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