Hello Fresh - Mozzarella Crusted Chicken

From this recipe, we would say the potatoes were the best part. They were easy to make and delicious. We will save the potato recipe to quickly make steak fries for burgers next time.
The chicken itself was just ok. It seems like that with the panko breading, the chicken would have been better off fried. The tomatoes were just sad. They were just squishy and weird. It was sort of like eating tomato sauce. Also, we did more than the three potatoes that came with the box, we love potatoes!

Here is the original recipe: https://www.hellofresh.com/recipes/de-mozzarella-crusted-chicken-56a6d3a44dab711e218b4567

Plated

Mozzarella crusted chicken

Potatoes & tomatoes

Ingredients:

12 ounce Chicken Breast
0.5 ounce Basil
2 ounce Mozzarella Cheese (Milk)
2  Roma Tomato
2 cloves Garlic
0.5 cup Panko (Wheat)
1 teaspoon Paprika
12 ounces Yukon Potatoes
1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
Salt
Pepper
5 teaspoons Olive Oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the potatoes into ½-inch wedges. Core and quarter the tomatoes. Mince the garlic.
2. Toss the potatoes on one side of a foil-lined baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. On the other side of the baking sheet, toss the tomatoes with a drizzle of olive oil, the garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Place in the oven for 25-30 minutes, tossing halfway through, until the potatoes are crispy and the tomatoes have shriveled.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the panko, oregano, paprika, mozzarella, a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Place the chicken breasts onto another lightly oiled baking sheet. Season the chicken breasts on all sides with salt and pepper, then rub with a drizzle of olive oil. Press the panko mixture onto the top of each chicken breast, firmly pressing with your palm to adhere. Pile the topping as high as possible, however you may have some leftover.
4. Place the chicken in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until cooked through and the topping is golden brown.
5. Thinly slice the basil leaves. Serve the mozzarella-crusted chicken with the potato wedges and garlic-roasted tomatoes alongside. Sprinkle with basil and enjoy!

What we liked:

The potatoes were the best part

What we didn't like:

The tomatoes were not very good. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

Again, he did not find this meal appealing. Astrid loved the potatoes. 

Next time:

Keep the potato wedge recipe only. 

Hello Fresh - Stir Fired Beef and Broccoli

First off, this is definitely not what you would get in a Chinese restaurant. This is more of an Americanized version of the dish. It's good, but definitely not very authentic. The meat and sauce were just not quite right. It was good, just not very Asian, as you would expect from it's name. We used sesame oil instead of vegetable since we had it on hand. We also did not put sriracha in our dish.

Here is the original recipe: https://www.hellofresh.com/recipes/rapid-stir-fried-beef-5845b40b2e69d7259304d962/?back=/recipe/all

Served

View from the side 

All ready!

Noodle time

Onions, ginger and garlic

Broccoli

What came in the box!

Ingredients:

12 ounce Beef Sirloin Tips
2 Scallions
2 cloves Garlic
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
1 thumb Ginger
16 ounce Yakisoba Noodles (Wheat, Egg, Soy)
Ketchup
4 tablespoons Soy Sauce (Soy)
Hoisin Sauce Jar (Soy)
8 ounces Broccoli
1 tablespoon Sesame Oil
1 teaspoon Sriracha
4 teaspoon Vegetable Oil
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

