Brussels Sprouts (Frozen)

I .  Finally.  Get.  It.

As a true Brussels Sprouts lover, I never really understood why that veggie has such a bad reputation!  It seems that way more people HATE Brussels Sprouts than any other veggie (well, maybe except okra, but okra should really be in a class by itself…).  Brussels Sprouts are delicious!  Brussels Sprouts are healthy!  Brussels Sprouts are easy to prepare!!  Brussels Sprouts look like adorable little teeny tiny cabbage heads!  I could not understand why so many people turned up their noses at them!!!

But now that I have tasted Trader Joe’s frozen Brussels Sprouts (which I shall refer to as B.S. for the rest of this review so I don’t have to keep writing out the name), I understand why so many people think B.S. are complete BS.

  

Here they are - in the freezer section...

 These are gross.

The texture of them is disgusting.  They are mushy and just do not feel “right” in your mouth.  They do not have the rich, roasted, delicious taste of fresh B.S. .  Honestly, when I ate them they made me gag a bit.  If I could offer up a bit of a comparison; I grew up only knowing CANNED ASPARAGUS (don’t judge!!).  I liked it.  My memory is that my mom didn’t serve (canned) asparagus often, probably because it is so expensive.  But when she did serve it, I really liked it!!  Then, when I grew up and got a kitchen of my own and my sweetheart introduced me to REAL, FRESH ASPARAGUS – oh my…  My heart skipped a beat!  I realized all that I had been missing all of those years!!  Canned asparagus, when put in a head to head competition with fresh asparagus, would LOSE HORRIBLY. 

And frozen TJ’s B.S. would get beaten to a pulp in a side to side comparison with fresh B.S. .

It looks like David was thinking these would be "meh" before we even reached the check out lane!
WHY didn't I go with his instinct and leave these at the store???

These frozen TJ's B.S. are not 100% horrible, they do have a couple of positives going for them:

1.       They are simple to cook – open the bag, plop in a baking dish with olive oil, and roast

2.       They are (presumably) healthy (though probably not AS HEALTHY as fresh B.S.)

3.       They are easier to prepare then fresh B.S. – no rinsing or cutting needed

4.    They are cheap

But all of those PLUSSES get drowned out by the yucky TASTE.  If something doesn’t taste good, no amount of easy preparation makes it worthwhile in my book.

These are so yucky tasting that there are still LEFTOVER B.S. IN OUR FRIDGE.  Folks, there are NEVER leftover B.S. in our fridge!  When I roast fresh B.S. I will gobble down every last morsel, and if I can’t fit one more in my belly, I will eat the leftovers the next morning, cold, for breakfast.  (OK, maybe I am a B.S. freak, but they are goooood!). 

Leftover smelly, mushy, yucky (previously frozen but now roasted) Trader Joe's Brussels Sprouts.

So, that is my take on this sad excuse for a frozen vegetable.  I give them a 1.75.

Here they are as I prepared to roast the little suckers

Here is what David thinks, “I LOVE THESE AND I WANT TO HAVE THEM ALLLL THE TIME!!  Just kidding…  I don’t think they are as bad as Sue does.  They are soft, particularly on the inside, I like that.  I think they are a little bit mushy but that is alright in a B.S.  They don’t have much of a B.S. taste, but that’s alright, they have some.  They’ll do.  They are kinda like potatoes, they will do for a filler-upper and they are quick and easy.  I would give these a 3.”

And here they are "in the wild" - i.e. on our plate.  Yuck.  Waste of plate space.
Notice the other TJ's stuff!  TJ's couscous mixed with TJ's (frozen) edamame, TJ's (frozen) asparagus,
TJ's chicken enchilada (I think that is what it is) topped with TJ's Hatch Valley Salsa, some TJ's black bean sauce thing...
The only super gross thing on the plate was the TJ's B.S. :(

Susan back again:  please don’t buy these.  Other TJ’s frozen veggies are good – the Roasted Corn, for example!!   And their frozen Edamame is my current addiction!  But these frozen B.S. are crappy.  

Price: .99

Rating (average of 2 raters):  2.5

Here are other Brussels Sprouts review links from this blog:

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts Parmyere (this was yucky)

Shaved Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts (a coveted 5 star review!!)

Day 260 - Brussels Sprouts Roasted

We are Brussels sprouts fans.  We normally buy them “raw” (like, what I would call “regular Brussels sprouts” – individual little cabbage-head like sprouts that you have to clean and cook).  But since I need to try a new Trader Joe’s product every single day of 2015 for this blog, and since I am only day 260 and there are 365 days in a year, sometimes we have to buy things we wouldn’t “normally buy” – like these pre-roasted Brussels sprouts!  (If you would like to read my glowing review of TJ’s Brussels sprouts (raw) from day 68, check here:  http://traderjoes365.blogspot.com/2015/03/day-68-brussels-sprouts.html )

But back to these pre-roasted ones.  My first thought after I read the package was, “4 servings!  Haha – clearly you do not know how much I love veggies!  This is 1 serving for our household, 2 at the max!”.  More on that later in the review, but suffice it to say, I was wrong on that estimation.

