Recipes

[Chi-town girl]

9. Organic Banana Fruit Spread

If you dig peanut butter and jelly, but are getting a bit bored by your usual fruit preserves, this might just be your jam (literally). It looks like butterscotch pudding, according to the hosts, but pairs well with peanut butter and bread or as a filling for peanut butter cupcakes. "I think this is going to be a hit," Sloan says

Recipe from Eating Well

Peanut Butter Blossom Mini Cakes

The classic holiday peanut butter blossom cookie recipe gets re-made into diabetic-friendly, creamy peanut-butter cupcakes with only 81 calories each.

Active:30 mins

Total:55 mins

Servings:20

Ingredients

Peanut Butter Blossom Mini Cakes

• Nonstick cooking spray
• ½ cup flour
• 3 tablespoons ground lightly-salted peanuts
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
• ¼ cup sugar (see Tip)
• ¼ cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed, or 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ cup fat-free milk

Chocolate Frosting

• ⅓ cup butter
• ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 to 2 tablespoons milk

DirectionsInstructions Checklist

• Step 1

  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat twenty 1-3/4-inch muffin cups with cooking spray or line with paper bake cups; set aside. In a small bowl combine flour, ground peanuts and baking powder; set aside.

• Step 2

  In a medium bowl beat peanut butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar (see Tips); beat on medium speed until well combined. Beat in egg and vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and milk to peanut butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Spoon 1 tablespoon batter into each prepared muffin cup.

• Step 3

  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. While cakes are still warm, press the back of a measuring teaspoon into tops of cakes to flatten the tops. Cool cakes in muffin cups on wire rack for 5 minutes; remove cakes from cups. Cool completely.

• Step 4

  To prepare the frosting: In a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat, stirring constantly. Add cocoa powder and stir until combined. Remove from heat. Slowly beat in powdered sugar, vanilla and enough milk (1 to 2 tablespoons) to make a creamy consistency.

• Step 5

  Place Chocolate Frosting in a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe one large star atop each cake.

Tips

Tip: If using a sugar substitute, choose Splenda(R) Sugar Blend for Baking or Sweet'N Low(R) bulk or packets in place of granulated sugar. Follow package directions to use product amount that's equivalent to 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Nutrition analysis per serving: same as below except 72 calories, 7 g carbohydrate.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Mini Cake

Per Serving:

81 calories; protein 2g; carbohydrates 9g; dietary fiber 1g; sugars 6g; fat 4g; saturated fat 1g; sodium 53mg.

Exchanges: 1 Fat, 1/2 Other Carbohydrate

[Chi-town girl]

10. Vegetable Samosa Burrito

A real contender for the #1 pick for both Sloan and Miller, this new Trader Joe's product features a "vegan samosa-inspired filling of potatoes, cauliflower, carrots and peas with savory spice tomato chutney in a flour tortilla. That's pretty much it. And it doesn't even begin to get close to how tasty this is and how aromatic it is when you heat it up. It's just got this wonderful, warm aroma," Miller says. Look for it coming soon in the refrigerated case. Each 480-calorie burrito has 11 grams of protein and 9 grams of fiber, and is made fresh and delivered daily.

[Chi-town girl]

11. Cold Brew Coffee and Boba Coconut Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert

Miller's top choice of all new spring 2021 products? This. "It is so good. It's cold brew coffee ice cream with boba, except it doesn't have any cream in it," she says. "It's made with coconut milk, but it doesn't taste like coconut. And there's something really cool to me about the combination of the coffee flavor and the boba, the little tapioca pearls." It tastes a bit reminiscent of Kahlúa, the hosts confirm, so they suggest for happy hour, you mix a scoop or two with a shot of vodka in a blender for a boozy non dairy shake. 

[Chi-town girl]

12. Rutland Red Leicester Cheese

This "spotlight cheese," available for about one month only, is Sloan's absolute top pick for best spring product. The United Kingdom-based cheese brand's "emphasis on tradition is what makes this traditionally made cheese so darn great," he says of Rutland's practices. "Some might want to call it a Cheddar and while you'd be close, there's some differences there...They actually wrapped the wheels in cloth and they actually use a butter paste on the outside of that cloth to sort of keep the moisture in and to control the aging process." It's aged 10 months and has a crumbly, melt-in-your mouth texture

[qbetzforreal]

@Chi-town girl-  Thank you for sharing.  We love Trader Joe's.  I get in so much trouble in that store.  Everything so delish!!!

[DiAnne]

Good timing.  I have not been using Trader Joe's much because of no delivery but I am heading there next week with a big list.

[Chi-town girl]

@qbetzforreal @DiAnne  & all - The February TJ Flyer magazine introduced a new condiment. ..it's supposedly a dupe of the famous In-N-Out sauce

It flew outta my store in a week and not restocked yet. I missed it but look for it weekly. 

