Trader Joe's Spotlight: 17 Bean & Barley Soup Mix

With Fall upon us, now is the time for warming soups and stews to take center stage. I've long been a fan of bean soup mixes ( just don't use that hideous seasoning packet they sometimes throw in there! ), and they are great for a crockpot.

Trader Joe's sells a nice bean mix that makes a delicious soup. The barley is a nice addition.
If you don't have a TJ's near you, any bean mix will do.


17 Bean & Barley Soup

* 1 (1 lb) Trader Joe’s 17 Bean and Barley soup mix (or 2 cups of your favorite mix of dried beans, barley and lentils; soaked overnight)
* 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/2 large white onion, chopped
* 2 carrots, chopped
* 2 stalks celery, chopped
* 1 red bell pepper, chopped
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 Tbs Herbs De Provence
* 1 Tbs dried basil
* 4 cups organic low sodium vegetable broth
* 1 (14.5 oz) can organic low sodium diced tomatoes, in their juices
* 1 tomato bouillon cube
* coarse salt and pepper


Toss the soaked bean/barley mix into a large pot. Add the broth and canned tomatoes. Bring to a boil.
In the meantime, heat the oil in a medium skillet. Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and red bell pepper. Sprinkle with Herbs De Provence, dried basil, a good pinch of salt and pepper.
Saute until veggies start to soften, 5 minutes.
Add the veggies to the soup pot. Add the bouillon cube, partially cover and simmer on medium for an hour.
If you need to add water at any point, toss a cup in.
Taste and season accordingly. If the beans need a little longer, simmer another 20 minutes.

Trader Joe's Candy Cane Green Tea

Run, don't walk to your nearest Trader Joe's store and pick up a box or 5 of their seasonal Candy Cane Green Tea - a Winter product they've brought back again this year after being missing from shelves for Christmas 2010.

It's a delicious lightly peppermint flavored green tea and you'll love having this in the evenings. If you are missing out on candy canes - sipping on a cup of these with a little stevia or honey in it will put you in the Holiday mood. When you add stevia, it also has a mysterious rich "back taste" that is vaguely reminiscent of gingerbread. It is quite different and wonderful. And best of all, it is is decaffeinated - so you can have some late at night without worrying about staring at the ceiling all night long.

Seriously - if you like tea, and you like peppermint - get some before TJ's is sold out for the year. It is a seasonal "Once it is gone, it is gone" product.

Trader Joe's Spotlight: Vegetable Masala Burgers

This past week during my usual Trader Joe's run, I picked up a few pantry essentials - and some items my boys love ( the frozen gorgonzola gnocci is a particular side dish favorite of theirs ) but I was also browsing for something new for me to try. Something I might enjoy eating  , something I might enjoy reviewing. 

When  I picked up the Vegetable Masala burgers, I frowned a bit, but picked up the package anyway. "Authentic Indian spices" - I've never been a huge fan of curry. It's okay - but not a favorite. Meatless burgers are also at best a Border Food ( one that is consumed very sporadically because it is a little too processed, a little too high in sodium, a little too Unclean for daily consumption ). So right off the bat - an Indian flavored meatless burger wasn't exactly triggering a warm fuzzy response from me. 

Ingredients: Potatoes, canola oil, carrots , green beans, water, bread crumbs ( wheat flour, sugar , yeast, salt ), bell peppers, onions, corn, salt, green peppers, sugar, ginger, cellulose gum, spices, citric acid, tumeric, and mustard seeds.

A bit long - but all fairly Clean. The addition of salt and sugar almost made me put it down, but I didn't. 

The nutritional information was fairly strong. 

Per patty:

Calories: 120

Fat: 8 g ( probably from the canola oil )

Sodium: 360 mg ( Not terrible for a premade burger like this, but definitely Borderline.

Carbs: 12g 

Sugar: 1 g ( Huh, they added sugar, but even with the sugar from the potato in there, it is still only 1g? Not bad. )

 So with a slight "These aren't exactly what I want but I will settle for them" air, I put them in my basket and headed for the checkout. 

Wow - I'm glad I did. These burgers are delicious! The Indian spicing is flavorful, not cloying and over the top. The consistency of the burger is moist and interesting. It isn't dull and lifeless. The cooking directions given are to heat them in a lightly oiled skillet until hot, or put them on a "barbeque", oiled, and grill on both sides until hot. I chose to heat them in the microwave, because I was at work and that is all I had available to me - and I think they came out just fine. 

When you pull the burgers from the package, you can clearly see the chunks of vegetables in them, and I liked that aspect a lot. The vegetables weren't ground into a paste to hold everything together. I feel this is a plus; I could recognize my food. 

I will definitely buy these again, but I do recognize these aren't something I would or should eat on a weekly basis. These will be an "every once in a while" addition to my menu. A very tasty addition - every once in a while...

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.

TraderJoe's Spotlight: Chile Lime Chicken Burgers

Last week while in Trader Joe's, I specifically looked for a product that had been mentioned to me by a co-worker - their Chile Lime Chicken burgers. These are in the frozen section - 4 patties to a box.

 

 As I examined the nutrition label to determine if they are clean ( and they are - even if the chicken is not labeled as organic, this is minimally processed and all recognizable ingredients  - ingredients are ground chicken, onions, bell peppers, garlic, cilantro, "natural flavor", salt, lime juice concentrate, and red pepper flakes. ) , a woman came up to me and remarked "Those are SO yummy!" So, I bought the box. 

For my first serving, I put 2 burgers onto my trusty George Foreman grill and cooked them. They looked so amazing - they grilled to a nice crispy texture, with lovely scorch marks and they looked really appetizing. I had mine on a Nature's Choice whole grain bun. And...

