apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Today Slate.com is covering a "Foodie Fight" -- Trader Joes vs Whole Foods.

Well, since I am totally envious of your new store (congrats, you guys!), I thought I'd share my post-lunch experience. In the lobby of my office building they have set up tables with long trays of shaved ice, where a reduction of maple syrup is being poured onto the ice, creating a maple 'taffy', then people take a popsicle stick and roll the taffy onto it and indulge, free of charge. It's SO good! They are also selling maple products: syrup, of course, maple butter, maple sugar, maple candies etc. hmmm...
Anyone with maple recipes out there?
I was thinking the maple sugar may be a good topping for desserts, after baking-to maintain crunch.

Leeds,
We'll get to the maple recipes later, but for now, please tell us: where on earth do you work?

I made the BEST porkloin with the recipe from the last Gourmet. You brine the pork in maple, then wrap in bacon and roast. You gotta try it!

oh! oh! I had that once. I was in Quebec with my French class in high school and they took us to this farmhouse for dinner where they pulled out trays of snow after dinner and we made those sticky sugary maple syrupy things. Personally I don't like maple syrup (my husband is from Maine and half of my family is Canadian, so they're all about to disown me for that) but it was a fun little thing to do.

Oh my goodness - that maple syrup story - it reminds me of reading Little House in the Big Woods. They did that same thing at the "sugaring off" party. I think my mom let us try it once when we were little... so fun!

Sad to say so much of the Trader Joe's food I picked up on Friday night wasn't all that good. Maybe I made the mistake of buying too much of their prepared frozen food? In particular, I thought the shepherd's pie and the bottled salasa were average at best. The coconut curry chicken didn't taste like coconut, curry, or . . not really chicken.

I do love the peanut butter and the fozen steel cut oat meal is great too.

Is TJ's that hit-or-miss?

SK-I work in Montreal & it's maple syrup time! Yes, this was an event where they bring the country atmosphere to the city, they had music (a fiddler, a singer) playing traditional Quebec music...great fun, and the maple syrup taffy was v-e-r-y delicious. I ended up going downstairs for seconds and then buying a block of maple fudge and six mini ice cream cones filled with same, packaged cutely too! The girl said that to make maple sugar they cook the syrup down more & that the fudge was one step before the sugar was made, but that I could grate it onto stuff; or just pig out! :)
Chris, that pork loin sound great, I'll look it up!
Lots of "sugaring off" parties happening in the outskirts here, as you guys know. Basically it's an excuse to get some country air, eat good, simple food-ham, great big puffed omelettes, baked beans with maple syrup, meatballs, crispy pork, homemade pickles, pancakes etc + lots of maple syrup! Even the milk tastes better. And of course the taffy on snow thing is a must!

My current favorite TJ's salsa is the Hot Chipotle Salsa. It's got a smoky flavor and some kick.

I don't buy many prepared foods there.

It's been a while since I've shopped at TJs (although I plan to give it a go one night this week) but I remember it being a little hit-or-miss. In particular, the frozen pad thai was pretty lousy. I love all the juices -- lots of yummy blends. Plus the nuts and dried fruits are a sure bet and my friend swears by their corn tortillas, although I'm not sure if they make them anymore. Oh -- and my favorite is the frozen roasted corn. Toss it in a salad with some avocado and it's summer even when it's still 40 outside.

Not everything at TJ's is a homerun, but their prices allow you to experiment. You'll find good staples over time. Look for their frozen cube spices - garlic especially. One cube = one clove. Their nuts are great, try the Habanero Pistachios - 1 lb. for $4.99. They have great chips, my kids love the blue corn tortilla chips. Oh, and the tubs of cookies. I've never had a bad one. Some of their frozen stuff is worth a shot - try the vegetable medley and their frozen organic super sweet corn is almost as good as fresh sweet corn in August. Also, some of the frozen meat is great. They sell bags of flash frozen chicken tenders that are great to keep stocked in the freezer. Stay away from their meatballs, tho.

faith
my mom let me do that too!! and for the same reason!
i grew up in upstate ny, where there's lots and lots apple and maple trees
we even made maple syrup and apple cider in grade school (and raised baby chicks and bunnies to boot!)
its things like this that make me wish i hadn't moved to the big city sometimes....
and on TJs, i walked by three times hoping the place wouldn't look like my worst urban nightmare, but each time i walked by, it was worse than the previous time
sigh

and speaking of books and food, are there any books out there that have inspired people to cook/eat (kinda ala nora's film inspirations?)