If anyone scores it, please post a review

When it came time to name this new sauce/condiment/gift from the gods, there were many contenders. In the end, though, its utter magnificence dictated that only >>>cue booming superhero voice<<< Magnifisauce would do..

What’s so magnificent about Trader Joe’s Magnifisauce? Only... everything. We were inspired by some famous condiments that are not widely available and that do, in other places, require the purchase of other comestibles. Unlike our primary source of inspiration, our version of this special spread is available across the country, and we do not require additional purchases. (Though you are, as always, welcome to shop for what suits your mood in the moment.)

Magnifisauce is a truly special sauce whose flavors harken to an array of classic condiments; it’s a mustard-mayo-ketchup-relish kind of blend, with the subtle tang of vinegar and a spread of spices. In other words, it’s made with “slow-food” ingredients, but a squeeze of the bottle gets you the best of the fast-food experience. Magnificent... Magnifisauce.

We’re selling each 9.5-ounce squeeze bottle for $2.99. You’ll find it in the condiment section of our grocery aisle.

[Chi-town girl]

If that burger meal made you drool...here's the recipe

Magnifi-Slaw Burger Meal

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cooking Time: 20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup TJ’s Magnifisauce

• 2 packages TJ’s Organic Shredded Cabbage & Carrots

• 4 TJ's Burgers or Meatless Patties of your choice

• TJ's Sea Salt & Pepper

• 1 package TJ’s Burger Buns

• 1 bag TJ’s Handsome Cut Fries OR TJ’s Potato Tots

• TJ's ripe avocado, jalapen~o, or your favorite burger garnishes

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, toss cabbage and carrots with about a cup of Magnifisauce (adjust to taste) until well-combined. Set aside.

Bake fries according to package directions.

While fries bake, season burgers/patties with salt & pepper and cook to your liking, on a grill or grill pan, under the broiler, or in a skillet. Grill buns if desired.

Place burgers/patties on buns; top burgers with prepared Magnifi-Slaw. Serve with fries and a sidecar of Magnifisauce for dipping. Enjoy your Magnifi-Meal! (Feel free to make a milkshake for maximum fast-food style indulgence.)

[Chi-town girl]

This is also new. Was able to grab a couple of jars. Interesting twist on tomato soup. Spicy but not too spicy. A nice compliment to grilled cheese or some crusty bread to dip in it 

Calabrian Chili Tomato Dumpling Soup

There’s nothing quite like a steaming bowl of soup to warm you up in winter, especially when that soup gets a little assistance in the heat department. Our newest seasonal soup starts with creamy tomato, adds in savory dumplings, then scores some extra spice via the inclusion of Calabrian chilis, known affectionately in southern Italy as “Devil’s Kiss” peppers. All together, these elements combine into Trader Joe’s Calabrian Chili Tomato Dumpling Soup, one seriously satisfying, delightfully spicy soup that’s as simple to prepare as heat, serve, and enjoy.

Packed inside a hefty and handsome mason jar, this peppery Tomato Dumpling Soup is a great option for a starter or partner to a grilled cheese, and more than substantial enough to make a meal in its own right. What could be better than coming in from a blustery winter’s day, pulling a jar down from your shelf, and being mere minutes away from a bowl of this homey, heartwarming medley of flavors? How about a retail of $3.99 for each 23-ounce glass jar? For a limited time, you can find Trader Joe’s Calabrian Chili Tomato Dumpling Soup in our grocery aisle

[Chi-town girl]

Breaded Fried Ravioli

Like many regional delicacies, the exact origins of toasted ravioli are hotly disputed. According to local legend, this sensational starter was created when a chef accidentally plopped a fresh ravioli into the deep fryer instead of a pot of boiling water. While several restaurants in St. Louis’s The Hill neighborhood claim to be the original site of this happy accident, there’s one thing that’s unambiguously clear: toasted ravioli are an appetizer to be reckoned with. That’s why we’re introducing Trader Joe’s Breaded Fried Ravioli, a quick, convenient way to bring this regional treasure into your home with just a few minutes in the oven, skillet, or air fryer.

Each Breaded Fried Ravioli starts as a stately square of semolina pasta, filled with a mouth-watering mix of five kinds of cheese: creamy ricotta, mild Monterey Jack, rich mozzarella, savory Asiago, and piquant Parmesan. These Ravioli are then battered and deep fried to perfection, then flash frozen for you to finish the job at home. Once prepared (we find an air fryer to be particularly suited for the job), they’re everything a cheesy appetizer should be: warm, gooey, and phenomenally cheesy, with a crispy, savory exterior—a little like a breaded mozzarella stick, taken to the next level.

Unlike its popular origin story, the deliciousness of Trader Joe’s Breaded Fried Ravioli is no accident, and neither are their tremendous value: we’re selling 16-ounce bags for $3.99. You’ll find them in our freezers.