Here we are, back to Blue Apron after a month and a half off! In my last installment of Blue Apron Favorites (April 2020), I talked about meal shortages due to COVID and taking a break to lay off the carbs a little bit. When June came around, I was happy to see that Blue Apron started restocking a lot more meal options and we were ready to resume carb eating! There were a lot of great meals in the month of June, but it was easy for me to pick out my favorites. You’ll notice a pattern here on what we were really enjoying to kick off the summer!
Veracruz Shrimp & Vegetables
Keeping things light, this Veracruz-style shrimp and vegetable dish is a great meal for summer days. Fresh shrimp, tangy lemon and tomato flavors, salty capers, and crunchy peppers make a delicious Mediterranean diet-friendly meal that is also light in calories. Pickled jalapenos are diced to kick the dish up with a bit of spice, and golden raisins give it a touch of sweetness. All the veggies are simmered together, blistering the tomatoes and opening them up to form a light tomato-style broth for the shrimp to cook in.
I love how Blue Apron switches up the grains in their dishes, and while we love all the rice bowl recipes, the farro for this recipe was a welcome companion to the shrimp.
Shiitake & Hoisin Beef Burgers
Asian-style burgers? Heck yes! These Shiitake & Hoisin Beef Burgers were amazing – incredibly moist and juicy, and full of so much flavor. We used dried shiitake mushrooms (re-hydrated in warm water) to mix with the burgers, and a raw baby bok choy “salad” that was dressed in olive oil and salt & pepper went on top. I was a little skeptical having not eaten raw bok choy this like this before (I thought it might be a little bitter), but it was delicious. I was even a fan of the roasted broccoli as a side (dressed with white wine vinegar and sesame seeds).
Our Variations
I used sour cream instead of mayo for the miso mayo that goes on the buns (mayonnaise belongs in the trash).
Mexican-Spiced Shrimp Tacos
Shrimp tacos are hands down one of my all-time favorite foods. We eat them regularly! These tacos had great flavor from the Mexican spices, and the sauteed poblano peppers were crunchy and delicious. I should really think about using them more often when we cook. This was a really simple dish to prepare with minimal ingredients.
Our Variations
We did do quite a few things to bring some extra pizzaz to our tacos:
- Subbed sour cream in for the mayo for the cabbage slaw (which we also just ended up putting directly into the tacos versus eating it on the side)
- Added onions to saute with the poblano peppers for extra flavor
- Topped with cotija cheese I had on hand (because that always belongs on tacos)
Hot Italian Pork Burgers
Another success in the burger department! I really love the ground spicy pork meat that we get in these Blue Apron meals (including the chorizo that we’ve had in previous meals). These burgers are packed with shredded fontina cheese that provides a gooey cheesy inside, and allows a crispy cheese skirt to form on the outside of the burgers while they cook in the pan. These burgers were simply topped with caramelized onion and a little bit of roasted red peppers. Sounds simple, but you really don’t need anything else!
Our Variations
We skipped the aioli for the potato wedges and just used some of the Trader Joe’s Black Summer Truffle ketchup to dip them in (that stuff is amazing!)
Black Bean & Caramelized Onion Tacos
Lastly, I chose one of the vegetarian meals we had – these Black Bean & Caramelized Onion Tacos. I don’t think they were on my husband’s list of favorites, but I always welcome the break from eating meat dishes. The caramelized onion added a nice sweetness to the beans, along with smokiness from chipotle chile paste. Served on the side were some lime-flavored zucchini rounds (which I really could have done without – that puzzled me a little bit). We did have some leftover Mexican rice from another meal that week so that went well as an additional side.
Our Variations
I added some fresh sliced jalapenos from my patio plant for some spice.
As you can see, I was really into the burgers and tacos this month! We avoided the burger dishes for such a long time (and I am not really sure why we even did that – but we did). I’m happy that we’ve added them to our regular rotation when we can.
Stay tuned for next month’s round up! We have some really good ones to share!
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