These come in a little pack in the fresh veggie produce section

I cooked these for 3 minutes in the microwave as the package instructed (with one resting minute after cooking). PEEE-EWWW did they stink!  It really smelled gross in our kitchen!  When I roast Brussels sprouts in the oven they do not stink up the house, so I am not sure what was up with that. 

They are good.  They for sure needed salt and pepper to season them but they tasted good.  David agreed with me.  He pointed out that the texture was also good (though not quite as good as when I roast them at home).  These TJ’s pre-roasted ones are not mushy.  He liked the flavor, too.  He thinks they are “pretty close” to what you get if you roast them yourselves but a little less “crisp” and pointed out that each of the flavors is a bit less of its own note, they kind of all go together a bit more but not in an unpleasant way.

Here they are in action!  Chicken (bought at BJ's, not Costco), brown basmati rice  (to be reviewed soon), and pre-roasted Brussels Sprouts

I feared these would be mushy like pre-cooked veggies in a can.  I guess I am a fresh vegetable snob, I love a green veggie with every meal, and I was nervous about these.  But they were a pleasant surprise. 

Pricing wise – the larger package (I am not sure how big it is, sorry) of raw Brussels sprouts at Trader Joe’s is bigger and cheaper – only $2.49.  However, it does require you to cook them.  So if you value convenience more than price, grab a pack of these pre-roasted ones.

Serving wise – the pack was vacuum sealed so after cooked and opened it was more than I originally thought.  It is 3 – 4 servings.

If you want a quick veggie this is a good option.  It would be nice to have on hand for nights when you don’t have another fresh vegetable around.

Here is an article that TJ’s wrote about this product - http://m.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article/2247

  

Price – $3.29

Rating – 4.25

Day 181 - Cruciferous Crunch Collection

When I first saw this bag of veggies at Trader Joe’s, I thought, “Hmm, I am surprised they did not go the cutesy route and spell that name with letter “K”s,”.  Then I thought about it again…  3 words.  Ohhh no – best to stick with the correct spelling for the alliteration in this one…  

  

This is quite a CRUNCHY COLLECTION man.

Anyway, this mix has kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, green cabbage, and red cabbage.  The bag lists these as possible cooking methods:  “This blend is delicious steamed, sautéed, roasted, creamed with some cheesy sauce, raw, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera,”.  I chose the sautéed route and cooked them with olive oil in our wok.

I was tempted to add some lemon juice, garlic, or soy sauce, but I decided that since this was our first time trying this mix, I should cook it “au naturel” so we would see exactly what it tastes like.

I liked it.  It was, as the name suggests, crunchy.  The Brussels sprouts were cut very thin to allow them to cook in the same amount of time as the other things in the blend.  I didn’t taste much broccoli.  The main taste (to me) was green cabbage.  It did taste “healthy” – in a good way. 

Here is what it looks like on a plate

I liked this better than David did.  We served it with steak (to be reviewed soon) and a baked potato (also to be reviewed) but I noticed that at the end of our (admittedly rushed) dinner the thing left on his plate was Cruciferous Crunch Collection.  He normally eats every bite of everything on his plate, so that is not a good sign.  Oh my, I just asked him what number HE would give that veggie mix and he said, “A 2.  In fact, a 1.5.  I didn’t eat it…”.  OH my!  He normally likes eveeeeerything.

Ok, so if I get this one again it’ll have to be for a meal that he is not sharing. 

P.S. – I just used the power of Google to see if any other folks were having this stuff for dinner.  It turns out that eating it raw as a salad is something loads of people dig…  Ok.  Now I think I will try it THAT way next time and see how it goes.  I shall post a comment on this entry when I do. 

Speaking of comments – post yours here and let me know what you think of this stuff.

Price - $2.29

Rating (my rating, you saw David’s dismal one above…) - 3

Day 123 - Shaved Brussels Sprouts

We served these at our Trader Joe’s dinner party last month.  We love Brussels sprouts and knew at least one of our guests did, too.  We had never bought this bag of SHAVED sprouts, so thought we would give it a try.  I had seen someone write online that they were really good and that the recipe on the bag made a great dish.  So what the heck – we tried them!

Shaved Brussels Sprouts - they look a bit like cole slaw

I gotta say – I was disappointed.  The recipe (which had balsamic vinegar and bacon in it) was easy to prepare, but didn’t come out all that great.  It tasted way more “balsamic-y” than Brussels sprout-y.  We prepared two bags (we had six adults at the party) and had loads left over (which we eventually threw away), so I assume the other guests weren’t too keen on them, either.  Maybe if they were prepared a different way and we didn’t follow the balsamic glaze recipe they would be better.  I guess I should give them another try sometime…

Bits of bacon in there - see them?  This is the cooked dish

If I rated them on my own, I would give them a 3.  But since this is from the dinner party, I shall now look at what other people wrote and average the ratings.  Let’s take a peek:

-          “A nice novelty, but the balsamic-bacon preparation kind of mushed up all the flavors.”

