Day 262 - Spelt Risotto with Vegetables and Chickpeas

It looks good enough in the bag, eh?

We served this with left-over pre-roasted Brussels sprouts (reviewed 2 days ago here http://traderjoes365.blogspot.com/2015/09/day-260-brussels-sprouts-roasted.html) and zucchini cooked with TJ’s 21 Seasoning Salute (a product we discovered this year and really like, reviewed on day 184 http://traderjoes365.blogspot.com/2015/07/day-184-21-seasoning-salute.html ).

Strangely, this dish has both the SCENT and the TASTE of BACON, yet bacon is not listed on the ingredients.  It is a bacon-less, bacon-tasting product.  I guess that that flavor comes from the smoked cheese.

Doesn't it look sorta gross cooking?  The cheese looks like individually wrapped slices of Kraft American!
(It was NOT American cheese, I am just sayin' it looooks like it when you take it out of the bag.)

I like chickpeas, but I admit that they do have a BLAND TASTE.  Let me say this – the CHICKPEAS ARE THE TASTIEST THING IN THIS SPELT.  And that’s not sayin’ much.  Again, this is from someone who likes chickpeas.

The COLORS are pretty – a bit of pumpkin and some greenery.  It is easy to make.  I ate it with a big spoon (David forked it). 

Here it is on our plates.  It looks better than it tastes.

David said, “If you like brown rice – this is your guy.  The flavors are quite nice.  The consistency is great.  Even the al dente-ness of the spelt is quite good.  It is just that it is SO FIRM and so, soooo – healthy…   It’s just not my cup of tea.  I cooked it longer than it says to cook it to make sure that the spelt would be soft but it’s still…  It’s not RICE – let’s not kid ourselves…”

We both agree that we will be fine if we do not eat this one again.

If you still want it after reading this review you can find it in the freezer section.

On a happier note – after visiting 18 Trader Joe’s stores in 10 states (plus one more in a District) so far this year (in only 9 months folks!) we have FOUND THE BEST EMPLOYEE WORKING AT A TJ’S FOOD SAMPLING STATION!  Yes siree, I can safely say that CECILIA, who works at the Trader Joe’s store at Bailey’s Crossroads in Falls Church, VA is the friendliest, most knowledgeable, and honest TJ’s employee we have met.  She steered us away from one product (not to worry, manager, she just replaced it with a BETTER one in our cart!), gave us tips on other products, served us something we had never had (Kefir, to be reviewed soon!), and we ended up with at least 3 products in our cart that we would NOT have purchased had it not been for Cecilia!!!   And get this – when I told her I was doing a blog, she KNEW ABOUT IT!  Yup, she made me feel like a rock star for a second.  (But that is NOT why I am calling her out as the best tasting sample employee ever.  Nope.  She totally deserves that title on her own merit.)  Management of the Bailey’s Crossroads Store – please take time to pat Cecilia on the back, tell her she is appreciated, and give her a raise.  Heck, give the lady a PROMOTION.  She is a great ambassador for your store.  I wanted to include her photo here but she wasn’t keen on that idea.

Back to the spelt.  Sadly, it was not nearly as amazing as Cecilia was. 

Price – $2.99

Rating – 2.75

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