Salmon Roulette with Spinach Florentine Stuffing

Rating:

Price: $3.99

Features: Good salmon with a flavorful stuffing, extreme black pepper crust

Found in: Frozen seafood

 TJ's has carried these frozen salmon roulettes for as long as I have been shopping there. I was tempted to get them on many occasions, but always had my doubts about the quality of the salmon, or how long they would take to thaw and cook up. One night when I needed a quick, easy, and relatively healthy dinner I went for them. I'm glad I finally did, because they are really good, and don't take too long to cook up from frozen (thaw in microwave for a few minutes, then finish in a frying pan).

The salmon is good quality especially for frozen, though I'm sure it is farmed (obligatory "boo!"). The spinach Florentine stuffing is very flavorful and full of garlic. Just the right amount of stuffing is placed in the middle of the round making for many satisfying bites out of the circle with an optimal salmon-to-stuffing ratio. Now, if you like tons and tons of black pepper, then you will be fine with the coating on the outside of the round. The whole edge is coated in big grains of powerful pepper, which makes for some overwhelming spice after a few bites. I think I understand why they put the coating on there - these might look less appetizing and a little too much like frozen fish pucks if the edge was just pink. However, I would advise scraping a bit of the pepper off and mopping it back up as a seasoning for your veggies.

Chicken Tikka Masala with Cumin Flavored Basmati Rice

Rating:
Price: $3.49
Features: Spicy sauce, tasty chicken and nicely flavored rice, tastes "authentic"
Found in: Freezer at demo booth

I had a sample of this chicken tikka masala at the demo stand the other night and was really impressed with the flavor, so I decided to buy a box thinking it would make a good lunch at work. The chicken is tender and good quality white meat, the sauce is flavorful with a nice level of spice, and the cumin basmati rice makes a great accompanyment. The cardamom and lemon juice in the sauce really come through, making this about as good as tikka masala from my favorite Indian restaurant.

The only problem with this frozen entree is that you don't get that much food for your money. My box only had four (decent size) pieces of chicken in it. They should package it with a piece of garlic naan to soak up the sauce to make it a more filling meal.

Beef Tamales

Rating:
Price: $2.29 for a package of 2
Features: Tasty corn dough filled with shredded beef - taco sauce not included
Found in: Frozen section, where the Mexican stuff always seems to be off on its own

These are a pretty basic item, so there isn't much to say about them. They are not unhealthy for a frozen dinner item, and the are ready from frozen after 6 minutes in the microwave (just wrap in a wet paper towel). I like the dough on these, not too soggy, a little crispy in places, and the right proportion of dough to meat. The meat is good too, not that gross paste type of "shredded beef" that can come in other things, these have actual hunks of shredded beef, which is good for texture. Two make a filling dinner, I say go for it! There was a guy loading up on the green chile and cheese tamales when I was at the store. Maybe I will try those next...

Roasted Vegetable Pizza & BBQ Chicken Pizza [Double Feature]

I felt lazy on my dinner night this week, so I picked up two frozen pizzas from TJs, made a big spinach salad at home, and managed to feed four people without much work. I think TJs has put out several new varieties of frozen pizzas recently, lots to try.

Roasted Vegetable Pizza

Rating:
Price: $4.99
Features: Thick-buttery-doughy crust, interesting caramelized onion sauce, vegetarian.
Found in: The deep freeze

I liked this pizza a lot. The crust was hearty and satisfying, but somehow light at the same time. Instead of tomato sauce, this veggie pizza has a slightly sweet sauce made from caramelized onion, which makes for a pleasing and unique flavor. My only criticism is that there were not many roasted red peppers and artichoke hearts topping the pizza. No cheese either, but I didn't notice that until I finished eating, so it wasn't something I missed! I checked to see if this is vegan, but it's just vegetarian. Maybe there really is butter in the crust?

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Rating:
Price: $4.99
Features: Blah...
Found in: The deep freeze

I was not impressed by this pizza. To me, a BBQ Chicken Pizza should scream big bold flavors: smokey-spicy BBQ sauce, red onions, seasoned chicken, bubbly melted cheese. TJs version has all those ingredients, but none of the flavors come through and pop. This is unfortunate because it leaves the pizza amazingly bland. Not enough toppings on this one either, and the crust was thinner, maybe a little crispier, but far less flavorful than the veggie pizza.