1. Wash and dry all produce. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Trim and thinly slice scallions. Mince or grate garlic. Peel and mince ginger. Whisk together sesame oil, 1 TBSP ketchup, soy sauce, 1½ TBSP hoisin sauce, and 1 TBSP water in a small bowl.
2. Add broccoli to boiling water and cook until tender but still crisp, 3-4 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
3. Toss steak tips with cornstarch in a large bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper. Heat a large drizzle of oil in a large pan over high heat. (TIP: If you have a nonstick pan, break it out.) Toss in steak tips and cook to desired doneness, 3-4 minutes. Remove and set aside.
4. Heat a drizzle of oil in same pan over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, and scallions and cook until fragrant, 1 minute, tossing. Toss in half the noodles from the package (we sent more) and a drizzle of oil. Break up noodles until they no longer stick together, using tongs or two wooden spoons.
5. Pour in 1 cup water, cover, and steam until noodles are tender, 3 minutes. (TIP: If your pan doesn’t have a lid, carefully cover it with aluminum foil.) Uncover, increase heat to medium-high, and toss until noodles are tender, 3-4 minutes. Add sauce and toss to coat. Cook until sauce is thickened, 1 minute.
6. Toss broccoli and steak into noodles to warm through. Season with as much sriracha as you like (careful, it’s spicy). Season with salt and pepper. Divide between plates and serve.

What we liked:

It was interesting to try the new recipe.

What we didn't like:

It was not what one would expect from a beef and broccoli dish. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He was too suspicious of it to try it. Chicken nuggets were more his forte that night. Astrid, however, loved the noodles. 

Next time:

Try a different recipe 

Hello Fresh - Citrus Skillet Shrimp

So, Hello Fresh sent us a deal we couldn't really turn down. $19 for 3 meals for 2? That's less than our grocery store trip. So, we agreed to it. As last time, there were some things we liked from the recipes and others we didn't. The quality of ingredients was disappointing again. And, definitely definitely have your own ginger on hand since the one they send is a little suspicious.
This recipe turned out really good, the shrimp and citrus went excellent together. However, the olives do not go with it at all. We would recommend you avoid that ingredient in there.
When first frying the onions and peppers it looks like there is a whole lot, but it condenses down quite a bit. We supplemented with our own shrimp as we had a guest over for dinner, so the pictures show more shrimp than what they would normally send.

Original recipe: https://www.hellofresh.com/recipes/citrus-skillet-shrimp-5845b5218e8c6124d60c4d13/?back=/recipe/all

Served

Shrimp & onions & pepper

Onion and pepper mixture

Prepped ingredients

Ingredients for this box

citrus skillet shrimp box

Ingredients:

20 ounce Shrimp (Shellfish)
2  Poblano Pepper
2 Green Olives
2 Oranges
2 Red Onions
0.5 ounce Oregano
1 cup Basmati Rice
1 Lemon
4 cloves Garlic
4 tablespoon Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

1. Wash and dry all produce. Bring 1 cup water and a pinch of salt to a boil in a small pot. Once boiling, add rice, cover, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until tender, 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and keep covered.
2. Halve, peel, and thinly slice onion. Halve poblano lengthwise and remove the core and white ribs. Cut crosswise into thin strips. Thinly slice garlic and green olives. Zest, halve, and juice orange and lemon into a small bowl. Pick oregano leaves from stems and roughly chop. Discard stems.
3. Heat 1 TBSP olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add poblano and onion and cook until softened and slightly charred, about 5 minutes, tossing occasionally.
4. Add garlic, olives, oregano, and half the citrus juice to pan. Reduce heat to medium and cook until fragrant, 2-3 minutes, tossing.
5. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Add to pan with 1 TBSP olive oil. Cook until pink and just firm, 3-5 minutes, tossing occasionally. Pour in remaining juice, along with 1 tsp orange zest and 1 tsp lemon zest. Toss and season with salt and pepper.
6. Fluff rice with a fork. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and remaining citrus zest. Divide rice between plates and top with shrimp and its sauce.

What we liked:

The shrimp and sauce was good

What we didn't like:

The olives did not belong in this recipe. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He and Astrid both liked chicken nuggets much more. 

