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Wednesday, September 20, 2023

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!

2 comments:

  1. I don't love grocery shopping or meal planning, so I do love Purple Carrot! I'm careful to get the box inside and in the fridge as soon as it is delivered. I wonder if your box got a little too warm sitting outside. The heat this summer has been rough. I also had the black pepper tofu this week. I love the spicy, but my husband not so much.

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  2. Thanks for this review. I never understood the draw for these subscriptions if you still needed to cook the food! Your write up explains this well. Glad you got to try it for a week. - Sri.

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