the one that got me was mark helprin's "winters tale" with all the talk of oyster pies and oyster stews, i just had to try them
it wasn't as good as i had hoped, but i wasn't gutted by the experience at least

Abby and MGT,
Thanks for the Trader Joe's shopping tips. I need to shop again and look for these items. A co-worker went there this morning and got black lentils. I've always wanted to try them. Next time I need to focus my TJ's energy on the "ingredients" and stay away from a lot of the prepared stuff.

Leeds,
Did you see the Gourmet that was a tribute to all things Montreal -- that's where my recipe came from.

Chris, I'm waiting for a second order of Gourmet to arrive, it sold well as you can imagine! luckily I can still get the recipe on line, thanks a lot for your recommendation.
BTW, I'm an ex-New Yorker, from Queens, I've been in Montreal for a long time now but I have a soft spot for New York. I was there from age 8 to 18. I used to travel to NYC every 2 months when my brother was there, now I'm lucky to get there once every 2 years. (Friends tell me my NY accent slips out sometimes!)

Last time I was in Ohio I bought some of Trader Joe's mezzaluna pasta with butternut squash filling. It was quite good - not like homemade or gourmet or anything, but satisfying and yummy. It was one of those quick suppers: pasta with a little olive oil, parmesan, and fresh grated nutmeg. No more left, sadly...

AVOID the egg rolls/burritos in the frozen section, if they even have them anymore. NOT GOOD.
however, their tins or whatever of caramel popcorn are always good, as are a lot of their sauces. tofu is cheap there, hummus is good, chocolate soy milk is comparable to Silk brand...

Ah, the deep dark underbelly of Trader Joes. I don't know what I was thinknig buying all that fozen food. It was fun, the packaging was pretty . . . all the opening night aptmosphere too. I'll keep eating and let you know where I find some winners.

For burritos, I think Jen is right to stay away. I prefer Amy's Organic.

teehee i'm a lucky foodie, i don't even need to buy frozen burritos... i have one of the best burrito joints in lower manhattan right around the corner from my apartment :-)

Also... I read that Slate article (http://www.slate.com/id/2138176/nav/tap1/ ) on Whole Foods over the weekend. I have wondered about some of these same things - like, how much of a difference does the "organic" label really signify, especially when it's been shipped to me all the way from California? Aren't I better off buying my squash from a local farm - even if they use pesticides? I have friends who work in inner city LA, with low income students, and while they like organic foods, they feel strongly that healthy fruits and vegetables and whole grains - not to mention organic food - are a privilege of the wealthy, in this country.

As much as I like certain things about Whole Foods (bulk grains and spices, fair trade coffee, peanut butter rice krispies, overall seductive store atmosphere...) and the good wages they pay my friends who work there, I usually walk out feeling glad of the few specialty items I bought, but very glad of the two local produce stands where I buy my nuts, fruits, and vegetables.

When I walk into Whole Foods, all I get is sticker shock:
$1 for a lemon? $6/lb for shallots??

That Slate article plays it as local v. organic
but I think they are laying out a fake problem.

I have a choice of organic or conventional NY or NJ tomatoes in season, and organic or conventional Mexican or Floridian tomato when it's the season there.
what am I missing?

My food co-op posts country of origin for produce, notes if it is grown within XX number of miles, and whether it is organic/minimally treated/conventional or could contain GMO. The store's buyer has a relationship with several farmers, and only buys conventional produce when organic/sustainably produced stuff is unavailable or crazy expensive.

on the urban priviledge/bad food thing . . .
there's a super cool inner city kids/organic farm project in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
Things like that give me hope.

Oh, and I was at TJ's opening day, briefly.
mayhem!

it was pretty fun, and I'll go back when the furor dies down
and the wine store opens

my friends were already in line, and the line moved with tremendous speed. I got a very nice orchid...
a dendrobium

it sounds like they make incredible snacks, and half-way decent frozen food for people who never cook
the general food board at Chowhound.com is periodically awash with details about which frozen veg are good (roasted corn is the only one I remember, and
for the bad, asparagus. who expects to freeze asparagus?)
and someone said
their green tamales are good,
but I'm totally skeptical.

