Trader Joe’s - vegan food recommendations please?

Skipjack66
Skipjack66 Posts: 102 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey! I’m Canadian and I’ll be traveling down the I 75 to Southwest Florida next week. I’ll be staying in a condo and doing most of the cooking while on vacation. I’ve heard a lot about Trader Joe’s and I’m looking for your recommendations for vegan items - either snack foods (cuz vacation!) and also good stuff to use in my cooking. Like best brands of tofu, seitan, yogurts, sauces etc.

Also if you have any food recommendations for dinner and lunches along the way - please let me know!

Thanks for your help!!

Replies

  • nic_27_grassisgreener
    nic_27_grassisgreener Posts: 193 Member
    Cookie butter is maybe my favorite food. I eat it with a spoon. There are honestly so many good snack/junk foods there, I couldn't possibly list them. I can't do my regular grocery shopping there, because I walk down each aisle and find a million things I want to buy. ENJOY!
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Trader Joe's generally doesn't do "brands" (with a handful of exceptions), their thing is more selling their branded products so you'll typically just have one choice for each item. They tend to have really good pre-washed/cut vegetable mixes if you're looking to cook stuff and very reasonable prices for dried fruit and nuts. They also have vegan baked goods that are pretty clearly marked.

    Pre-made things I've enjoyed from there: Cookie butter, cowboy caviar (corn/bean salsa), any of their hummus (especially the white bean or beet hummus), the spicy lentil wrap with tahini sauce, goddess dressing (it's too good!), marinated white beans, vegetarian chili, maple water (think coconut water, but from a maple tree), dark chocolate (not all of it is vegan, but some is), and beet chips.
  • Skipjack66
    Skipjack66 Posts: 102 Member
    nic_27_grassisgreener wrote: »
    Cookie butter is maybe my favorite food. I eat it with a spoon. There are honestly so many good snack/junk foods there, I couldn't possibly list them. I can't do my regular grocery shopping there, because I walk down each aisle and find a million things I want to buy. ENJOY!
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Trader Joe's generally doesn't do "brands" (with a handful of exceptions), their thing is more selling their branded products so you'll typically just have one choice for each item. They tend to have really good pre-washed/cut vegetable mixes if you're looking to cook stuff and very reasonable prices for dried fruit and nuts. They also have vegan baked goods that are pretty clearly marked.

    Pre-made things I've enjoyed from there: Cookie butter, cowboy caviar (corn/bean salsa), any of their hummus (especially the white bean or beet hummus), the spicy lentil wrap with tahini sauce, goddess dressing (it's too good!), marinated white beans, vegetarian chili, maple water (think coconut water, but from a maple tree), dark chocolate (not all of it is vegan, but some is), and beet chips.

    Thank you so much! I’m really excited actually - since I know it’s such a popular place and people love it!
  • HappyAnna2014
    HappyAnna2014 Posts: 214 Member
    I'm a vegan who loves Trader Joe's. My favorite things there are their store brand (Trader Joe's) meatless meatballs, I like to eat them dipped in their guacamole, but they are also good on pasta and their spaghetti sauce. I like their store brand crispy chickenless tenders. Sometime I make a vegan salad from the salad bar at work and then cut up the chicken tenders to put on it. That is a healthy, filling, and GREAT tasting lunch. I could eat it every day. I also like to take the chicken tenders and cut them up and dip them in Trader Joe's garlic hummus for a snack. Their soy vanilla ice cream sandwiches are really good, too, as is their dairy-free yogurt. They have some edamame crackers that are good to snack on, and of course, amazing produce and your standard items like cereal (I like the Heritage Flakes) and soy milk (or almond milk if you prefer it, I just happen to love soy milk). I can pretty much get all my groceries from there. Ooooh. They have gomacro snack bars that are high in protein. I like the chocolate chip ones -- totally vegan and taste amazing. I'll write another post if I think of anything else. I hope you enjoy Trader Joe's as much as I do. :smiley:
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    Salsa Verde (tomatillo salsa) with corn chips. YUM!
  • jessiferrrb
    jessiferrrb Posts: 1,758 Member
    their chocolate chips are vegan and i bake with them and also snack on them. their nuts (raw cashews and lightly salted pistachios are my favorites) are way cheaper than other groceries, ditto for their coconut oil. i LOVE their lightly seasoned brussel sprouts. the hummus sampler is great for when i can't make a choice. and i co-sign their veggie meatballs as well.
  • hopesechosoffice7387
    hopesechosoffice7387 Posts: 12 Member
    I’m vegan and shop at Trader Joe’s often. The spicy lentil wrap is awesome. The eggplant hummus is great. Also there are precooked lentils that are delicious mixed with the bruschetta.
  • Skipjack66
    Skipjack66 Posts: 102 Member
    Ok, I’ve started my grocery list!!! Thanks again to everyone responding!!!
  • CynthiasChoice
    CynthiasChoice Posts: 1,047 Member
    edited November 2017
    They sell Lara Bars, and some other whole food energy bars. They have a great section of nuts and seeds and trail mix. Their seaweed snacks are awesome! Also some really good prepared salads that are vegan. There's tons of stuff in the frozen section that might be interesting, including veggies, fruit, rice, pastas, prepared dinners, desserts.

