Blue Apron Round Up

Hey Guys!

So last week I got my Blue Apron delivery, I received the Hoisin-Glazed Chicken Meatballs, the Seared Steaks & Mashed Potatoes and the Huevos Rancheros. I'm really going to touch on the Meatballs and Steaks because the Huevos Rancheros really was nothing to write home about- it was one of the more disappointing dishes by them I've made to date.

Pictured below are the Hoisin-Glaezed Chicken Meatballs.. these were AWESOME!  The meatball itself had a flavorful combination of garlic, ginger, scallions, breadcrumbs, soy glaze, hoisin sauce and Sambal Oekek, which is a spicy blend of peppers.  These little puppies packed a huge punch and I absolutely loved them!  they were served over rice with zucchini.

The second dish was a Seard Steak with Mashed Potatoes, sauteed radishes and snap peas.  The mashed were really smooth and buttery and the sauce to add on top consised of butter, tarragon, lemon juice, and black pepper.  This was a safe and hearty dish.  Here it is!

Holy Guacamole!

Hey Guys!

Last night I was having a friend over for a drink and a catch up session and I wanted to make us something fresh to snack on but I wanted to keep it on the lighter and healthier side so I ran out to the store and picked up some fresh ingredients to make...dun, dun, dun....Guacamole!

Personally, I'm pretty particular about my Guac. I hate it when its too smooth and creamy and I am NOT a fan of cilantro.  I like it chunky but not too chunky. I'm going to give you a run down on how I make my Guac and I'm also going to recommend you try it because it's obviously the best guac ever!

Here's what you'll need for like 2-4 people (depending on how much you're looking to pig out)

• 2 Avocados (make sure they are ripe)
• 1 Lime
• 1 Plum Tomato
• Half of a Large Red Onion
• 1 Clove of Garlic, minced
• 1 Jalapeño (half if you want to cut down the spiiiiiice)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

First I half my avocados and remove the skin and pit.  I cube them a bit on the larger side and toss them into a medium sized bowl.  While those are sitting I use the juice of one half of a lime to prevent the avocado from browning (this is important people). I then cut the ends of of my tomato, remove the seeds and wash the seeds out.  Dice your tomato and toss it in to the avocado/lime bowl. Cut half of a red onion (use the whole thing if you want) and dice, toss it in your bowl.  Mince once clove of garlic and add salt and pepper. 

Jalapeños are pretty easy to work with- just be careful to not touch your face.  Slice it in half long was and deseed your pepper- I then like to rinse mine after, dice your pepper very, very finely and add it to your bowl.

At this point you're ready to smash this wonderful bowl of deliciousness.  Fold all your ingredients over and use a fork/spoon.  If you have one I use a potato masher.  I usually smash mine about 4 times so it's smooth but not too fine and there are nice large pieces of avocado.  Once you're done serve with your favorite chips! (I prefer the Tostido Whole Wheat Scoops)

The Perks of Cooking with Cauliflower- Cauliflower Fried "Rice" with Grilled Shrimp and Pineapple

Hey Guys! This week I took a break from dill and from meat and went a little guilt free with a cauliflower fried "rice".  Instead of using actual rice I ground up a head of cauliflower as a substitute. This dish is extremely flavorful, guiltless and with the right kind of protein it's all you need for your entire meal! Cauliflower has been a big hit lately being used as pizza crust and mashed potatoes.  Today I'm sharing my spin on it using shrimp and pineapple for that perfect summer taste.

Heres what you're going to need to serve 4-6 people;

• 2 Cups of Frozen Peas
• 1/2 Cup of Water
• 1/4 Cup Sesame Oil
• 1 lb. Shrimp, cooked, cleaned and butterflied
• 3-5 Scallions, thinly sliced
• 1-2 Large Carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 6 tbsp. Soy Sauce
• 2 Eggs, beaten
• 1/4 Pineapple- or as much as you'd like, chunked
• 1 head of Cauliflower, washed and dried, discard your stems

Okay so before you do anything you're going to need to wash your cauliflower, take the stems off and allow it to dry throughly, I like to let mine sit in the strainer for an hour or so.  If the cauliflower is wet it won't break down correctly and it will be too mushy. When your cauliflower is clean and dry, toss it into a food processor and break it down until it breaks down into "rice like" pieces and set aside.

Throw your frozen peas into a small sauce pan with the 1/2 cup of water, bring your peas to a boil for about 3-4 minutes, strain and set aside.

Heat up 2 tablespoons of sesame oil in a Wok or large pan, throw in your shrimp and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Cook your shrimp through and set aside.  As your shrimp is cooking take your pineapple and heat them up in a separate pan (no oil needed).

In the same pan or Wok add the rest of the sesame oil, your garlic, scallions and carrots and cook until soft (about 4-6 minutes),  once soft add the cauliflower and cook until firm (5 minutes).  Once cooked add your soy sauce and stir into the mixture.  Move your rice over to one side of the pan and add the two eggs.  Cook them into the mixture, toss in the shrimp and pineapple and you're done.