Chris, did you get any of those?

Hey Leeds!
I'm listening to Baaba Maal "Firin' In Fouta"
which is a crazy fun multiple pop styles from a traditional musician. you might like.

I went to Trader Joe's on Sunday afternoon.
The line seemed insane but it only took 10 minutes to get through and they were passing out cookies.
I had a great experience. The prices were cheap and I got some really delicious stuff. I had their roasted sweet mole sauce on chicken last night for dinner. It was really tasty.
I have been to the Trader Joe's in Westchester on several occasions and I'm really happy that they opened one in New York.
Yeah Trader Joe's!!!

Most advice is pretty good.

Frozen stuff we like:
Burritos - chicken chile only.
The frozen stuffed slounder is good but we had to expereiment with how to cook it to get a good texture. (use butter and lemon and defrost first)
I had their lamb once and it was good.

Oh! their soup is fabulous! Cream of mushroom and their French onion. I love that with some good bread (not from TJs).

their bread is pretty bad. They have reasonable prices on cheese. If you're into the greek yogurt they are the cheapest in our area.

We love their jared fruits and fruit sauces.

I would tend to agree with what someone else said, their [rices are cheap enough that you can expereiment till you find what works for you from there. Oh, we love their 'salsa chips'. And pirate booty. They have good natural PB.

Yea we're a TJs family.

:)

I really like the green chile and chese tamales that Trader Joe's has in the frozen section and I'm also a fan of their frozen quiche (the broccoli and cheese one). Of course, I'd probably be better off making these things myself, but I'm a full time student with a part time job and I never have the time to cook as much as I'd like to. Still, for something pre-made, they're not bad.

I also really like their Indian Lentil Soup. It's not a canned soup. It comes in a jar. Also great is their Hot and Sour soup. I didn't think I'd like it, but I ended up inhaling the jar one blustery cold day when i was feeling sick. Clears up your sinuses, too!

TJ's is great for their tea selection, too. I try to buy a new type of tea every time I go there. They also, sometimes, have the Yogi brand black Chai tea bags and that's gotten me through this winter.

I ran across a website/blog where a guy comes up with recipes using ingredients found in TJ stores. I haven't really had a chance to look it over, but here is the link for anyone who is interested.

http://www.tjrecipes.com/

when does the wine store open?

My TJs shopping list:

Cashew pieces roasted/unsalted or pistachios
Crunchy peanut butter
Dried fruit
Steel cut oats or multi-grain hot cereal
Cereal (Kashi brand or the high-fiber O's)
Bagged salads
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar (I do NOT like white balsamic)
Sundried Tomatos in oil (mentioned in Cooks Illustrated as their recommended brand - great for making white-wine/garlic pasta sauces)
Canned fish (sardines, trout, anchovies)
Frozen veggie mixes (for quick stirfry with rice or to add to pasta sauce)
Froz Edamame (shelled or unshelled)
Pasta sauce (vodka sauce is pretty good)
Pasta
Black Lentils (I've got a lentil taco recipe that kicks butt)
Roasted tomato/red pepper soup in a box (great with grilled cheese, you'll never eat Campbells again)
CabotFarms White Cheddar to make grilled cheese sandwich
Elephant garlic
Apple cider in winter is delicious warmed and spiked.
Ritter milk chocolate bars
Salami
Whole wheat crackers (like wheat thins)

I talked to one of my closet friends inNYC a few days ago that braved the new trader joes in town he said that the lines rapped around the entire store> In complete amazement he conquered and returned home in Harlem so proud! I bragg about the T.J here in S.F and insisted that it was so much better than Whole paycheck............

hi guido-yes, it's the kind of thing I like!
Did you see my post re El Gran Silencio-Chuntaros Radio Poder? they're fun & funny but in a good way (like the good yerba buena), you'd have to take out the between tracks of fake radio id. Actually like 9 tracks! doesn't happen often, unfortunately.

You guys, what fun, what food shopping bliss.
Happy healthy food shopping and cooking! (I make 'power bars'from steel cut oats, figs,etc.)

hey, thx leeds
superbueno!
I'm now listening to an archived broadcast of them on Morning Becomes Eclectic online . . . fun. I like modern mexican mashups.

guido
que bien-glad you like! I can't listen to music at work, it's distracting, in the best way of course, but apparently I need to be bored to produce work :(
enjoy / disfrutalo !

