Day 218 - Kalamata Olive Hummus

Two things can be inferred from the fact that this is the 5^th hummus I have reviewed on this blog in 8 months:

1.       Trader Joe’s sells a wide variety of hummus

2.       We like hummus

This variety did not disappoint!!  It really tasted like kalamata olives!  I mean, that should not be surprising since it is named “Kalamata Olive Hummus”, but still, it made me happy.  J

Like all Trader Joe's hummus, this is cheap

If there is one thing we like even more than hummus it is olives, and we have not found any amazing ones at Trader Joe’s yet, so I am pleased that even if we cannot satisfy our cravings for OLIVES at Trader Joe’s at least we can satisfy our craving for olive TASTING stuff. 

I had this hummus with TJ’s blue corn chips (reviewed on day 72).  It was oh so good.  It is creamy and tasty and the olive flavor is a great compliment to the chips.

I have friends who make their own hummus (you know who you are Ghatasheh family…).  I am too lazy for that, and when I find hummus options as yummy as this one I do not feel guilty about buying pre-made stuff. 

No Preservatives, No Artifical Colors or Flavors, but LOTS of taste!

 This variety goes on my short list of favorite TJ’s hummus flavors

1.  Mediterranean (day 78)

2.  Roasted Garlic (day 109)

3.  Kalamata Olive (today!)

STOP THE PRESSES – before I posted this review I went into the living room where David is and asked him to sample it.  Sadly, his opinion was not as high as mine.  He said it tastes a bit, and I quote, “briney”.  I get that.  He also stated that he normally eats kalamata olives WITH his hummus, so this version of having the olives blended in made him miss the individual “meatiness” of each olive.  I will give him that.  Even with those criticisms, he gave this hummus a rating of 4.

David - an olive and hummus fan

I give it a rating of 4.5, so I will average the two ratings together for the official blog rating.

Price – $1.99

Rating (average of 2) – 4.25

Day 154 - Mediterranean Hummus Snack Pack

Now THIS is a good snack!!! 

We popped into a new Trader Joe’s today – well, new to US and pretty new to the scene, too!  Turns out the Trader Joe’s in Palm Beach Gardens, FL has been open for less than a year.  It’s lovely!  It is nice and clean, fresh, and has sweet employees (especially the guy who was our cashier, whose name on the receipt says “C. Luke”). 

Me outside the Palm Beach Gardens, FL TRADER JOE'S!

We got two items to eat in the car for lunch (we were on a 4.5 hour drive and needed foooood).  We got a pesto chicken wrap (to be reviewed soon) and this Mediterranean Hummus Snack Pack.  Let’s just say – this snack pack was GOOD, the chicken wrap, not so much…

Here is the package - inside here are 2 individual snack packs!

 This pack contains two sealed little packages, each with pita chips and hummus.  The pita chips were crunchy and tasty and the hummus was great!  It is called MEDITERRANEAN HUMMUS, and I think (but am not 100% sure) it is the same as the larger container of Mediterranean Hummus reviewed on this blog on day 78.  Each snack pack contains 4 oz of hummus and some pita chips – just enough for a snack (for us, a shared snack for 2). 

It looks tiny here (photo taken on my lap while eating this in the car) but it didn't feel tiny in real life

 This would be a fantastic thing to pack in a work or school lunch, or to eat as an afternoon pick me up.  I normally think items packaged as “single servings” or tiny snacks are a waste of both money (being over-priced) and packaging materials, but in this case it does not seem too expensive for what you get and the packaging is quite minimal. This is a healthy snack, and a double pack was $1.99, meaning one snack is only a buck!  Well worth it! 

Good price (but not a great sign...  The other artwork on signs was much better in this store)

Price - $1.99

Rating – 4.75

Day 128 - Falafel

We had never noticed or purchased falafel from Trader Joe’s before, which is surprising because it is a food we like, and we often peruse the frozen food section, so why we hadn’t happened upon it before it beyond me.  Anyway, we got it and I am glad we did!

It is super easy to prepare – it comes fully cooked and frozen, so you just take out however many falafel you want, put them on a plate, cover them with a moist paper towel, and heat in the microwave for 90 seconds.  Easy peasy. 

Heat and Eat - nice and easy!

We had them for dinner last night and they were tasty.  We served them over rice and with a side of leeks with capers, yum!  We drizzled on Trader Joe’s Tzatziki (to be reviewed tomorrow) and dipped them in Trader Joe’s Mediterranean Hummus (which got a good review on day 78).  It made for a really good dinner!  And of course, being made of chick peas it was healthy, too.

I prettied up the plates with sliced Persian cucumber.  This was a tasty dinner!

While these falafel were GOOD, they of course cannot compare to freshly fried falafel purchased from a street cart or restaurant window open on the sidewalks of Paris.  This frozen version didn’t have quite the “crunch” to the coating as a freshly fried falafel would.  But, when you are a long plane ride from Paris, these will definitely do!

Really good price

Price - $3.99 (there are 12 in a package, recommended serving size is 3, so it comes out to only .33 per falafel, which is much cheaper than in Paris!  J )

Rating – 4.25

Day 78 - Mediterranean Hummus

Now THIS is a hummus.  There are several hummus choices at Trader Joe’s, so sometimes it can be a little overwhelming when you stare at the shelf wondering which one to buy.  As you know if you follow this blog (day 59, Hummus with Horseradish L ), not all hummus is terrific.  We were recently in California and were surprised to find hummus selections that we don’t think we have seen here in Virginia!  Apparently people in La Jolla get more hummus choices than those in Arlington.  Boo. 

We don't remember seeing these at our Virginia store

Pretty good prices, too!  We want these!

Anyway, this Mediterranean Hummus is a great choice!

REALLY GOOD HUMMUS!!

First off, it is TASTY.  It is great on bagels, chips, crackers, or however you prefer to consume your hummus.  Secondly, it is CHEAP!  The container is BIG compared to other brands of hummus (16 oz) and it sells for only $3.99.  Even with a coupon for some other brand, this one is likely to come in at a better price.  (Side note:  the fine print says a “serving size” is 2 tablespoons – yeah right!  Who can eat that little?  Not me!)

Mediterranean Hummus on a blue corn chip - reviewed on day 72

Good price for good hummus!

This is a fantastic basic hummus to have in your fridge!  Get it!

Price - $3.99

Rating – 4.5