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Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Trader Joe's Spotlight: Organic Vegetarian Chili

 I've had my eyes peeled for Desk Food: items I can keep in my desk drawer at work and pull out any time for a Clean meal when I forget my lunch, etc. Right now - the pickins have been slim. The drawer has canned tuna, canned pineapple tidbits ( in water! ), and Pure & Simple hot grain instant cereals. *Sigh* I'm ready for something else. I'm ready...for Fall. Hot soup on a cold day. Warm meals.



Trader Joe's organic vegetarian chili fits all my parameters. It is Clean / On this side of the border Clean, it is filling, it will live happily in my desk drawer until called into service, and it will be warm.

If you didn't read the label to know there is tofu in it, you'd swear those little bits are meat. It has a satisfying psuedo meaty taste, but this isn't hot chili so if you like it hot - have your sriracha in hand when sitting down to eat.

I tasted it cold, right out of the can. I liked the taste. Then I heated it up. Perhaps, I heated it too much. I found there to be a slightly "This is not the beef chili you are looking for - move along " aura to it once it was really hot.

Will I buy another can to keep in my desk drawer? I think so.

Do I think having a portion of homemade chili in the freezer at work for emergency eats might be better than the organic vegetarian chili from TJ's? I think so.