    If you have time to cook, this is super fast and easy:

    Simmer together:
    1 jar of Organic Marinara
    1/2 container of Organic Chicken Broth
    1 container of steamed lentils (produce section) or several cans of beans
    Frozen Grilled peppers and onions (or any fresh or frozen veggies you like)
    Corn (canned or frozen) or canned green olives
    Fresh or Frozen: chopped Basil, Parsley and Garlic.

    All the groceries in the recipe will cost about $16, but there will be at least 5 big servings.


  • Skipjack66
    Skipjack66 Posts: 102 Member
    Wow, thanks again!
  • Muscleflex79
    Muscleflex79 Posts: 1,917 Member
    fellow Canadian here - just had my first trip to Trader Joes this weekend (Niagara Falls)...I'd read all about it ahead of time so was excited to see it, but it wasn't as exciting for me as Aldi (crazy low prices). As for Trader Joes, I'd recommend the 'everything but the bagel' seasoning and lenny and larry's cookies!
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
    I’m not vegan so you will need to double check labels, but I love their Kung pao cauliflower, and vegetable birds nests. Both are in the frozen section. The rosemary marcona almonds are good too.
  • Skipjack66
    Skipjack66 Posts: 102 Member
    Thanks!!!
  • Sp1tfire
    Sp1tfire Posts: 1,120 Member
    Trader joes tomato basil hummus is AWESOME and i've heard it can be a really great pizza sauce!!!
  • jessiferrrb
    jessiferrrb Posts: 1,758 Member
    http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=10401&catId=2

    found this list earlier and looked up the thread again in case it's not too late
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    Vegan tikka masala (in the frozen section, uses the same protein as Gardein beefless tips)
    Bamba peanut snacks (these are new, but they do contain palm oil, which some vegans don't eat)
    Dark chocolate lovers bar
    Salsa autentica
    Tahini dip
    Spicy lentil wrap
    Balela (a chickpea side dish)
    Eggplant garlic spread
    Cranberry clementine sparkling water
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    Also: stuff to eat on I-75. The US south can be a bit tough for people who don't eat meat. You'll go through Knoxville, TN, which has Three Rivers Market--a great little co-op grocery with a hot bar, prepared food, and local products. Not entirely vegan but should have a nice selection. http://www.threeriversmarket.coop/ There are more restaurants in Atlanta, GA.
  • niniundlapin
    niniundlapin Posts: 327 Member
    Yay to Trader Joe’s!! I’m not vegan but I love their veggie patty (I think that’s the name?! It has a curry-ish flavor). Their baked tofu tastes good too. If you’re fine with Asian style, the teriyaki flavor goes well with any kind of veggies (stirred fried).

    As one staff told me, you can always return their products if you’re not satisfied with them. I personally have never done that before but I’d say just go for anything that “looks good” :p
  • iheartralphie
    iheartralphie Posts: 104 Member
    There is an Instagram page, traderjoesvegan that posts vegan finds at trader Joe's. She's very helpful!
  • Skipjack66
    Skipjack66 Posts: 102 Member
    Wow! You guys are awesome! I haven’t left yet. This Thursday is when we leave so I’m hoping we can google one to stop at (not far from the highway) and get snacks for the trip down which will take a couple of days. Can’t wait to get out of the cold and into some warmth!
  • lilithsrose
    lilithsrose Posts: 752 Member
    Muscleflex79 wrote: »
    fellow Canadian here - just had my first trip to Trader Joes this weekend (Niagara Falls)...I'd read all about it ahead of time so was excited to see it, but it wasn't as exciting for me as Aldi (crazy low prices). As for Trader Joes, I'd recommend the 'everything but the bagel' seasoning and lenny and larry's cookies!

    I love them both. And just a fun fact, Aldi & Trader Joe's are both owned by Germany’s Albrecht family. Aldi actually stands for Albrecht Discount. They're sister stores, but are run very differently.

    "Theo would rename his business Aldi Nord, and would control territories north of the Rhine, plus a healthy chunk of Europe. Karl would head up Aldi Süd, and get southern Germany, more of Europe, plus the U.K. and Ireland. But both companies operate stores in the United States—Aldi Süd operates as Aldi, and Aldi Nord as the now ubiquitous Trader Joe’s."

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