Mango and Sticky Rice Spring Rolls

I believe I have a new favorite dessert.  Oh man these Mango and Sticky Rice Spring Rolls are GOOOOOD!  (Note:  for the rest of this review I will call these things Sticky Rice and MANGO, not Mango and STICKY RICE.  Cuz even though the box lists the mango first, in my mind this food is always sticky rice first...)

This is the box.  Go to Trader Joe's.  Find it in the freezer section.  Get one.  NO - get two!!

Sticky rice and mango is my go-to dessert when we eat in Thai restaurants.  Trust me, I always check the menu to see if they have it before we even order our meals.  To me, it is the perfect dessert.

So, when I saw this box of Sticky Rice and Mango Spring Rolls in the freezer section at Trader Joe’s, let’s just say I got a wee bit excited.  And my excitement was correct – these rock.

Get.  Out!!!  Mango and Sticky Rice SPRING ROLLS???  

I cooked them by frying them in 2 Tablespoons of oil, which is one of the 2 cooking techniques listed on the box.  I thought if we were having spring rolls, I wanted them to be nice and crispy, so it was worth stinking up the house a little bit with oil frying.  I kept them in the oil (stove on medium) for about 5 minutes and kind of obsessively turned them over each minute (cuz, see above, I was excited).

When they were browned and had rested on my plate for one minute, I dug in.  And let me tell you – these are perfect.  They are an amazing combination of spring roll savory-ness and sticky rice and mango deliciousness.  They are not really sweet, only slightly sweet.  The crispiness of the spring roll is in perfect contrast to the stickiness of the rice.  There is not a ton of mango in them, but there is enough to make your mouth super happy.

Here is what they looked like after being cooked.  My mouth is watering just looking at the photo...

They are just so good!!!  For me, these would make an amazing breakfast (don’t judge, you granola and yogurt eaters).   Be sure to eat them warm – they will make your belly sing.

I will definitely buy these again.  I fear they will be short lived at Trader Joe’s, they seem like quite a niche item.  But they are right in my niche, baby!!!  I give these a solid 5 star rating.

Here is what my sweetheart thought after he had a couple of bites, “Very nice.  I love the crispy exterior of the spring roll and the way it plays off of the chewy sticky rice inside.  The mango gives it just the right amount of flavor.  I am not sure quite where to place this – whether it is a dessert or a main food item…  Maybe it is a side dish?  Perhaps an appetizer?  Anyway, I am gonna give these a 4.75.”

Well, since this is my blog and my score should count a bit more than David’s, I am giving this product a final rating of a 5!!  Cuz that’s how I roll.

New product!  Please keep this TJ's...  Don't flake out on me and call these "seasonal" please.

Price: $2.99 (shhh, please don’t tell Trader Joe’s, but I for one would pay more for these suckers!)

Rating:  5

Day 135 - Thai Green Curry Simmer Sauce

Can you say, “Really tasty, healthy dinner that is easy to cook”??  If so, then you should try this Thai Green Curry Simmer Sauce!  We had it for dinner last night and it was excellent.

This is the jar you want to get

Here is how we prepared dinner with it: 

1.        Sliced up some mushrooms

2.       Sliced some green pepper

3.       Sliced some onion

4.       Sautéed those

5.       Sliced some thin chicken breasts

6.       Sautéed that

7.       Poured some of the curry simmer sauce on the chicken, let it heat up

8.       Added the veggies into the pan

9.       Simmer, sauté, simmer

10.   Served over rice (also from Trader Joe’s, review to come soon)

We added a side of snow peas (which matched our plates!)

See how easy?  And healthy?  I know, you can’t see how YUMMY it was, but you should make some yourself to experience that.  The sauce is really tasty but not super spicy.  All we added was freshly ground salt and pepper!  And the price is really good, too, the nutritional info label says it is 6 servings and that seems about right for what we ate last night.

The sign says it is complicated to make, but TJ's has taken all the complication out of it for you!

I am looking forward to dinner tonight, because I know it is going to be leftovers of this stuff! 

Price – $2.49

Rating – 4.75

Day 102 - Vegetable Pad Thai

I love Pad Thai – I often order it when we go out for Thai food.  So I would really like to find a great frozen Pad Thai to eat at home.  Sadly, this is not it.  It isn’t awful, but it is nowhere near the taste of Pad Thai you get at a restaurant.

