Monday, March 28, 2011

Trader Joe's Soy & Flaxseed Tortilla Chips

Yellow corn, soy, and flaxseeds make up these chips. They're a structurally-sound, crunchy breed of chip. They taste a little different than regular yellow corn chips, but the taste is not so foreign that you won't be able to appreciate them on your first try. They're a little bit more massive than regular chips, which makes them highly dippable. And I do tend to either choose flavored chips, or chips that work particularly well with salsa or queso of some kind. These chips fall into the latter category, although if you're one who appreciates tortilla chips by themselves with no fixins or sauces, I'm sure these would be a fine choice for you, as they possess a nice salty, nutty quality you might expect from the 3 aforementioned main ingredients.

The bag boasts that the chips are a good source of protein, omega 3 fatty acids, and fiber. All in all, they're a nice balance of wholesome grains, crunchy snackability, and good-for-you bonuses. Our dip of choice for these chips was Trader Joe's Taco Seasoned Beef, Bean, & Cheese Dip with salsa and sour cream.


The beef wasn't as prominent as I was hoping. While eating the dip, I was really only aware of beans, cheese, and some sour cream. The salsa and beef kind of failed to push through the mishmash of other ingredients. The flavor could have been bolder, especially for a product with "taco seasoned" in its title. It was slightly bland in a way, but certainly not terrible.

This particular chip & dip combo worked pretty well, since lesser chips may well have buckled under the weight of the multi-layer dip. Any flavored chips might have clashed with the taste of the dip...and since the dip was slightly wanting in the flavor department, it's conceivable that a flavored chip would have completely overshadowed the taste of the dip...which in my opinion, completely defeats the purpose of using a dip or salsa in the first place.

In conclusion, Trader Joe's Soy & Flaxseed Tortilla Chips are a lovely, crunchable, multi-grain experience. Sonia gives them a 4. I concur. Bottom line: 8 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Taco Seasoned Beef, Bean, & Cheese Dip is not the flavor-extravaganza I had hoped for, but its subtle taste and textures are enough to garner modest 3.5's from both Sonia and I. Bottom line: 7 out of 10.

4 comments:

  1. TJ's used to make a Spicy version of these chips, but dropped them. I would like to find out who makes these chips for TJ's, and see if the spicy version is still out there under a different label. Sometimes TJ's providers can be sleuthed out; for example the baker of their Corn Rye bread, or their European Style Whole Grain Bread (they dropped another version of that, as well, the Cranberry Hazelnut version, but the baker stopped making it). Of course, if one can find whatever they drop, under a different label, it will cost more than they sold it for. But if you like it well enough, might be worth it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amen brother. I was so pissed at TJ's for dropping these. Guess what, I just found a bag of "Veggie & Flaxseed Corn Tortilla Chips," which I put in quotes as the bag contains what appear to be the old Spicy Soy & Flaxseed chips! None of the three color veggie chips inside. Yes, they have the flax seeds, and look like the Spicy ones which we used to buy. This makes be think that the manufacturer is still making the spicy ones! If only we could learn who it is, so we could search for the labeling and sourcing of where these are going now, as they appear to still be in manufacture! I just bought these yesterday at the TJ's in Marina del Rey, CA.

      Delete
    2. The plain Soy & Flaxseeds chips are discontinued as of two weeks ago. They still carry a three color veggie version, w/ more carbs (beet extract?).

      Delete