All Photos By Gail
As an admitted foodie with a very busy schedule – and not much time for, or interest in, cooking an evening meal for just myself from scratch – I celebrate the great quality and awesome variety available in Trader Joe’s frozen food aisle! I love convenience, but I refuse to sacrifice taste, and I’m always excited by side dish options that balance a meal, while delivering on both quality and flavor. Boulder Canyon Natural Foods, best known for their delicious Chips and snacks, have now ventured into the frozen side dish domain, with delicious results.
Boulder Canyon Foods‘ grain-free Riced Vegetables are made with 100% vegetables, making them a healthy and easy addition to your dinner table! I received packages of two varieties: the Riced Sweet Potato Caramelized Onion (seen above) and the Cheddar Broccoli. I prepared each of them with a different meal over two nights, and here are my findings.
Cooking instructions on the package call for microwave use (you can actually just throw the entire bag in the microwave , no pan needed) but I don’t own a microwave, so I used a non-stick sauce pan, without any oil or water added. There is no need to defrost the product. I cooked the riced veggies over medium heat until they were fully cooked – maybe 5 minutes. Preparation is super easy and the hassle of chopping everything has been done for you!
I served the Riced Sweet Potato dish with two Trader Joe’s Masala Burgers, which are potato-based veggie patties with Indian seasonings (very delicious). The added aromatic sweetness from the caramelized onion enhanced the sweet potato’s natural flavors, and provided a pleasing contrast to the savory Masala Burgers (which I topped with shredded cheese, because I love cheese).
Here’s a close up. The Sweet Potatoes cook up soft but not mushy. They taste a little bit like carrots. In fact, if you were to serve them to one of those “I don’t like Sweet Potatoes” people, you could say they were eating carrots and I bet they would never know the difference.
The next night, I made the Riced Broccoli with Cheddar Cheese, which I figured would pair well with a Trader Joe’s Chicken and Bean Burrito. Yum.
A little steam got on my camera lens.
If that looks good, it’s because it was! I love broccoli, and the ricing does not diminish the fresh, robust flavor. The cheddar cheese flavor was a bit ‘in the back’ of everything though, so you if you really like cheddar cheese on your broccoli, you could always shred additional cheese on the top. There is no such thing as too much cheese!
Boulder Canyon Riced Vegetables are a terrific Rice Alternative for anyone on a gluten free diet, and they come in eight flavors, so you never get bored! Find out more about all Boulder Canyon Riced Vegetables varieties, and learn about their family of other fine foods products at This Link!