Leeds,
Any chance you'll share your "power bar" recipe with us (photo, please!)

i want the recipe for JenPDX's kick butt black lentil tacos!!!

Sara Kate, easy enough, it's here:
http://www.foodtv.ca/recipes/recipedetails.aspx?dishid=5909
I've made others but these are the best, they have a good, satisfying texture.
Gotta make them again -I may have some in the freezer, they get a tiny bit crumbly there, but still good! And they each fit perfectly into a snack size ziplock.
cheers!

So, it's supposed to be spring, but it's in the 20s today and we have 4" of snow on the ground. To comfort myself, I'm making up a big pot of chili today, with blue cheese cornbread on the side. It turns out my husband doesn't agree with all my ingredients for chili - mostly it's the mushrooms - apparently that falls outside of the realm of 'chili' for him.

What do you guys put in your chili?

Here's my quick and easy recipe:
diced onions, green and red peppers - sweat them. add diced portobello mushroom and sautee till softened. Add minced garlic. sautee till garlic is softened (not browned).
Add 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes and a couple cans of beans, 1 can of v-8 spicy, some seitan, a bottle of beer, some chili powder and red pepper and corn. Simmer for hours. Eat with corn bread (essentially an amalgamation of nigella's blue cheese crisps and a real cornbread - I like the salty blue cheese in my bread). Maybe drink some beer with it and watch the simpsons. :)

Lentil Tacos :: I got this from a WashingtonPost cooking chat a while back. I've made some modifications noted in (parentheses). My friends from Austin TX love this dish. I usually make double batches and freeze half.


Lentil Taco recipe: Ingredients

1 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
(1/2 cup finely chopped carrot)
2 teaspoon canola oil
1 cup dry lentils, rinsed
(I like to mix half-brown lentils, half black lentils. The mushy texture of the brown lentils with the firmer texture of the black lentils works for me and seems soak in more flavor than black lentils alone)

1 Tbs. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
(chili flakes)

2-1/2 cups chicken broth or beef broth (or water)
1 cup good salsa

12 hard taco shells or small tortillas

In a large non-stick skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. (I usually cook onions on lowheat until they start to turn golden translucent).

Add the lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano (add a few chili flakes for some extra heat); cook and stir for 1 minute.

Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Uncover; cook for 6-8 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Stir in salsa. (I don’t add salsa until I eat)

Spoon about 1/4 cup into each taco shell and top with your favorite taco fixin's.

Hi Everyone,

We're having a casual afternoon tea this weekend in honor of my son's first birthday. All family and close friends and possibly my godson who is three. We're planning to have a cheese and fruit plate, scones, tea sandwiches and cupcakes, as well as a giant urn or two of hot water for assorted teas. A friend is bringing a crudite platter; I'm making the cupcakes.

Does anyone have some fun spins on traditional teatime fare? Or recommendations for where we can find some great scones? Or best of all, advice on how to do this as quickly and easily as possible?

Thanks!

leeds,

dumb question, how long will those bars keep outside the freezer?

The green chile and cheese tamales from TJ's are awesome, and I've got to be the dissenter on the burritos and say that I really like the black bean and veggie ones (I think those are the ones -- they're the only ones I've eaten though.).

My favorite part of TJ's is the dried fruit and nut section and I spent a lot of my grocery list there. I also get a bit of the frozen seafood -- despite living on the coast, it's a convenience thing -- as well as a lot of frozen vegetables, namely corn, green beans, broccoli, and a few others, mostly organic. I also like the eggplant cutlets which, while nothing fancy, are good slipped into a wrap or pita with other assorted goodies.

A few other highlights for me include their rice mixes, chips, and the occasional sushi.

minh,
good question; honestly, I don't know. I usually use them up within 10 days & freeze a few 'for a rainy day'. They're made up of dried fruit & grains mainly...Anyway, I've never had one go 'fuzzy' on me!
If you prefer a soft bar, this is not the one. This one has body and crunch, which I adore. (I had 2 friends who said they were a bit like bird seed; they obviously don't know what's good!) Everyone else loved them! hope you enjoy them.

black lentils . . .
is that the same as "French" lentils?
small, dark green, retain their shape when cooked

or something else that I'd get at an Indian food supplier?

