Going Natural with Trader Joe's

The Trader Joe’s Masala Simmer Sauce’s heat sneaks up on you.  It starts slow and then it gets hot in the back of your throat without being overwhelming.  All I had to do was throw the vegatables together (I didn’t have any carrots) and bam it was done.  It was a new flavor but I liked it.  I served it with frozen Tandoori Naan bread.  You heat it on the rack in the oven for a minute or two on 400 degrees.  Next time I think I will make it with Indian Style Basmati Rice.  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Indian-Style-Basmati-Rice/Detail.aspx  Another good quick and easy dish.

I was a little skeptical of the idea of a gyoza “salad.”  To me gyoza doesn’t lend itself to mixing well with other ingredients in any cohesive way and I was right.  It could be that I am not a big fan of snap peas but the whole dish seemed to have clashing flavors and textures.  I forced down some snap peas because I knew I had to eat some vegetables and then I gave up.  So I ended up just eating the gyoza and of course they were good.  I will not be making this dish again but I will buy some gyoza if I get a craving for it.  The Sesame Soy Ginger Vinaigrette was ok but I don’t know if I would put it on a green salad.  I’ll try it and see if it taste better that way.

Trader Joe’s Product Note:  The chicken gyoza tastes better that the pork gyoza and it’s cheaper.  I tried some with the Trader Ming’s Gyoza dipping sauce.  It was heavenly.  That dipping sauce was so good it could have been made in Japan. 

I used whole wheat spaghetti noodles and the Trader Joe’s Roasted & Salted Peanut Butter for this recipe.  All of the ingredients went really well together.  I’m still trying to figure out the ratio of peanut butter to Soyaki sauce for my family’s taste and I have every plan to try it again with the Soyaki Broiled Salmon recipe.  A new staple in our house will be the Trader Joe’s peanut butter.  It literally has two ingredients.  Peanuts and salt.  Not high-fructose corn syrup, sugar, preservatives, etc…  It made me feel good about what I am trying to do with this project and to my astonishment, it still taste good!  Go figure.

To me the chicken came out ok, it didn’t wow me.  I served it with rice and the “Trader Jacques Brittany Blend” frozen vegetable packet.  The chutney had a sweet/savory taste that was pretty good so I will buy it again.  My husband liked the meal a lot, so that was a plus.  However, I probably will not be making it again.  The frozen veggies were good – they will be a new stand by veggie.  Just don’t forget to season them with salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder.  (Hubby does not like bland vegetables.)  Also, the directions say to boil them but steaming would retain more nutrients.  They also don’t get mushy, it stays a little more crisp.  If this post is a little boring it’s because the food was a little boring.  What can I say?

Trader Joe’s Product Note:  The Brittany Blend frozen Vegetable Packet is a french blend of haricot vert green beans, wax beans, and baby carrots.