I should mention that I bought a bottle of Trader Joe's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, as recommended on Trader Joe's Wine Compendium, to drink with this dinner. I think it worked well with the pizza. As my friend noticed, you get a lot more bold ripe fruit flavors from this wine if you take really small sips. Quite enjoyable!

Spanakopita & Manitaropita

Rating:
Price: $3.99 each (12 pieces each)
Features: Crispy filo, tasty filling, surprisingly healthy
Found in: Frozen prepared foods section

Both the classic Spanakopita and the previously unknown to me Manitaropita follow the same principle: Wrap filo dough around a filling and make flaky golden-brown-and-delicious triangles that can be enjoyed as an appetizer or as the main part of a meal.

You probably know that classic Greek Spanakopita is filled with a mixture of chopped spinach and ricotta cheese. Trader Joe's Manitaropita are filled with hearty and earthy mushrooms in a white wine cream sauce. The mushroom filling is richer than the spinach, but both are quite good!

Each package comes with 12 triangles in an aluminum tray which you can pop straight in the oven from frozen and bake them until crispy. Convenient, except the two types bake at different temperatures for different lengths of time. I cheated a bit and baked them together at a middle temperature for most of the time, giving the mushroom ones a 10 minute head start.

These are surprisingly healthy! Actually, they have far less salt than most prepared foods from TJ's, and very little fat, saturated fat, or cholesterol. I was expecting a lot higher fat content given the buttery filo dough. I guess filo is less rich than puff pastry...

The only reason I didn't give them 5-stars is because the flavors are not quite where I think they could be. Maybe add some garlic to the Spanakopita and some caramelized onions to the Manitaropita? Whatever, I am being picky. Far better than frozen entrees you get at most places, both in terms of healthy eating and value. So, go get yourself some of these tasty triangles!

Tilapia Citronette

Rating:
Price: $6.99

Features: Super citrusy sauce
Found in: Frozen seafood

These "marinated Tilapia fillets with grilled asparagus and sliced carrots" were pretty good. The lemon butter sauce has quite the citrus zing to it, and permeates the whole dish. The minimal amounts of asparagus and carrots seem like an afterthought, something thrown on there to give it a little color.

The good: Tastes good - gives a plain fish some powerful flavor, easily enough fish for two people in each package, Tilapia stands up well to being frozen - so the fish is still firm and hearty.

The not-so-good: This dish took nearly twice as long to cook in the oven as the package suggested - I want my dinner now! Not a surprise that a thick block of frozen fish takes more than 20 mins at 400 degrees. I feel like frozen Tilapia should be cheaper...even if you do get a fair amount.

The bottom line: I might buy this again if I want something easy for two people. I did like the intense lemon flavor. I'll just keep in mind that it may take some time to cook unless I want partially frozen fish on my plate.

Shepard's Pie

Rating:
Price: $3.99
Features: Low-ish calorie, not so low sodium
Found in: Freezer Section

I walked into the Queen Anne Trader Joe's with no idea what I was going to do about dinner. I'm usually a planner when it comes to meals. I go with at least a mental list of what I need for whatever I have decided to make. But that's the thing I love about TJ's, I can simply go there and figure it out while I go through the store. I'd say you are far more likely to come up with something good, quick, cheap, and easy doing this in TJ's compared to any other store.

This one really fell in my lap because I was in the mood for some comfort food, didn't want to put a lot of effort in, and the store happened to be sampling the frozen Shepard's Pie. The first bite convinced me this was a great choice for a cold fall day when you just want something hearty that will warm you up. The employee prepping the samples suggested heating the dish in the oven rather than by the microwave if I had the time (~35 mins).

I made two of these (each box is "two servings") to feed myself and three other guys. I'd say you need to serve more than just a side salad if you want to feed 4 people... Anyway, the pie is excellent - big chunks of beef in a tasty gravy with some veggies, all topped with a buttery layer of mashed potatoes. Very satisfying, everyone said it was really good for frozen, and ended up buying a few for themselves later.

The only reasons I didn't give the Shepard's Pie 5 stars are: 1) It is on the small side for "two servings" which is usually the case with frozen foods, and 2) The thing has 25% of your DV of sodium in a rather small serving size. Still, highly recommended to satisfy a comfort food craving on a cold lazy day!

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