Hello: Once again it is New Product Wednesday at Lily On The Lam! These are products that are new to me - not necessarily new to the market. Today, I'll be doing a Trader Joe's triple feature: Trader Joe's Tuna in Red Penang Curry Sauce, Trader Joe's Basmati Rice Medley and Trader Joe's Unsalted Dry Toasted Slivered Almonds.
Now word on the street is that Florida will be getting its first Trader Joe's in Naples by the end of this year and in Sarasota sometime in 2012. All I can say is "It's about time and can you open NOW?" I love Trader Joe's and the products I am reviewing in this blog post were purchased at the Trader Joe's in Woodbury, Minnesota. A girl will go a long way for a little Trader Joe's lovin'.
I purchased Trader Joe's Thai Tuna in Red Penang Curry Sauce for two reasons - I love Thai flavors and I love quick convenience foods. The instructions on the curry said you could heat up the entree in 2 minutes in the microwave or by dropping the pouch in boiling water. The entire entree is only 240 calories. Unfortunately, I missed the part on the nutrition information that said it is 52% of your daily allowance of sodium. Whoops.
I cut open the pouch and poured it into a microwave safe bowl and covered it. (This stuff splatters - consider yourself warned!) I heated the entree for 2 minutes, as instructed. When I removed the bowl from the microwave, the aroma hit me full force. It smelled like floral room deodorizer. Unfortunately, I don't like food that smells like floral room deodorizer. I took a tentative bite. It tasted very floral as well. As you may have figured out, I also don't like food that tastes like floral room deodorizer either. Flowers plus fish are not delish! I can't drink Jasmine tea because it tastes like I am drinking perfume. In reviewing the product's ingredients, I'm guessing its the combination of Thai lime leaves, galangal and lemongrass that was creating the floral scent.
However, I am not a foe of lemon grass and lime leaves. One of my favorite dishes to make in the slow cooker is the Thai Coconut Curry Braised Short Ribs from the fantastic EvilShenanigans.com blog. (Isn't Evil Shenanigans the best name??) The short ribs recipe has lemon grass and Kaffir lime leaves and it tastes fragrant not artificial. If you want true Thai flavors, check out EvilShenanigans.com. If you love braised short ribs, you will fall off your chair for this incredible dish! And if you have don't have an issue with a strong floral smell and taste (and aren't watching your sodium), then perhaps you'll enjoy Trader Joe's Thai Tuna in Red Penang Curry Sauce as well.
I had much better success with Trader Joe's Basmati Rice Medley. A mix of basmati rice, wild rice and dried vegetables. I prepared it with low sodium chicken broth, 1/2 a Tablespoon of butter, 1/2 a Tablespoon of Harissa flavored olive oil from Kalamazoo Olive Company and dried crushed red peppers.
After I finished cooking the rice and let it sit for 5 minutes (per the product directions), I added in a handful of Trader Joe's unsalted dry toasted toasted slivered almonds and drizzled more Kalamazoo Olive Company Harissa flavored olive oil on top.
The Trader Joe's Basmati Rice Medley was very tasty - but I think my additions of the slivered almonds and the Harissa olive oil really made the flavors more complex and delicious. (In other words, I raised the Yum factor exponentially!) Since the Tuna Penang Curry was not to my liking, I defrosted some leftover Thai Coconut Curry Braised Short Ribs made from the recipe on EvilShenanigans.com and served it with a small tomato and arugula salad.
Dinner was fantastic!
Now word on the street is that Florida will be getting its first Trader Joe's in Naples by the end of this year and in Sarasota sometime in 2012. All I can say is "It's about time and can you open NOW?" I love Trader Joe's and the products I am reviewing in this blog post were purchased at the Trader Joe's in Woodbury, Minnesota. A girl will go a long way for a little Trader Joe's lovin'.
I purchased Trader Joe's Thai Tuna in Red Penang Curry Sauce for two reasons - I love Thai flavors and I love quick convenience foods. The instructions on the curry said you could heat up the entree in 2 minutes in the microwave or by dropping the pouch in boiling water. The entire entree is only 240 calories. Unfortunately, I missed the part on the nutrition information that said it is 52% of your daily allowance of sodium. Whoops.
I cut open the pouch and poured it into a microwave safe bowl and covered it. (This stuff splatters - consider yourself warned!) I heated the entree for 2 minutes, as instructed. When I removed the bowl from the microwave, the aroma hit me full force. It smelled like floral room deodorizer. Unfortunately, I don't like food that smells like floral room deodorizer. I took a tentative bite. It tasted very floral as well. As you may have figured out, I also don't like food that tastes like floral room deodorizer either. Flowers plus fish are not delish! I can't drink Jasmine tea because it tastes like I am drinking perfume. In reviewing the product's ingredients, I'm guessing its the combination of Thai lime leaves, galangal and lemongrass that was creating the floral scent.
However, I am not a foe of lemon grass and lime leaves. One of my favorite dishes to make in the slow cooker is the Thai Coconut Curry Braised Short Ribs from the fantastic EvilShenanigans.com blog. (Isn't Evil Shenanigans the best name??) The short ribs recipe has lemon grass and Kaffir lime leaves and it tastes fragrant not artificial. If you want true Thai flavors, check out EvilShenanigans.com. If you love braised short ribs, you will fall off your chair for this incredible dish! And if you have don't have an issue with a strong floral smell and taste (and aren't watching your sodium), then perhaps you'll enjoy Trader Joe's Thai Tuna in Red Penang Curry Sauce as well.
I had much better success with Trader Joe's Basmati Rice Medley. A mix of basmati rice, wild rice and dried vegetables. I prepared it with low sodium chicken broth, 1/2 a Tablespoon of butter, 1/2 a Tablespoon of Harissa flavored olive oil from Kalamazoo Olive Company and dried crushed red peppers.
After I finished cooking the rice and let it sit for 5 minutes (per the product directions), I added in a handful of Trader Joe's unsalted dry toasted toasted slivered almonds and drizzled more Kalamazoo Olive Company Harissa flavored olive oil on top.
Fluffy and flavorful! This is some delicious basmati rice!
The Trader Joe's Basmati Rice Medley was very tasty - but I think my additions of the slivered almonds and the Harissa olive oil really made the flavors more complex and delicious. (In other words, I raised the Yum factor exponentially!) Since the Tuna Penang Curry was not to my liking, I defrosted some leftover Thai Coconut Curry Braised Short Ribs made from the recipe on EvilShenanigans.com and served it with a small tomato and arugula salad.
Dinner was fantastic!
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