I love to cook…I really do.  I also enjoy dining out as well.  Sometimes I get to do both in the same day…smiles.  Then there are times when I don’t have time to do either…and I am glad that I had gone shopping and I had some amazing choices for something quick and wonderful.  I have had a few days like that recently where I have been stretched between a couple of active businesses, my book project, blogging, weekly articles, and social media fun. I had Trader Joe’s to thank for my latest vegan food find.

Every time that I go into Trader Joe’s it seems that they have a new vegan food item ready to come home with me.  They make it really easy by putting a nice little V on the front cover of the package.  There are a number of other items that are vegan that do not have the marking on them, but you just need to read the label of ingredients to see that they are.  Yet they have a growing number of packaged vegan items that are a meal in themselves for times like these.  I would not eat these every day, but it is not because they were not surprisingly delicious.

A Vegetable Pakora is an Indian falafel-type ball of wonderful made with potatoes, onions, chickpea flour, sweet potato, spinach, cilantro, garlic, and a variety of spices.  They come 10 to a package and could be shared as a side to another dish or consumed as meal by themselves.  The Pakoras come with a nice spicy sauce that you can dip them in but I also had some Red Pepper, Eggplant, and Garlic spread on hand (also from Trader Joe’s) that I  used for dipping.  You heat the Pakoras in the oven for about 20 minutes and they are ready to be enjoyed.  And enjoy them I did.  Between the two sauces I was just a dipping fool.  It was a great little meal that only amounted to about 375 calories for all of the Pakoras.  Trust me when I say that the next time I head to Trader Joe’s there will some more of these coming home with me. Pakora is one of my new favorite words.

Trader Joe’s

2101 S. Decatur

Las Vegas, NV. 89102

(702)367-0227

7575 W. Washington

Las Vegas, NV. 89128

2716 N. Green Valley Pkwy

Henderson, NV. 89014

(702)433-6773

10345 Eastern Ave.

Henderson, NV. 89052

(702)407-8673

Hours:  8:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. Daily