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The Foodie Report
Ruminations on food, cooking in and eating out in our area.


It's entirely possible to be a vegetarian in Porkopolis. Pop culture reporter Lauren Bishop blogs about products, recipes and restaurants she's tried for others who eat meat-free. E-mail her at lbishop@enquirer.com.


Nicci King is an unabashed foodie and the Lifestyle/Food editor in The Enquirer's features department. She loves to discover new food faves, and she's on a daily quest to answer one burning question: What's for dinner? E-mail her at nking@enquirer.com.


Enquirer Weekend editor Julie Gaw tends to order the same dish every time she eats at a restaurant, but periodically ventures out to discover something new and fabulous. After living in China, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Thailand for more than 8 years, she craves tasty Asian food. E-mail her at jgaw@enquirer.com.


Food/dining writer Polly Campbell loves every quirk and secret of Cincinnati's food personality, and is on a constant lookout for something good to eat. Keep an eye out for her restaurant picks, or see how she's progressing toward becoming famous for her apple pie. E-mail her at pcampbell@enquirer.com.


Communities reporter Rachel Richardson is on a mission to prove vegetarians eat more than lettuce. She shares both her graduate work on American food culture and food-related news.. E-mail her at rrichardson@enquirer.com.

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Friday, May 09, 2008

TJ faves

CinTwin wants to talk about her favorite products at Trader Joe's. Good idea. When the one here was about to open, I asked my sisters who live in the Bay Area what they like there, and they fell all over themselves telling me what to buy. You get very attached to your favorite things

My#1 TJ Product: Dark chocolate-covered pretzels. Great for road trips

Their organic yogurt is the same price as conventional elsewhere. The Greek is more expensive, but I buy it because it's so good: either their brand or the Fage.

the frozen asparagus, artichoke hearts, green beans and soycutash

The tapenades in jars: great to have around.

frozen chicken pot stickers

Tri-tip!


15 Comments:

at 6:21 PM Blogger Amber said...

Thai Style Frozen Green Beans

Seafood Cioppione (frozen)

All of their soups (Carrot Ginger, Sweet Potato, Creamy Tomato)

Ok that was just my first pass...I am now going to go through my cupboards and I will be back!

 
at 1:09 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

the chimichurri rice, and cocoa dusted almonds!

pretty much all of the their frozen veggie blends are awesome.

 
at 7:30 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Spinach artichoke dip, multi-grain crackers, orange chicken, organic jasmine rice and their new fish tacos!

 
at 6:44 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Thai Tuna in the little pouches (great over rice when you don't have time to cook), the knock-off version of the Bellagio sipping chocolate that is only available during the holidays, the precut sweet potato fries that I bake and dip in the sweet thai chili sauce, the soups in the aseptic packages, ginger marmalade that is great with cheese, Greek yogurt, their all butter puff pastry dough, any of their desserts.

 
at 10:27 AM Blogger Amber said...

We also buy a lot of their dried fruits and nuts to make our own trail mix. One thing they have there is "Flattened Bananas". The one ingredient: Bananas. They are just dried, and have the texture of those fruit rollups I used to eat as a kid.

Another good resource for TJ items is this website: http://www.traderjoesfan.com/

 
at 4:33 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

oh where to begin....

The frozen Nan is excellent...and so quick just 4 minuets in a 400 degree oven...

Dark Chocolate covered caramel....just as good as ester price.

Trader O's cereal.....

Fresh Pizza dough...mke great calzones

tempura shrimp crispy and delish

Gala apple juice

I buy the cashew pieces for like $4 , you can't beat that.... now my family wants cashew, blueberry and vanilla bean pancakes every sat morning!

 
at 11:02 AM Blogger Kelly said...

My favorite thing about TJ's is the great prices on fancy cheese. I'm always astounded by how little I pay for a wedge of brie there.

 
at 11:08 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Cintwin beat me to www.traderjoesfan.com.
First off what I like the most is their prices. The flowers in the winter are great. I love, no scratch that, I am addicted to their Blackberry Crush juice, I mix it 1 to 1 with a good soda water and add a little lime, that's my pop. I like a lot of the dips, the horse radish, roasted red pepper. The roasted red pepper and tomato soup, their soaps and shampoo, the vac wrap fish, salmon burgers on their Rudi's whole wheat buns. Ezikiel bread, It's about the only one around without sugar. The dog loves their peanut butter biscuits. I eat little sweets but I hide a package of their pistachio covered toffee when I just have to have a nibble.

 
at 1:22 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

ooh, where to begin:
Sprouted Grain bread (their brand or Ezekiel)
hummus
Winter Blend coffee with allspice, cinnamon, black and red peppercorns (only available in winter sadly)
Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
Their wild rice blends (they have one with brown rice, daikon seeds and mustard seeds that's really good!)
all the frozen veggies (especially the pesticide-free spinach)
Veggie and Flaxseed Tortilla Chips (very high in fiber and delicious!)
Pistachio and chocolate mousse cake
Soy and Flax CLusters cereal
Unsweetened soymilk
Greek yogurt
Dark chocolate covered anything!!!

 
at 2:40 PM Blogger Lauren Bishop said...

-Indian food (just 2 minutes in the microwave!)
-Frozen organic brown rice (just 3 minutes in the microwave!)
-A frozen mix of potatoes and veggies (broccoli, snap peas, carrots, etc.)--great with scrambled eggs, as an omelet filling or as a side dish
-Gluten free ginger snaps (discovered during a phase in which I thought I might be gluten intolerant, but they taste great regardless)
-Greek yogurt (which I first picked up at the suggestion of someone on this blog--it's heavenly)

 
at 2:45 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

My TJ staples:
dark chocolate covered almonds, sprinkled with turbinado sugar and sea salt... oh my God

great prices on pine nuts and many other nuts, plain or seasoned

Salsa Guac (I'm usually a fresh guacamole fiend, but this stuff is great to keep in the freezer and is great, made with green tomatillos)

wine - Honeymoon Viognier is a tolerable "cheap" wine and I'll try any of the promotional wines once and see how it is

interesting juice blends to try - the ginger lemon echinachea is now my staple for colds and flu

as others said, the "boxed" soups are great and now they have lower-sodium version of tomato/roasted pepper soup... very high sodium content of many of the TJs convenience foods is a big complaint that I have ... I know, they're not for purists anyway, but some are tasty and quick, if it weren't for so much salt

for the most part, TJs produce is for the birds, but the flowers are nice

 
at 2:50 PM Blogger Nicci King said...

Lemongrass Chicken Rolls.

All of their frozen veggies.

Santinis extra virgin olive oil - you can't beat the price.

The flowers - just seeing them as I walk in the door lifts my spirits.

And a box of the Belgian Butter Almond Thins will not last more than a day in my presence...

 
at 4:20 PM Blogger Polly Campbell said...

I agree, the produce isn't so great, but the limes are a great deal.

 
at 1:48 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Trader Joes is nothing more thn Mrs Paul's Frazen Fishsticks for Yuppie Wannabes. Overpriced frozen foods. Garbage. You might as well go to Biggs. SUCKERS.

 
at 9:18 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree "very high sodium content of many of the TJs convenience foods is a big complaint that I have" We don't buy much of any of the processed foods if we read the label.

 
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