Have you ever done Purple Carrot or any meal delivery? I never have. Until now. A friend set me up with a trial week so I could try it out. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it, but I did. It was fun to have all of the ingredients ready to go and all I had to do was follow a recipe…
Each week comes with three meals/recipes. All of the ingredients are portioned out and packaged in their own bags. And then inside the bags, are more bags or bottles of smaller or other ingredients. I wasn’t happy with the packaging but apparently, they are working on a more eco friendly situation.
Anyway, when my friend sent me the email, I looked at that week’s menu and I was not into it so I waited for one that I knew I would want to eat. And the winner happened last week. The three meals were: Portobello Fajitas, Pasta Ratatouille and Sweet Potato Fritters.
The hardest part of this whole experiment was the fact that if I wanted to make these meals, I would actually have to follow the recipes. I am not good at following recipes, even my own, but I did for this project. Well, almost but I didn’t stray too far. I couldn’t because I only had the ingredients on hand.
Here is what I loved about this process. There are no leftovers, no food waste, and the cooking style was very similar to my own.
Here is what I didn’t love. The ingredients are not organic and it is really an expensive proposition, at $12 per meal, 2 meals in each bag that’s $24 per bag, which means $72 for all three meals. Think about it. For the sweet potato fritters, there is no way that a sweet potato, a can of beans, an onion, green beans, some raisins and hazelnuts, a little yogurt, lemon and vinegar could possibly cost $24. I get the convenience factor, but still.
The first meal I made was the Portobello Fajitas. These could not have been easier. But, the recipe did call for adding cooked red lentils which just didn’t make sense to me so I left them out. Other than that, these were tasty!
The second meal I made was the Pasta Ratatouille. I mean, they had me at freshly made pasta. Hello! If you have followed me for any length of time you know that pasta is my favorite food group. And this fresh pappardelle was such a treat! Of course, the recipe called for roasting the eggplant in the oven while the rest of the dish is made on the stovetop and I totally forgot to add it to the final dish. It was still delicious and by the time I realized the eggplant was still in the oven, it was way too late!
The last dish I made was the Sweet Potato Fritters. I have to admit, I was worried about this. I followed the steps exactly and it was not as overwhelming as I thought it was going to be.And that is the genius of this Purple Carrot thing, by the way.
I loved the whole combination of flavors and textures but instead of three little fritters per dish, I ended up having to make one big one because the shredded sweet potatoes were being held together with a little yogurt. No big deal, it was still tasty but I think I could make it better. (And I will and I am sure I will post it soon!)
Overall, I like the concept of Purple Carrot! While it is expensive, it is great for inspiration and for convenience. I don’t think I will order it every week going forward, but if I see an amazing menu, I’m in! Also, they post their recipes on their website, so if I am in need of inspiration, I am going to head right on over. If you try it, let me know what you think!