclo“. which has HUGE kernels, grown way up in the Andes Mountains. It says only three ingredients, CORN, oil, salt. OK, I wish the oil wasn’t palm oil but still very simple, with only 3 ingredients with the main one of course being just corn. That’s pretty Natural and probably way healthier snacks to munch on I think say compared to your potato chips.
Trader Joe’s Roasted Golden Flax Seeds (whole seeds) – “Naturally rich in Omega-3, Lignans and Dietary Fiber”
You may know that flax seeds are probably one of the healthiest things you can eat. We’re talking Super Food healthy ! For one thing flax seeds are loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids and are high in protein and fiber. Heart health: studies have shown just by eating 2 tablespoons of flax seeds a day, they can lower blood pressure 10-20 points. Personally every day I eat 2 spoons of flax seeds, which I grind up and mix with yogurt and/or soy milk in my breakfast cereal. I add some chia seeds to boot! You can also put theses in your smoothies.
Up to now I bought flax seeds (raw) in Bulk at a health food store. Then I saw these Roasted Flax Seeds at Trader Joe’s. After trying them I decided these are better tasting than the other ones. Why? Roasting them definitely improves the flavor of flax seeds making them more nutier tasting and crunchier.
You can either eat them whole or grind them up (coffee grinder or morter and pestle). You can sprinkle flax seeds on your morning cereal, put them into baked goods and sneak them into foods like baked goods as well as add them to your smoothies.
Trader Joe’s Channa Masala (spiced chick peas with onions, tomato and spices)
Vegetarian
Trader Joe’s has quite a number of very good Indian foods in Frozen. Many of them are worth exploring, but this is one of my favorites. The next time you are thinking of an “Indian food night” I would definitely recommend checking this dish out.
Trader Joe’s frozen “Channa Masala” is very flavorful and very authentic tasting. Whenever I eat this I usually think, this could have been delivered from an Indian restaurant. That is how well spiced the dish is.
To cook it, you can either heat it in the microwave or you could cook it on the stove which is the way I usually do it. I let it defrost for about a 1/2 hour, then slip the frozen puck out of the package and put in a pan with a tablespoon of water. I always eat this with Naan or TJ’s excellent Malabari Paratha and Basmati Rice.
PS – no one says you can’t add something to this. I often add something ; for example frozen spinach or some packaged “greens” (kale, etc) then another pat of butter. This variation with added greens is an excellent combo.
$1.99 (10 oz package). Higher now due to price increases.
OMG, these are SO blody good! Another simply brilliant condiment from TJ’s something Trader Joe’s seems especially good at coming up with. Slices of picked jalapeños sweetened with organic cane sugar added to make them Hot & Sweet which makes for an even improved version over TJ’s regular pickled jalapeños (also excellent). First off yes these are SPICY HOT ! Hotter than the regular TJ pickled jalapeños. There are whole dried red chilis in the jar plus it says pureed jalapeños also to ramp up the heat level. We just adore these. We put them on so many things. My wife and I dream up new ideas for things to put these on. Last night we put them on top of grilled hamburgers (on toasted brioche bread). Ok this is a no-brainer and of course they were freakin’ delicious on hamburgers… or hot dogs or sausages or sandwiches. For breakfast this morning I put a few slices of these hot and sweet babies on my toasted bagel with cottage cheese. They went perfectly with the mellow cottage cheese to spice up something that otherwise would be pretty boring, so these are a Great Combo.
The bottle has good suggestions on the label, such as add them chopped up to your guacamole. For that matter add some chopped up on top of your avocado toast! Grilled cheese? Oh yes, these go perfectly put some in with the cheese before you grill them so they mix into that melted cheese (chopped or whole if you want big spicy bites). Scrambled eggs? Oh yes, again delicious. Ditto with cream cheese and crackers. Brilliant. Especially with the Red Chili Crackers. For nachos? Another no-brainer. Finally do not ignore TJ’s suggestion about not wasting that leftover juice in the bottle for using in marinades. This hot and spicy pickle juice is amazing. I keep of bottle of just that in the fridge.
Here’s just one idea: SPICY CHICKEN – Marinate BONELESS CHICKEN (BREASTS or THIGHS) in the spicy juice for 30-60 minutes (or overnight in the fridge). Drain and grill them with a generous sprinkle of Ajika Georgian seasoning. When done, spoon a little extra spicy syrup on top of the finished grilled breasts with their own pan juices. Dot with a few slices of the jalapeños. You’re welcome.
Wait up, what….?!!! Trader Joe’s sells place mats? Yeah you read that right. These place mats recently appeared in the New Products “home goods” area at my TJ. Looking at them they so totally say “IKEA” cool to me. These intrigued me, then reading the label about how they’re made from “Supernatural Paper” (!) that really got me interested. Honestly I’m always intrigued that TJ’s has any home goods type things at all. They seem to especially appear around the holidays (I slightly regret not getting some olive wood bowls and cutting boards I saw last Xmas but they were a bit pricey even for TJ’s, but they looked beautiful and handmade). Anyway since we needed to replace some old place mats and these were just $10 bucks for a set of 4, I just grabbed them in kind of an impulse buy. I picked a darkish color out of the 4-5 colors on offer as I thought this darker grey / green color would hide dirt best. These mats are on the thin side meaning when you pick up a glass that was on them you may see a little ring depression where it was, but it brushed out easily by just swiping it with my fingers. They have what I might call all kind of faux leather texture. Feels a little like thick waxed rubbery paper? I believe there are two pieces sown together. “MADE WITH SUPERNATURAL PAPER (cellulose and latex). Latex = rubber. They say “CAN BE WASHED” (hand wash separately). I think I will avoid that if possible, and just wipe/wash them daily. Wiping them clean with a soapy sponge seems to work fine. I had a little stain from some food and just wiped the mat with a damp rag with a little soap and that took off the stain as I hoped. So the rubbery, waxy covering seems to work. I like them for a change from our textile place mats. My wife complained about the white stitching they have on the edges but that doesn’t bother me at all, I kind of like it. They have a funky feel going on…in a good Ikea way. The more I have used them and lived with them I have grown to like them more and really dig the funky Ikea-ness of these.
If you see them, check them out at least with a feel and see what you think. They are $10 for set of 4 mats ($2.50 each) and come in about 5 or 6 colors. Personally I would lean to the dark / earthy colors for hiding stains.
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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