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    You are here: Home | Recipes | Salad

    Trader Joe's Spicy Peanut Cruciferous Crunch Salad

    Dec 7, 2022 by Faith VanderMolen

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Speckled with spicy, candied pecans and coated in creamy peanut dressing, this 4 Ingredient Trader Joe's Spicy Peanut Cruciferous Crunch Salad is one of the best salads you'll ever eat! Plus it takes no time at all to prepare!

    Trader Joe's cruciferous crunch salad with candied pecans and tart cranberries
    Jump To
    • Also Featured In
    • Ingredients You Need for Trader Joe's Spicy Peanut Cruciferous Crunch Salad
    • How to Make an Epic Trader Joe's Cruciferous Crunch Salad
    • What If I Don't Live Near a Trader Joe's?
    • What to Pair with TJ's Cruciferous Crunch Salad
    • More Easy Trader Joe's Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Trader Joe's Spicy Peanut Cruciferous Salad

    Also Featured In

    This recipe is also featured in the following vegan recipe roundups:

    • Vegan 4th of July Recipes
    • Vegan Summer Recipes

    I think any one who has entered a Trader Joe's grocery store has immediately fallen in love.

    At least that was the case for me!

    I mean, what's not to love about Trader Joe's?

    TJ's has so many fun, delicious pre-made foods.

    Plus, Trader Joe's often makes healthier versions of some of people's favorite snacks like popcorn, nacho cheese sauce, etc.

    But the main reason I love Trader Joe's is that you can create an absolutely amazing side dish just by combining 2-4 of their products.

    For example, today's Spicy Peanut Cruciferous Crunch Salad uses just 4 of their ingredients, takes about 5 minutes to prepare and tastes gormet!

    Let me show you how to make it!

    a collage of 4 Trader Joe's ingredients including cruciferous crunch, spicy peanut vinaigrette, sweet and spicy pecans and dried cranberries

    Ingredients You Need for Trader Joe's Spicy Peanut Cruciferous Crunch Salad

    Like I mentioned, you only 4 Trader Joe's ingredients to whip up this epic cruciferous salad.

    I'll list them out below:

    • 1 bag Cruciferous Crunch Collection
    • 1 jar Asian Style Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette
    • 1 bag Sweet and Spicy Pecans
    • 1 bag Dried Cranberries

    Now you won't use the entire contents of each of these bags, but the amount of dressing and toppings you add is completely up to you.

    I could honestly eat this entire Trader Joe's Spicy Peanut Cruciferous Salad all to myself...it's that good.

    Cruciferous vegetables (think broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, etc.) are SO good for you and this salad makes it fun to eat them.

    The Spicy Asian Peanut Vinaigrette and the Sweet and Spicy Pecans definitely give this salad a lively punch,

    Then, the dried, sweet cranberries help balance everything out.

    How to Make an Epic Trader Joe's Cruciferous Crunch Salad

    There are so many different textures present in this simple 4-ingredient Trader Joe's Salad and it's perfect for hosting as it comes together in minutes.

    If you're serving a larger crowd or want leftovers (which taste amazing if I do say so myself), you can easily doubled or tripled this recipe

    To make this Trader Joe's Asian Crunch Salad all you have to do is:

    1. Pour the contents of the Cruciferous Crunch Collection into a large mixing bowl.
    2. Drizzle over the Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette to taste. Toss the veggies well in the dressing so that every piece is well coated.
    3. Just before serving, sprinkle over a hearty serving of the Sweet and Spicy Pecans and the Dried Cranberries. Toss briefly to combine.
    4. Serve and enjoy!
    Close up of the 4 ingredient Trader Joe's Spicy Peanut Cruciferous Salad

    What If I Don't Live Near a Trader Joe's?

    If you don't live near a Trader Joe's, don't worry!

    You can always use this cruciferous crunch recipe as a guideline and find the most similar ingredients at your local grocery store.

    Most grocery stores have pre-chopped salad kits and it should be fairly easy to find one made with cruciferous veggies.

    As for the dressing, you could always try to make your own peanut vinaigrette at home, or just purchase a similar peanut or Asian dressing.

    I love the spicy, sweetness the pecans add to this salad, but any kind of seasoned, candied nut would work great!

    Dried fruit is also easy to find at your local grocery store. However, I definitely recommend choosing a dried fruit that is more tart.

    What to Pair with TJ's Cruciferous Crunch Salad

    This Cruciferous Crunch Salad makes the perfect side dish for any occasion in my opinion!

