Purple Carrot Fun!

My friend Melissa recently moved from Memphis to Florida, and she didn't get her address changed on her Purple Carrot subscription in time. So last week, a box was delivered to her old house, and she told me I could have it. So I drove by her empty house and stole it off the porch! I've never subscribed to a meal delivery service, so this was fun.

Here's a peek inside the box.

The first thing I tried was the Spicy Southwest Mac. This had cavatappi pasta, vegan shreds, Miyoko butter, onion, roasted red peppers, and pickled jalepenos with a pepita-nooch topping. This was SO good. I always forget how much I love cavatappi pasta, and the creamy, cheesy roux was perfect.

A couple complaints: The onion was rotten (luckily, I had plenty in the pantry), and the garlic was missing. Now, I'm not really complaining because it was free, but before I realized these two flaws, I thought I might consider subscribing. But considering the cost, those two things would be dealbreakers. And there was another big flaw, which I'll get to later. 

I served the pasta with charred broccoli and some Morningstar Farms Pringles Chick'n Fries.

Next up, I tried the Charred Corn Salad. I rarely deviate from the traditional green salad with whatever veggies I have on-hand. But I really loved the intentionality of these ingredients: charred corn and zucchini, shallot vinaigrette, avocado, cashews, dried chiles, and vegan tzatziki. A great salad!

But the mixed greens that came with the box went bad by the second day they were in the fridge. So I went out and bought fresh mixed greens at the grocery store. Another strike against me ever subscribing.

Finally, I made the Black Pepper Tofu dish a couple nights ago. And this was perfect. Spicy, cornstarch-coated tofu with scallions and celery, served over brown rice with a side of sauteed gai lan. No complaints here at all, and the ingredients stayed fresh. I especially loved the Hodo extra-firm tofu that came in the box. No pressing needed!

Overall, the meals were fantastic. And I'm glad the box came with a recipe book with extra recipes because I'm convinced the chefs who develop Purple Carrot know what they're doing. The only complaint was the freshness of the produce. If I was someone who hated grocery shopping and meal planning, I might still subscribe, even despite the produce issues. But I really love doing those things, so I probably won't be. But this was still so much fun!