Try as I might, I could not get mine to look as pretty as it does on the bos

I think part of the problem is cooking it in the microwave (which is the first method listed on the packaging) – the noodles just get gloppy and yucky.  Even with a large amount of stirring around it didn’t ever get “saucy” or appetizing.  And let me just say – there is a reason “bean sprouts” are listed first on the ingredients – this dish is chock full of ‘em.  Sadly, they are sort of the stringy sprouts, not the robust, tasty ones.  Drat. 

Here is how it looks in REAL LIFE - after lots of stirring to try and make it prettier (and tastier).  Note the Sriracha bottle...

I used copious amounts of Trader Joe’s Sriracha (which got a glowing review on day 45 of this blog) and that helped make the meal more palatable.

Cheap lunch, but not that great

In a nutshell – this will fill you up if you need to eat a quick lunch, but it will not leave you begging for more.

Price – $2.69

Rating – 2.75 

Day 45 - Sriracha

Here’s the deal – if you like sriracha, you LIKE sriracha!  There was a huge stink (literally) about it last year in the media, apparently neighbors were complaining that the manufacturing of it at a nearby plant was making their eyes water (understandable really – I have made my eyes water and made myself cough often by cooking with a wee bit too much of the stuff!).  Here is a HuffPo article on the situation:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/29/sriracha-odor-lawsuit-stinging-stench_n_4172997.html

Sriracha, though very difficult to spell, is addictive.  It is a traditional Thai hot sauce/chili sauce and it is delicious.  Sriracha has a huge following – why, a large number of websites will even sell you TSHIRTS proclaiming your love for the stuff (one example here:  http://www.cafepress.com/mf/85672169/got-sriracha_long-sleeve-tshirt?utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=1212705353&utm_source=msn&utm_campaign=sem-cpc-product-ads&utm_content=search-pla&productId=1212705353 )! 

If you have not tried sriracha, you should!  It is a great on a variety of food.

18.25 oz of flaming goodness

But here is the deal – the “real” sriracha, the one most people know and love, is made by Huy Fong Foods.  It has an iconic rooster on the label and a loooovely little green squeeze tip. 

Huy Fong Goods Sriracha - 17 oz

HOWEVER, Trader Joe’s also sells their own brand of sriracha…  Now, you purists may be wiggling in your chairs at the thought of eating a “knock off” sriracha, but TRY IT!!  It (to me) tastes just as good.  In a price comparison with a local (cheap) grocery store (Shopper’s Food Warehouse) the famous brand sold for the same price ($2.99) as the Trader Joe’s variety, but was a smaller container (17 oz as compared to 18.25 oz).  Sure, the Trader Joe’s bottle doesn’t have a ROOSTER on it, but it does have a really awesome fire breathing dragon!!!  The thing I miss is the little green pointy tip.  I know this might be totally uncool to do, but I think I will try to see if a Huy Fong bottle cap will fit on a Trader Joe’s bottle of sriracha!!  (If you have already tried this and have the answer, please tell me in the comments section.) 

Rooster Sriracha - same price but smaller bottle

So, that’s sriracha.  If you are already a fan, please try the Trader Joe’s version and let me know what you think.  If you have never tried it (and like hot stuff), GET A BOTTLE!

P.S. – Posting this on Valentine’s Day, cuz love is 

H-O-T. 

Price - $2.99

Rating – 4.75

Day 40 - Peanut Satay Noodles and Sauce

Well, the name doesn’t lie…  It doesn’t say “Yummy Peanut Satay Noodles and Sauce” or “Tasty Peanut Satay Noodles and Sauce”…  So it is not technically false advertising.  But it certainly didn’t fit the ticket for what I was looking for.  I bought it to use as a quick lunch on work days – pop it in the microwave and have a hot lunch 2 minutes later. 

Lunch Fail

Let’s just say, it is not something to eat right out of the box.  It is gloopy.  It is blecky.  And it is plain not good.  I added some chopped green onion and Sriracha, and those additions were for sure the best parts of the meal.  Maaaaybe if you were going all out and wanted to cook some broccoli, tofu, chicken or something else to mix in it would help add flavor, but it still seems like the basic noodle/sauce combo would be subpar. 

For a quick meal this just doesn’t cut it.  Don’t bother with this one.  There are plenty of other cheap, more tasty lunch options out there.

Price – $1.99

Rating – 1.25