I’ve been on the lookout for the non-dairy Salted Caramel Hold the Cones, but they haven’t turned up yet at my local. In the meantime, let’s take a look at what’s new at Trader Joe’s this week (as spotted in the Pacific Northwest).
UNEXPECTED CHEDDAR CHEESE SPREAD WITH HATCH CHILES — If you’re a chilehead like me, a tub of Unexpected Cheddar with Hatch Chiles is an easy buy. The cheese packs a punch, so I’m interested to see if you get much chile flavor. The crew member at my local said it had good chile flavor, but wasn’t spicy.
KIMBAP – Vegetarian and vegan peeps, Trader Joe’s now has tofu kimbap in the frozen section. It does have cane sugar on the ingredient list, so if that’s a dealbreaker for you, it might be vegetarian only. Knowing Trader Joe’s history with fresh sushi, I’m a little skeptical. But this is Product of South Korea, so no reason to think there’s any connection with whoever provided the sushi. It does say to microwave it for 2 minutes and advises DO NOT THAW…hmh.
TINIEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES — These could go either way. Could just be your average chocolate chip cookie, or they could be so good you pour them directly from the bag into your mouth. Or pour some milk over them like Cookie Crisp
FREEZE DRIED FIG SLICES — Could be good crunched up over oatmeal, or maybe for flavoring frosting? That’s what I’ve done with the freeze-dried strawberries in the past.
NILGIRI and ASSAM BLACK TEA – Two new tea offerings. The Nilgiri is “a brisk and robust tea harvested in the Blue Mountains region of Southern India.” The Assam is described as “a full bodied tea, with a strong malty flavor, harvested in the northeast Indian region of Assam.” I think I’d go for the Assam to make chai.