This week, we are going on a new food adventure. After hearing about Blue Apron and seeing that they have a local office right by Mike's office, we decided it was time to give it a try. I found a promo code that basically cut the price of our first shipment in half. Signing up was simple. After filling out the billing information, I put in some dietary preferences, and got to select recipes for my first shipment. When I made my first selection, I could only choose from 6 recipes, but I have noticed that they have now changed it to 8 choices. I picked 3 recipes and waited anxiously for my first shipment to arrive. My first shipment arrived today in a cardboard box while I was running errands. Inside the box, was a foil/bubble wrap insulated bag, recipe cards and other important informational sheets, all the ingredients for 3 meals, and two giant ice packs.

My ingredients ranged from meats, vegetables, rice, spices, herbs, and extra items. Each item was clearly labeled with storage instructions and the name of the item. I'm not sure how long my shipment sat on the porch, but everything was still very cold when I unpacked it and added it to the fridge.

After picking up Mike and Lola, we looked at the 3 recipes to decide which we would try for dinner. We opted for the Tandoori Style Chicken and Rice with Summer Squash and Raita. I looked at the recipe card to pull out the correct ingredients and got started. I had Mike grate the cucumber, slice the squash (zucchini), and quarter the lemon. I got started on the chicken. I preheated the oven to 475 and prepped chicken. I removed the skin because I really didn't think this recipe needed it. I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper. I mixed together the tandoori spice packet and half the Greek yogurt. I coated each chicken breast with the yogurt mixture and popped it in the oven for 20 minutes. The next step was the rice. In a small pot, I combined the rice packet, a pinch of salt and 1 cup of water. After brining it to a boil, I lowered the heat and covered it, allowing it to cook for about 12 minutes. Next, I mixed the raita. I took the shredded cucumber, remaining Greek yogurt, the juice of 1 lemon quarter, and salt/pepper and mixed it all together. Then, I heated up some olive oil in a skillet and cooked the seasoned zucchini for about 7 minutes. Everything was finished at approximately the same time. To finish the rice, I added in the zucchini, the juice of 1 lemon quarter, and some chopped mint leaves.

We each took one chicken breasts, some of the zucchini/rice mixture, a lemo quarter, and a bit of the raita. After we took our portion, there was still plenty of rice mixture and raita leftover.

The end effect was worth the wait! The chicken was tender and flavorful with a definite kick. The rice was fluffy and had great flavor with the addition of the mint and zucchini. Despite not liking cucumber, I actually liked the raita, which reminded me a little bit of a Greek sauce. The raita paired great with the chicken to cut some of the heat. We really liked this meal and would order it again, given the option. I will definitely hang on to this recipe card so we could make it again. Our first Blue Apron recipe was a definite success and we look forward to trying more recipes.

The New Austonian