-          “Delightful combination of savory bacon and sourness.”

-          “Conveniently pre-chopped, lovely recipe on the package.”

-          “Ok, kind of “small bits” not my fave.”

-          “I think this could grow on me, but initial reaction is modestly appreciative.”

Two of the raters - see how SERIOUSLY they took their rating duties???

Well, it looks like our guests appreciated these puppies more than I did!!  (Then why didn’t they eat more of them???)

Price – $2.79

Rating (average of 6 from the dinner party) – 3.75

Day 68 - Brussels Sprouts

Here’s the deal – I am picky about my fresh vegetables.  Vegetables are basically my favorite food group (maybe tied with cheese…) so I want GOOD vegetables!  I am the type of shopper who touches, examines, and even at times SMELLS the produce.  And yet….  I like Trader Joe’s brussels sprouts, even though they are sold in a sealed BAG so are untouchable, squeezable, or SMELL-ABLE! 

BRUSSELS SPROUTS ARE DELICIOUS!

In other stores I would carefully look through the bin of loose brussels sprouts to choose the ones I want.  At Trader Joe’s, you can peek through the clear parts of the bag and check the “sell by” date, but that is as far as you can go. 

And in my experience that is JUST FIIIINE.  I have never gotten a bad bag of brussels sprouts at TJs (and trust me, I have eaten my share of their sprouts).  I buy and cook them year-round and they are always fresh and tasty.  In fact I made some for dinner just this evening.  The package says it is five servings, but in our experience one bag equals four servings (then again, we like us some brussels  sprouts!).

Price – $2.49

Rating – 5

Day 36 - Kale Sprouts

I think internet acronyms are stupid, but OMG…  I mean SERIOUSLY, a new veggie is in town, and it frickin’ ROCKS!!!  Kale Sprouts, man!!!! 

I had never heard of them.  I stood and stared at them in the produce section, trying to figure out exactly WHAT they WERE…  A lady came up and assumed the same stance next to me, and I asked if she had tried them.  “Nope, but did you read the article in the Post about them???” she countered.  HUH??  The Washington Post did an article on a VEGETABLE??  Now that tipped the scale, not only did I need to find the article, I needed to taste the vegetable!!!

We invested in a bag (at $3.49 for a smallish 8 oz. bag it felt pricey), and went home for what I was sure was some over-hyped yuppy trend.

Oh no, no, no.  Kale sprouts are REAL, baby.  Real as in REAL GOOD J !!!  I cooked them following one recipe on the package – a couple tablespoons of EVOO in a large skillet, sauté until “golden” (though that term seemed dumb for a dark green/purple veggie, how does it get “golden” exactly??) around 3 minutes.  Add half cup of water, salt, and cover until however tender you want them (a few minutes for us). 

Run, don't walk, to Trader Joe's now and get some Kale Sprouts

They are heavenly!!!!  They will most certainly find their way to our house again (and again…).  The bag says 3 servings, which sounds exactly right.  We had them alongside a veggie/tofu stir fry, and just had the leftovers with lunch (just as good reheated the next day, folks).  They are not bitter, in fact there is a bit of sweet. 

You need these veggies.  It is not very often that a brand spankin’ new vegetable comes to town, and when it does, you have to invite it over for dinner.  By the way, here is the mention from the Washington Post (January 13, 2015), “Speaking of kale…kale sprouts, lollipop kale and the newly marketed Kalettes are basically identical…”.

Price - $3.49

Rating - 5

Day 24 - Brussels Sprouts Parmyere

This is yet another seasonal product – Trader Joe’s carried it during the Thanksgiving/Christmas season.  Why, I do not know…  After all, why keep Brussels sprouts just for the holidays??  I can eat a good Brussels sprout any day of the year!

Frozen dish - quick to cook and tasty (though see below, doesn't look quite like this on the plate)

 Anyway, being fans of this particular veggie, we thought we should check this out.  The package says it contains 3.5 servings, but our experience is that it contained just enough for two people.  We chose the microwave cooking method, and it took longer than the package recommended it would.  There is a small packet included filled with fried onions, designed to be sprinkled on top of the veggies after they are cooked.  Those fried onions added a nice zing!

If I were judging this product solely on APPEARANCE on the plate, it would get a 1.5.  That is because, ummm, it looks like vomit on your plate.  That is not an appealing appearance! 

Maybe it is just me, but the appearance leaves something to be desired....

But if I were to judge this product on TASTE alone it would probably get a 4.  It was nice, cheesy (with both Swiss and Parmesan), soupy, and yummy, especially bites that had fried onions on top.  So, I will average the two ratings together to come up with my final rating.  J

I will pick this one up again when Trader Joe’s brings it out for Holiday Season 2015. 

Price – $4.49

Rating – 2.75 stars