You have the best of intentions. You'd like to make something more exotic, and more healthful, for dinner than spaghetti, Hamburger Helper or Southern fried chicken. But time and money never seem to cooperate, and even if you've heard of farro or fennel, you wouldn't know where to look for the stuff.
Ah, you must not have heard of meal-kit delivery services ... companies that, via Internet subscriptions, deliver refrigerated boxes of fresh, ready-to-cook ingredients for budget-minded meals prepared quickly and, as Judith Winfrey, president of Atlanta-based PeachDish puts it, "in your slippers." Gourmet meals, such as Lamb Chops With Pearl Couscous and Snap Peas. Sauteed Trout Filet Topped with Apple Mostardo and Garlicky Collard Greens. Lemongrass Chicken with Mediterranean Couscous. The beauty of it all? Someone else has done the shopping, ingredient measuring and calorie counting, and provided the recipe ... for as little as $10-$15 per meal.
"We help home cooks discover new ingredients and recipes that they've never tried before," says Nick Taranto, co-founder of 2-year-old, New York-based Plated (Plated.com). "We eliminate waste by shipping ingredients in the exact quantities required for a recipe; if you need 1/4 teaspoon cumin or one sprig of thyme, we'll send you exactly that, as opposed to the entire jar or bunch" -- no food or money wasted.
Each week, companies like Plated, PeachDish, Hello Fresh and Blue Apron offer a choice of meal kits for two or more people, containing ingredients you may not find in your neighborhood supermarket. Meals for two, four or six people are overnighted to customers weekly, coordinated by geographic location. Subscriptions, membership rules and meal-quantity packages vary by company. Plated, PeachDish, and Hello Fresh deliver all over the state; Blue Apron delivers in most of eastern and central Arkansas, and part of western Arkansas.
Recently, Plated partnered with Time Inc. to create custom-branded meal kits featuring recipes from Real Simple magazine. Among the meals were Pan-Roasted Chicken Thighs With Bulgur, Raisins and Pine Nuts and Cheese Ravioli With Kale Pesto and Roasted Carrots. Sarah Copeland, food director for Real Simple, said this collaboration came about because "we get so much amazing feedback from our readers and we really try to listen to them [to find out] what their struggles are." (Plated will do the same for recipes from Cooking Light magazine's "Start Your Year Off Light" feature in its January/February 2015 issue. Meal kits may be ordered in December.)
PeachDish, founded by Hadi Irvani, is just over a year old and, Winfrey explains, features meals with a "Southern accent."
"We love the new cuisine of the South and we're really trying to celebrate that and feature it every week, whether it's fish and grits or whether it's grouper chowder," she says.
These companies stand to play a significant role toward tackling not just meal monotony but more serious problems, such as obesity.
"We're encouraging healthy eating habits by getting people to reconnect with their food once again and by creating well-rounded recipes that include plenty of veggies and fruits essential to a healthy diet," Taranto says.
Here are recipes for several recent meals offered by PeachDish and Plated.
Pan Seared Flounder With Summer Squash and Orzo
Included in the kit:
½ cup orzo
2 (6-ounce) skinless flounder filets
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium or 2 small summer squash, sliced ¼ inch thick
2 small shallots, sliced
1 teaspoon lemon zest (see note)
Juice of ½ lemon
6 to 8 leaves fresh basil
Not included:
Salt and black pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons olive oil
In a large saucepan over high heat, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add the orzo pasta and a generous pinch of salt and cook until al dente (still firm when bitten), about 7 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water and transfer to a medium bowl.
Meanwhile, rinse and pat dry flounder and season on both sides with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heat the butter in a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat just until melted. Add the squash and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the shallots and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until squash is just tender. Remove to the bowl with the orzo, toss to combine and keep warm.
Add the olive oil to the pan and heat until shimmering. Add the flounder and cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Turn the flounder over and continue to cook just until cooked through and opaque, about 1 minute. Add the lemon zest, juice, and basil leaves to the squash and orzo and toss to combine. Divide between two plates and top with the fish. Serve immediately.
Makes 2 servings.
Note: We didn't quite do our homework on the lemon zest. Thinking it had been omitted, we substituted lemon and pepper seasoning (with tasty results). But it was only later that we realized that we could have obtained "zest" from the included lemon by scraping or cutting from its outer skin.
Recipe from PeachDish
Chicken Breasts Stuffed With Herbed Goat Cheese and Piccolo Farroto With Tomatoes and Green Bean Salad
Included in the kit:
2 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 (3-to 4-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets
2 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup piccolo farro
1 cup chicken broth or stock
1/2 cup cherry or Sun Gold tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Not included:
2 teaspoons PLUS 2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the goat cheese, basil and garlic. Lay the cutlets on a flat surface and divide the goat cheese mixture between the chicken breasts. Using a small spatula or the back of a spoon, evenly spread the mixture to within 1/2-inch of the edge all around. Tightly roll up each cutlet to form a log. Brush each chicken bundle on all sides with the olive oil. Place the panko breadcrumbs in a small pie pan or other shallow dish and roll the chicken in the breadcrumbs to coat well. Place the chicken, seam side down, on a parchment-lined baking sheet pan (parchment included).
Bake until just cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. If the breadcrumbs are not browned after 20 minutes, change heat setting to broil and continue to cook until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for 3 to 4 minutes before slicing on the bias and serving.
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the farro salad. Rinse the farro under cold water, place in a saucepan with the chicken stock, and set over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover sauce pan, and cook 15 to 20 minutes or until the farro is tender.
Meanwhile, place 2 quarts of water and a generous pinch of salt in a saucepan, place over high heat, and bring to a boil. Add the green beans and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until just tender. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the tomatoes, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and olive oil and toss to combine. Once the farro is tender, drain any remaining water and then add to beans and tomatoes. Toss to combine and serve immediately with chicken breasts stuffed with herbed goat cheese.
Makes 2 servings.
Note: The cutlets may prove a challenge to roll appropriately. And we didn't find the parchment paper in the kit, so we substituted foil. Nevertheless, the meal was delicious.
Recipe from PeachDish
Pollock and Corn Chowder With Saffron and Scallions
Included in the kit:
2 green onions, divided use
12 ounces russet potatoes
2 filets pollock
2 packets butter
1 pinch saffron
1 teaspoon vegetable base
1 cup corn
½ cup half-and-half
Not included:
Kosher salt and pepper
Rinse green onions, trim and discard roots, and thinly slice, keeping white and light green parts separate from dark green parts. Rinse potatoes and cut into 1/4-inch cubes. Rinse pollock and pat dry with paper towel.
Heat butter in a large pot over medium heat. When butter is foamy, add green onion whites and light green parts and saffron. Cook until soft, about 2 minutes.
Add vegetable base and 3 cups water to green onions in pot and stir to combine. Add potatoes, cover, and increase heat to high. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer, still covered, until potatoes are tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Uncover pot and add corn and half-and-half. Stir to combine. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Season pollock on both sides with salt and pepper. Add to chowder in pot and nestle into broth. Cover pot and simmer until pollock is opaque and flakes easily, 2 to 4 minutes. Using a fork, gently break pollock into large pieces.
Divide chowder evenly between 2 bowls and garnish with remaining green onion. Serve hot.
Makes 2 servings.
Note: We found that the chowder actually served more than two. We finished it after several helpings apiece.
Recipe from Plated and Real Simple
Food on 10/01/2014