Two places you must visit on crazy Route 17 in Paramus

A delicious Harvest Salad at the Suburban Diner on Route 17 in Paramus is served with a small bowl of soup, below.

Manhattan Clam Chowder.

Editor's note: Traffic seems to be building as Thanksgiving approaches, but I managed to make four stops for lunch or food shopping on Friday and Saturday.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

New Jersey specializes in highways lined with entrances and exits to restaurants, stores and malls, ensuring drivers several heart-stopping moments on every trip.

But two good reasons to venture out on Route 17 in northern New Jersey are the Suburban Diner and Trader Joe's -- in that order.

On Friday, I met a friend at the diner for a heart-healthy lunch before we drove up to Trader Joe's, which, like every food store, shouldn't be visited on an empty stomach.

At the diner, I ordered a special of Harvest Salad, which came with a cup of soup ($11.95).

Fresh spinach was the foundation for roasted butternut squash, pear sections, crumbled blue cheese and dried cranberries, with, at my request, a creamy pear vinaigrette dressing on the side.

Refreshing and delicious, though the pear could have been riper.

Suburban Diner, 172 Route 17 north, Paramus; 1-201-261-2605.

I roasted Brussels Sprouts from Trader Joe's with extra-virgin olive oil and sea salt, adding grated Pecorino Romano Cheese, red-pepper flakes and black pepper after I removed the pan from the oven.

Shopping frenzy

We thought the diner was busy, but when we got to Trader Joe's, the crowd of shoppers seemed even bigger.

But I didn't have to wait to check out. 

According to my receipts, I drove to Trader Joe's, shopped and checked out in 16 minutes.

I bought a large stalk of Brussels Sprouts ($2.99); two 64-ounce bottles of low-sodium Garden Patch, which is 100% vegetable juice ($3.49 each); and two 2-pound bags of sweet potatoes ($1.69 each).

For the meat eaters in the family, I picked up two packages of antibiotic- and nitrite-free bacon ($5.49 each); uncured, antibiotic-free beef hot dogs and jumbo hot dogs ($4.99 each).

A 4-pack of Organic Apple Sauce with Cinnamon was $1.99.

Trader Joe's, 404 Route 17 north, Paramus; 1-201-265-9624.

A 3-liter tin of Corrado's Extra Virgin Olive Oil was $23.99 on Saturday -- $10 more than the same quantity of EVOO at Fattal's in Paterson.

Stocking up on EVOO

After hearing about the poor olive harvests in Spain and Italy, and possible higher prices for extra-virgin olive oil, I drove to Fattal's in Paterson on Saturday.

I picked up three 3-liter bottles of Al Defah Extra Virgin Olive Oil for $13.99 each, adding them to the two I had at home.

I also picked up Fattal's Mini Meat Pies ($8.99), and a package of crushed dried mint ($6.99 a pound).

The EVOO in the Al Defah bottles is said to be from Palestine, and I've been using it for months in salads and cooking.

After visiting Fatal's, I crossed the border into Clifton to shop at Corrado's, a big, ethnic supermarket that once was the low-price leader.

But the prices for most produce, imported whole-wheat pasta, dried cod from China and Canada, and extra-virgin olive oil were higher than at the other stores I patronize regularly.

The only real bargain I saw were bananas for 39 cents a pound.

I didn't buy anything, and I don't think that has ever happened before on my infrequent visits to Corrado's.

Fattal's, 975-79 Main St., Paterson; 1-973-742-7125. Open 7 days, parking lot.

Corrado's Family Affair, 1578 Main Ave., Clifton; 1-973-340-0628. Open 7 days, large parking lot.

Pomegranate seeds, Bob's Red Mill, Palestinian EVOO

Bob's Red Mill 10 Grain Hot Cereal topped with non-fat Greek yogurt, pomegranate seeds and Organic Blue Agave syrup.

I added pine nuts, hemp hearts and dried dates to my whole-grain cereal, which cooked in less than 10 minutes in a covered pot.

Editor's note: Today, I discuss a great hot cereal to warm you in chilly weather, pomegranate seeds, a visit to Fatal's in Paterson, "room for milk" at Starbucks and the annoying habit of Greek diners to charge more for extra spinach.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

With the return of cold weather, I sometimes take a break from eggs at breakfast and reach for Bob's Red Mill, a hot cereal. 

This morning, I added pine nuts, hemp hearts and dried dates to the 10 Grain Hot Cereal as it was cooking and once it was in the bowl, topped it with pomegranate seeds, non-fat Greek yogurt and Organic Blue Agave nectar.

Everything but the cereal came from Costco Wholesale in Hackensack.

I ate the cereal from a blue Miya of Japan bowl ($6.99), which I found at New King Fung Supermarket, 625 Kinderkamack Road, in River Edge.

My wife bought the large Pom-brand pomegranates, weighing a total of 8 pounds, for $14.99 on Nov. 4; removed the seeds from one of them and refrigerated them in a container.

I had three-quarters of a bag of Bob's Red Mill in my cupboard from last winter.

In reading the label, I saw refrigeration is recommended once the bag is opened.

Three cups of water, a little salt and 1 cup of Bob's Red Mill yield 2.5 cups of hot cereal.

Bob's Red Mill has other cereals besides 10 Grain, as well as an organic line. I bought mine at ShopRite.