    Whatever you like to serve salad with can be served with this easy, 4 ingredient Trader Joe's Salad.

    Plus, it's so nice to not have to put a lot of effort into your side dish so that you can focus on the main dish!

    I'll share some of the recipes/main dishes I love to serve this cruciferous salad with below:

    • Hearty Vegan Lentil Sloppy Joes
    • Easy Vegan Mac & Cheese
    • One-Pot Vegan Curried Ramen
    • Vegan Tofu Banh Mi Sandwiches
    • Sweet and Sour Tofu with Coconut Rice

    More Easy Trader Joe's Recipes

    I don't have a ton of Trader Joe's recipes on my blog, but the ones I do are super easy to make and taste amazing!

    Hopefully you can try them all out!

    • 2 Ingredient Lentil Bruschetta Dip
    • 4 Ingredient Italian White Bean Pasta Salad

    Come to think of it, both of the recipes above would pair well with this cruciferous salad to make an, easy balanced meal for hosting!

    Trader joe's cruciferous crunch salad paired with a baked sweet potato on a plate

    📖 Recipe

    Trader Joe's Spicy Peanut Cruciferous Salad top view

    Trader Joe's Spicy Peanut Cruciferous Salad

    Faith VanderMolen
    Speckled with spicy pecans and coated in creamy peanut dressing, this Trader Joe's Spicy Peanut Cruciferous Salad is one of the best salads you'll ever eat!
    4.50 from 8 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 10 minutes mins
    Course Salad
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 75 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1-2 bags Trader Joe's Cruciferous Crunch Collection
    • 1 jar Trader Joe's Asian Style Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette
    • 1 bag Trader Joe's Sweet and Spicy Pecans
    • 1 bag Trader Joe's Dried Cranberries

    Instructions 

    • Pour the entire bag (or two) of cruciferous crunch collection into a large salad bowl. I bag will feed about 4 people, while 2 bags will feed about 8.
    • Drizzle the asian style spicy peanut vinaigrette over the top of the salad mix and toss to coat everything well. You can even use clean hands to massage the dressing into the salad to help break down the toughness of the leaves and ensure all the greens are thoroughly coated withe dressing. If you are using 1 bag of mix, about ½ of the vinaigrette should be plenty. If using two bags, you may end up using the entire jar. Add the dressing to taste!
    • After the salad is coated in the dressing, sprinkle on the spicy pecans and dried cranberries, adding as much or as little as you like.
    • Serve immediately and enjoy!

    Notes

    Use any sort of salad mix and jarred dressing you like - this is mainly a framework to give you a starting point.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 75kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 2gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 223mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7g
    Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

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    Comments

    1. Sandi says

      June 28, 2019 at 9:07 pm

      Thanks for this. I plan to make this for a party on Sunday. Where are your other simple Trader Joe’s recipes? Thank you!!

      Reply
      • Faith says

        June 30, 2019 at 8:36 pm

        Hi Sandi! I hope you like this salad. We love it! I started this TJ series and then decided to move back to Asia so didn’t get very far unfortunately. I think I only posted this recipe, the lentil bruschetta dip and the Italian pasta salad!

        Reply
    2. Erin says

      July 29, 2018 at 6:40 pm

      One of my favorite TJ's combos (recommended by my vegan boss): TJ's banana bread mix following the recipe as usual except replacing eggs with 1 cup of TJ's flaxseed meal (1 cup meal/2 eggs). The box mix is vegan, and the flaxseed meal gets rid of the need for eggs. Dump everything in a bowl, add your own mix-ins (mine is a smashed banana, maybe some choc chips), bake and enjoy. It's a treat. I think you can do this with TJ's cornbread mix too.

      Reply
      • Faith says

        July 29, 2018 at 8:03 pm

        Oh wow! That sounds amazing Erin! I'll have to keep an eye out for that mix next time. Thanks for sharing!

        Reply
    3. oscar says

      May 08, 2018 at 1:18 pm

      Nope. No Trader Joe's in Europe although German roots. No spicy peanut sauce either. Aldi's is here, but it is a bit of a dive.

      Reply
      • Faith says

        May 10, 2018 at 10:36 am

        Hopefully TJ's will return to it's roots and open up stores in Germany and the rest of Europe soon! They're products are awesome:) Sorry this recipe doesn't help you much Oscar!

        Reply
    4.50 from 8 votes (8 ratings without comment)

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