Not good! The texture was gross - like a thin layer of dense foam. They had a remarkable rubbery consistency I didn't care for at all. The taste was ok - it was the consistency I found off putting. 

As Andrew Zimmern says, always try foods twice - so last night, I grilled the other two patties in the exact same manner, but this time chopped them up and put them in my salad for dinner. I used and olive oil and vinegar dressing. I have to say, in a salad...the consistency took a back seat and the added flavor and protein were welcome. 

I can't say I will buy these again. As a burger, the consistency leaves a lot to be desired. There are a lot of other foods I'd rather eat in their place - specifically, turkey or salmon burgers. Why these are so well liked is a little beyond me...

Do you like these? Did I cook them incorrectly??

Trader's Joe's Spotlight: Aioli Garlic Mustard

Aioli is a a French term meaning "garlic mayonnaise" - so when I spied this Aioli "garlic mustard sauce" at Trader Joe's, I was instantly intrigued. I like mayo, I like mustard, I like garlic. 

A quick inspection of the ingredients revealed a Clean condiment: Mustard seed, distilled vinegar, garlic, water, soybean oil, mustard flour, eggs, allspice, tumeric, salt, and lemon juice.  55 mg of sodium in 1 teaspoon - similar to most mustards. Into my handheld basket went the little jar of Aioli. 

I was expecting a more mayonnaise consistency, thanks to the "aioli" reference - but honestly, this was just a very garlicky mustard with a back bite I'd swear was a little horseradish driven , but there is no horseradish in the ingredients. It was good, and with meats, it is very good. This afternoon, I'll be using it in a batch of deviled eggs I plan on making. However, this is not a mayo substitute. It is a mustard, plain and simple. 

Good mustard - and I'll purchase again ( my family is very mustard friendly! ), but not a garlicky mayonnaise.

I think because I was expecting something a little more mayonnaise-y, my initial impression was...nonplussed. It was good, but... 

Now that I've had it a few times, on various foods and in a few recipes, I have definitely warmed up to this stuff, and it will be a "go to" mustard like my Harris Teeter brand Dijon.

Trader Joe's Spotlight: Mahi Mahi Burgers

After my recent discovery of Trident's salmon burger which is nearly perfect for Clean Eaters, I've kept my eyes peeled for other similar products. I've seen many frozen turkey burgers ( some of which are not clean; check those ingredient labels to ensure you aren't getting a lot of sodium and unwanted preservatives ). However, the Trader Joe's spotlight this week is on their Mahi-Mahi burgers.

     These little patties are simply delicious. At 110 calories a piece, the 320 mg of sodium each 3 oz patty has is high, but tolerable. Each patty has 15 mg of protein - very strong source of protein. They say they are unflavored, but each had a delicate flavor I find myself having trouble describing. Not fishy in any way, shape, or form. I had mine grilled on my favorite appliance - my George Foreman grill - and they were ready quickly. Serve with lettuce, tomato, and onion...you've got yourself a very Clean meal.

Trader Joe's Spotlight : Lara Bars

 In the first of a series of posts that will encourage me to get my behind to my local Trader Joe's on a more regular basis, I am going to purchase a Clean item at TJ's and give it a review.

I've been a "nay-sayer" concerning protein and meal replacement bars for quite some time now. While the packaging and advertising try to promote a wholesome, nutritious, and often Clean outward appearance, most protein bars are anything but. Pick up any protein bar at the store, and find the ingredient list. It will be a little difficult, because in almost all cases, the manufacturer hides the ingredient list underneath the packaging flap! They don't want you to see the sugars and additives they have added! Most are extremely unhealthy - and really, only meant as a quick calorie addition for athletes ( which is what they were invented for - serious weightlifters, bicyclists, runners ...people who expend a lot of calories. Not people like you and I. )

Protein bars aren't Clean. But, along comes the Lara Bar.

I had heard about these from a friend of a friend, but hadn't seen them in the stores to investigate until I hit my local Trader Joe's to prepare for this new blog series. I stopped my cart, and picked up a few of the bars. They are small, only 3 1/2" long by 2" wide. I flipped the Cherry Pie flavored bar over, and was floored. The ingredient list was on the side - NOT hidden under the wrapper fold. Completely and utterly dumbfounded. Ingredients? Just 3 - Dates, almonds, and unsweetened cherries. This is unheard of in protein bars. I picked up the Peanut Butter Cookie flavored bar. Ingredients? Just 3. Dates, peanuts, salt. It was the nutritional info that was hidden under the flap on the Lara Bar - and there was a little shock. Calories in these small bars?? 180 to 220. That is a lot!! However, for the simplicity of the ingredients, I was hooked.

I purchase 3 different varieties - Cherry Pie, Peanut Butter Cookie, and Apple Pie. All 3 I found tasty, though the overwhelming texture of the bar is from the dates in the mixture - but not the taste. The Apple Pie tasted of Apples, the Cherry of cherries. I happen to like dates, but some might not care for the texture. They are soft and chewy, and I think might be a good Clean "On the Go" supplement for the Clean Eater. Something to tuck into a desk to eat when your sweet tooth attacks. Something to eat with a piece of fruit for one of your mini meals. These would also be perfect to eat prior to going out for the evening, to help prevent cravings of inappropriate foods.

I will be on the lookout for Lara bar coupons from now on. I've seen a Buy 1, get 1 coupon previously. By the way, I think these would be excellent for your Clean Eating stockpile or for Clean Eating TEOTWAWKI.
 With a long shelf life ( the ones I bought said "Best by late 2012 ), these would be great for keeping in an emergency preparedness stockpile.

These are apparently available at other retailers nationwide...I just found them at my TJ's first.