Pomegranate seeds, Campari Tomatoes and two kinds of Italian cheese with an Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix salad, dressed in extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Za'atar and EVOO at Fatal's

On Wednesday, I drove to Fattal's in Paterson to replenish our supply of Al Shark Sardines in Tomato Sauce from Morocco (99 cents for a 4.38-ounce can).

I bought more than two dozen cans of the wild-caught fish, which is low in mercury.

We use the sardines, along with anchovies, in pasta sauce.

We also use canned sardines, with canned tuna and salmon, to make a salad with chopped onions, celery and apple, dressing them in Dijon mustard, lime juice and ground cumin.

Fattal's sells crushed red pepper by weight, but I could get only about a third of a pound before the store ran out ($6.99 a pound).

I use the mildly spicy pepper, which I refer to as Aleppo pepper, to accent eggs, fish and other dishes.

I bought packaged crushed red pepper from Turkey, but it contains salt. 

A package of za'atar thyme mixture from Jordan contains wheat, an ingredient I don't believe is found in the mixture Fattal's sells by weight.

Za'atar is good with bread dipped in olive oil, and sprinkled liberally over fresh tomato slices or omelets and other egg dishes.

The predominate taste is not thyme but sour sumac, as well as the crunch of sesame seeds.

I also picked up another 3-liter bottle of Al Defah Extra Virgin Olive Oil for a low $13.99 or only $4.66 a liter.

On the label, there is nothing in English on the origin of the oil, but one of the employees pointed out a Palestinian flag and said the oil is from Palestine.

Six store-made Spinach & Cheese Pies were $8.99.

On Saturday at Starbucks on 1st Avenue and 69th Street in Manhattan, I asked for a Tall cup of Veranda Blend with "a little room for milk." The young woman behind the counter said she would put my coffee in a larger, Grande cup, and leave room for milk, and she did, giving me a full cup of coffee.

On Thursday, I ordered a Greek omelet with feta cheese, spinach, onions and mushrooms at the River Edge Diner (516 Kinderkamack Road), and asked for extra spinach. I was charged more for what looked like frozen spinach ($8.75 or $9.60 with extra spinach). But at the suggestion of the waitress, I asked for the home fries well-done, and they were the best I've ever had.

Jersey peaches, mystery EVOO, H Mart specials and more

At the ShopRite in Paramus last week, I found two kinds of peaches in a box under a sign for Jersey grown fruit, above and below. The peach on top was labeled "Jersey Fruit," but the one underneath said, "Yellow Peach," "Sunny Slope" and "USA."

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Will the real Jersey Fresh peach please stand up?

New Jersey peaches, labeled "Jersey Fruit," finally arrived at the ShopRite in Paramus last week, but they didn't look that good, and they were mixed with other peaches whose origin was unclear.

I passed.

New Jersey blueberries I bought at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack also carried the "Jersey Fruit" designation on the label, supplementing the traditional phrase, "Jersey Fresh." 

The label on a 3-liter Al Defah bottle doesn't say where the extra-virgin olive oil comes from, at least not in English. I plan to call importer Mediterranean Expo LLC to find out.

Is this a stylized flag of the country where the oil was produced?

Mystery EVOO

Fattal's in Paterson has always been a reliable source for extra-virgin olive oils from Lebanon, Syria and other countries at good prices.

On Friday, I found a 3-liter bottle of Al Defah Extra Virgin Olive Oil for only $13.99 -- or about $4.66 a liter -- compared to $20 or more for 3 liters of EVOO from other sources.

The cashier said the price had recently gone up from $12.99.

The label describes it as "aromatic and extra smooth, first cold pressed."

The store, at 975-77 Main St. in Paterson, is open 7 days, and parking is free in its own lot.

The retail price of a 15-pound bag of California-grown  Kokuho Yellow Label Rice is $16.99, according to the sign I saw on Saturday at the H Mart in Fort Lee.

Retail price of rice is moving target

Depending on which H Mart you shop in, the retail price of Kokuho Yellow Label Rice from California is $14.99 to $16.99.

Why does that matter when this rice is always on sale at most of the Bergen County stores in the Korean supermarket chain?

The sales price has gone up a couple of dollars, attributed to a drought in California, and now the savings claimed is greater or smaller, depending on whether you buy the rice in Englewood, Little Ferry or Fort Lee.

Dinner leftovers for breakfast: Grilled wild sockeye salmon and whole-wheat pappardelle, both with pesto from Costco Wholesale, and Chinese broccoli from H Mart in Little Ferry.

I cooked the wild salmon from Costco Wholesale on a stove-top grill pan for 10 minutes, and it came out medium ($9.99 a pound). It only needs 2 minutes of reheating in a microwave.

Cooking ahead is the way to go

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but if you are in a rush, it's great to have plenty of leftovers in the refrigerator that can be plated and reheated quickly.

I cook large quantities for just this reason: 

Six pieces of grilled wild sockeye salmon, a pound of organic whole-wheat spaghetti, and a pound of greens, quickly blanched in boiling water and seasoned.

Another filling breakfast: An egg-white frittata with salted fish, sweet peppers and chopped garlic; whole-wheat spaghetti in a sauce made with garlic, diced tomatoes, salad greens, tomato sauce, red wine and chicken stock; and Chinese broccoli.

A 10-inch frittata made with egg whites, whole eggs, Campari tomatoes, two kinds of reduced-fat cheese and pesto. Most of the ingredients come from Costco Wholesale.