Once you plated your meal add some additional uncooked scallions to the top for garnish if you please.

This dish has been a fan favorite, I hope you're able to share it with your friends and family!

Here's the Dill; I'm Talking Healthy Summer Sides

As summer is fast approaching and BBQ season is just beginning I'm already fearing those boring mayo-filled bland side dishes like macaroni and potato salad.  I also have a hard time stomaching mayo so I feel like my side dish choices are always limited. This week I've prepared two alternatives using greek yogurt instead of mayo that also pack some nice flavor with the help of dill.  Dill is hot right now and I'm obsessed with it.

Kristen, my accomplice in the kitchen has cooked up some insane recipes that we're really excited for you to try.  We're making a Summer Potato Salad and a Cool Cucumber Dill Salad.  These we're both really easy to make and they taste good enough to enjoy all summer long!

First I'm telling you about this potato salad.  This is what you're going to need to serve 4-6 people;

• 2lbs of Red Skin Potatoes, skin on
• 2 Scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup of plain greek yogurt
• 3 tbsp. of Dijon whole grain mustard
• 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste
• dill, dill and more dill (you can be as liberal as you want) 

Add your potatoes to cold water in a pot. Just enough to cover them and bring the potatoes to a simmer for about 20 minutes, don't let them boil.  Cook them enough to they are fork-tender and drain.  Place them aside and allow them to cool.  While your potatoes are cooling, mix together your yogurt, scallions, both mustards and as much as the dill as you please. Quarter and add the potatoes and fold everything together adding as much salt and pepper as you want to taste.  These puppies are pictured below.

Next up we made a Cool Cucumber Salad. This salad is nice and light, I also like this because you can tweak it to your liking. Not only does it go well on burgers or pitas but it's also really good on its own. Here's what you're going to need to feed 4-6 people. 

• 2 English Cucumbers, halved, deseeded and thinly sliced
• 1 lemon, deseeded and quartered
• 1 cup of greek yogurt
• salt and pepper to taste
• all the dill in the world

Cut your cucumbers in half and using a spoon take the seeds out, thinly slice the cucumber and place it to the side.  In a separate medium sized bowl add your yogurt, the juices from the lemon, salt, pepper and dill.  Fold it all together and add the cumber coating and mixing everything.  All you have to do from that point is pop it in the fridge till you're ready to serve it.  Here they are below!

I hope you guys decide to try these yourselves. They're both really easy and super yummy!  Stay tuned for more!

Notes:

Thanks to Tablefortwo for the potato inspiration, original recipe can be found here; http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/healthy-red-potato-and-dill-salad/

Blue Apron Stir-Fry Noodles

Today I cooked with Blue Apron, it's one of my favorite services and the only subscription box I subscribe to.  If you haven't heard of it, it's a meal delivery service that gives you the ability too cook your own meals.  It comes with all the ingredients needed minus the basics like salt, pepper and olive oil. All the ingredients are unprepared and it comes with a card with mostly simple, step by step instructions.  It makes even the worst cook a great one!  If anyone is interested send me an email at solos1020@gmail.com and I can hook you up with a free delivery! (I only have 4 left to give)

Today I made Stir-Fry Noodles.  The ingredients were pretty basic and this was a fairly easy meal to prepare. I give it a 2/10 with 10 being the most difficult.  The only issue I had today was that I didn't have all the tools needed to mince the ginger!  As far as Blue Apron goes the ingredients were simple.  Rice noodles, scallions, Gai Lan (Chinese broccoli), snow peas, Sriracha, sweet soy sauce, ginger, peanut butter, peanuts, and coconut milk powder. 

All the veggies ended up being combined and cooked together (minus the green part of the scallion, I'll get to that later). The peanut butter, soy sauce, Sriracha and coconut milk mixture with water made a nice sauce, however I would have preferred a little more spice. Once the noodles cooked all the veggies and sauce were mixed together and the peanuts and green scallions were a garnish. 

Overall I rate the meal a 8/10. Like I said it could have used a little more spice. If I had Sriracha on hand I would have definitely added more.  I personally love peanuts so it wasn't too nutty for me.  The only change I would have made was to chop the peanuts and heat them up for a minute or two on the stove!

My meal is pictured below! Don't forget to follow me on Instagram; Killin_thyme

Hi All,

I've got three passions in life.  Eating, traveling and cooking.  I'm fortunate enough to eat well, cook mediocrely and travel frequently that I've decided to start a blog! I know, I know.. real original.  This is the place where I'll chronicle my travels and my meals.  I'm not too sure where this blog is going to take me but I can't wait to find out!

Please follow me on Instagram; killin_thyme
My insta account is a bare right now but just give it some thyme!

I'm excited to take this journey and I hope you're there to take it with me!

-Amanda