Next time:

No olives

HelloFresh: Protein Packed Rice Bowl Disaster

This was one of the worst dishes we have made. This is especially bad since it was handpicked by hellofresh. Let's start with the fact that the veggies were SAD. The carrots, which normally have a pretty long shelf life were super squishy and soft. The green beans were close to the end of their life span and the ginger was pretty much rotten. We had to use our own for that. Not something you should have to do in a fancy delivered box meal. The scallions were also very wilted and barely usable.
The whole bowl was non-harmonious, and kind of tasted like Hello Fresh's "kitchen sink" dish where they just wanted to ship the remainders of all random odds and ends of recipes and get rid of them in one dish.
We actually ended up not eating this, after taking a few bites we decided to go out and get some burgers. That is how bad it was.

Here is the original recipe: https://www.hellofresh.com/recipe/detail/581c9d63c726284d2c2f7ff2/protein-packed-rice-bowl-with-cashews-sesame-and-green-beans/

Finished bowl

Chopped veggies and our own ginger

black spots/ bad ginger

what came in our box

Ingredients:

0.75 cup Brown Rice
1 Carrot
1/2 can Corn
2  Scallions
1 thumb Ginger
2 cloves Garlic
6 ounces Green Beans
1 ounce Cashew Pieces (Tree Nuts)
1 tablespoon Sesame Seeds
4 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (Soy)
Salt
Pepper
1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Directions:

1. Wash and dry all produce. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add rice and cook until tender, 20-25 minutes. Drain.
2. Place cashews on a baking sheet, and toast in oven until fragrant, about 5 minutes. (TIP: Keep an eye on these so they don’t burn!) Remove from sheet and set aside.
3. Peel and finely dice carrot. Trim and cut green beans into 1-inch pieces. Thinly slice scallions, keeping greens and whites separate. Mince garlic. Peel and finely mince or grate ginger. Drain half of corn.
4. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add carrots and toss until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add green beans and corn, and toss until green beans are crisp-tender, 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and set aside.
5. Heat a large drizzle of oil in same pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger. Cook 1 minute, until fragrant. Add cooked rice and toss until slightly crispy, 2-3 minutes. Add cooked veggies, soy sauce, and scallion whites. Toss another 1-2 minutes.
6. Divide rice between bowls. Sprinkle with cashews, sesame seeds, and scallion greens.

What we liked:

It smelled good.... but that's about it. 

What we didn't like:

EVERYTHING. This was a terrible recipe. 

What Kaspian and Astrid thought about it:

Astrid liked the left over corn in the can, Kaspian did not want to eat this either. 

Next time:

Do not make this. 

HelloFresh: Pistachio Crusted Chicken over Couscous with Jalapeno Salsa

This was our third recipe from Hello Fresh that we made on Sunday night. The chicken was really good and we definitely want to save the chicken recipe for a use later on. We bought some pistachios yesterday to do just that in the near future! However, the couscous was okay but PRIOR to the addition of the sherry. The jalapeno salsa was not very good and did not go very well with this meal at all. Also, the veggies that we received in this box and the following box were pretty sad. The cucumber was getting pretty squishy, and at this point has only been in our fridge for 3 days,so really shouldn't have been to that point. The tomato was also starting to look pretty sad, as well as the jalapeno.

Pistachio Crusted Chicken over Couscous with Jalapeno Salsa

Yummy chicken!

Out of the oven!

Couscous

Jalapeno salsa/sald

Chicken ready to bake

What came in our box for this recipe

Here is the original recipe: https://www.hellofresh.com/recipe/detail/577280e6b2baaf3a0c8b4567/pistachio-crusted-chicken-with-quinoa-and-chopped-cucumber-jalapeno-salad/

Ingredients:

12 oz chicken breast
1 jalepeno
1 small cucumber
1 lime
1/2 shallot
0.5 cup Quinoa
2 tablespoon Sherry Vinegar
0.25 ounce Mint
1 Roma Tomato
2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 ounce Pistachios
1 packet Vegetable Stock Concentrate
Salt
Pepper
1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place stock concentrate, quinoa, 1 cup water, and a pinch of salt in a small pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer until tender, 15-20 minutes.
2. Wash and dry all produce. Shell and roughly chop pistachios. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel, and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Evenly spread a thin layer of mustard on top of chicken. Press pistachios into mustard. Bake until no longer pink in center, about 20 minutes.
3. While chicken cooks, dice cucumber and tomato. Chop mint leaves, saving 1 TBSP for garnish. Halve, peel, and finely dice 2 TBSP shallot. Zest and halve lime. Dice jalapeño, removing ribs and seeds for less heat. Combine everything in a medium bowl. Toss with a squeeze of lime and drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
4. When chicken is cooked through, remove from oven and rest 3 minutes before thinly slicing.
5. When quinoa is ready, fluff with a fork and season with salt and pepper. Stir in a drizzle of sherry vinegar and drizzle of olive oil (to taste).
6. Serve pistachio-crusted chicken on a bed of quinoa. Spoon cucumber jalapeño salad on top and garnish with reserved mint.

What we liked:

The chicken was great!

What we didn't like:

The salsa and the sherry addition to the couscous

What Kaspian and Astrid thought about it:

Kaspian liked the couscous, plain. Astrid went crazy for the cucumbers and tomatoes and made us pick them out of the salsa that we were not eating anyways. She at them ALL. 

Next time:

Keep the chicken, make couscous without sherry and do not make the salad. 

HelloFresh: Cod Over Couscous with Citrus Dill Slaw

Hello Fresh had a deal for black friday, so we opted to try again for one week. Easy meals, with all directions delivered. We tried it about a year ago for a couple of weeks and enjoyed trying pre-picked recipes. It seems that now the recipes are a little simpler than they were last year.

The fish came out a little rubbery and could have been made better if cooked with butter and on a lower heat. The slaw came out shockingly good. It seemed like an unlikely combination of ingredients, but it was wonderful. The couscous was also okay.

Here is the original recipe: https://www.hellofresh.com/recipe/detail/581c99e04cdfb562b1320932/catch-of-the-day-cod-over-couscous-with-citrus-dill-slaw/

Cod with couscous and citrus dill slaw

cod frying

Citrus Dill Slaw

All ingredients cut up

Items in our box!

In the box!

Ingredients:

1 Orange
1 Lemon
3 Scallions
0.25 oz Dill
2 tbsp Capers
2 cups Shredded Red Cabbage
2 tbsp Sherry Vinegar
1 packet Veggie Stock Concentrate
3/4 cup Whole Wheat Couscous (Contains: Wheat)
12 oz Cod Fillets (Contains: Fish)

Directions:

1. Wash and dry all produce. Peel and slice orange end-to end into rounds. Cut each round into quarters. Alternatively, peel orange and dice segments. Halve lemon. Thinly slice scallions, keeping greens and whites separate. Coarsely chop dill. Drain capers.
2. Make the slaw. Toss cabbage in a large bowl with oranges, scallion greens, dill, capers, sherry vinegar, and a large drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Make couscous. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add scallion whites and toss until softened, 2-3 minutes. Add 1 cup water and stock concentrate, and bring to a
boil. Add couscous, cover, and remove from heat.
4. Sear the cod.  Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large nonstick pan over high heat. Pat cod dry with a
paper towel, and season on all sides with salt and pepper. Sear cod until flaky and opaque, 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside. TIP: Flip cod carefully—it’s very delicate!
5. Make lemon-butter sauce.  Add 1 TBSP butter to same pan over medium-high heat. Once
melted, add a squeeze of lemon (to taste). Season with salt and pepper.
6. Serve. Fluff couscous with a fork, and season with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon. Divide
between plates. Place cod on top, and drizzle with lemon butter sauce. Serve slaw on the side.

What we liked:

It was fun to try the new recipe. The slaw was surprisingly good!!!

What we didn't like:

The fish could have been significantly better if prepared a little bit differently. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He did not care for this fancy dish. 

Next time:

Definitely make the slaw, do not make the fish following the recipe.