JenniferJA - Judy Rodgers' recipe for Orange Currant Scones in the Zuni Cafe Cookbook is excellent - they practically melt in your mouth, if you follow the recipe and don't overwork the dough. They come together very quickly.

Also, lemon curd is a classic teatime staple. You can buy it in the jam section, but making it is really, really easy. This recipe (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/105890 ) is great; I've made it in large quantities - just skip the rest of the bar recipe and make the curd.

Here is a good article about English tea and related recipes: http://www.joyofbaking.com/EnglishTeaParty.html

Question: does anyone have an opinion re: Trader Joe's chocolate?

I want to make the chocolate easter eggs (in the shell) from the new Martha mag, but I don't want to go broke buying pounds and pounds of chocolate. I'm wondering if the semi-famous TJ's chocolate is any good.

Alternative question: any sources for Callebaut or Valrhona for less than $15/lb, without having to buy 20-lb blocks?

Thanks, Faith. I'm definitely inspired to make the lemon curd!

that sounds so nice and simple, JenPDX, and such a nice departure from black beans and rice
thanks so much for posting!

Guido - on the lentil question...I'm not sure but I don't think that the Black Lentils at TJs are the same as the Lentils du Puy (?) / French Green Lentils. But then I've never been able to find those fabled lentils anywhere.

Thx JenPDX
You can't find french "puy" in NYC?
Any place that has bulk bins should . . .
One day soon, I'll check those out at TJs.
Your recipe looks good.

GIRL SCOUT COOKIE ALERT
101 Cookbooks made a recipe for thinmints .
Click my name for link.

Hi JenPDX,
I made the lentil dish this morning. Kick-ass, alright! Made it with green lentils and black lentils from Indian store (I do have 'puy'at home). Reduced pepper from 1 tablespoon to 2 teaspoons & just a pinch of flakes. Yikes, hot and good! Added a generous 1/2 c of my homemade salsa that I use on huevos rancheros (no heat, thankfully). Made corn tortillas & had to taste the combo--very good! will serve with trimmings (cheese..) thanks JenPDX

guido thanks for the cookie heads up, I've been wanting to make chocolate mint cookies for a while, bought the peppermint extract.
-Do you know Africando All Stars?

Faith,
Made your chocolate banana muffin recipe. Good/ rich, I can see it being cook as a cake & serving with whipped cream or something. Made the topping as you suggested. Thanks.
Last weekend I bought a 5-lb block of Belgian dark chocolate at the wholesalers. How should I store it?

I made the maple scones from yesterday's NY Times - excellent!! made them with wheat berries due to walnut problem-they were 'off'. Very good with the wheat berry texture here & there.
Yes, had one of my cooking early mornings!

leeds, wow!

so . . . what are those Indian/TJs black lentils like compared to dark green/french/puy? I have the later.

and do you happen to know the difference in using peppermint oil v extract in baking?
and what the conversion would be (I have oil, but not extract at home)
I think I might use Anna crisp cookies to cheat on the girl scout thing to work out the chocolate/mint mix if I don't find the answer. Or don't feel like baking cookies.

yes to Africando All Stars, although I don't find myself listening to them very often
In that vein - sort of - how about Orchestre Baobob? "Pirates' Choice" was on replay for months around here...great for parties as well as cooking

guido, will get back to you on peppermint question & have not used the puy yet...
Don't listen to Africando that much, just when a livening up is required or bridge to something much livelier! have not cooked with it, guess I prefer latin, pop & reggae for that, or a blend!
What do you think of bachata, if anything?
same question for ballenato and for reggeton.
do you know/like Juanes?

here's my TJ list, aside from the regular milk, eggs, etc:

Cream line plain yogurt
Very berry Cherry Mix- frosen berries plus amazing cherries- great with the yogurt!
Organic dried apricots from Turkey- nothing like the regular American stuff
Garlic-infused olive oil
Sesame oil
Chocolate with hazelnuts and french truffles
Terrific Australian lamb ribs
Roasted chestnuts
Dry-roasted almonds
Orange-infused cranberries
Italian nougat

TJ's was the only thing I mourned after leaving LA.
I'm food-happy now...