My order for the coming week

Fettuccine with Ricotta, Fava Beans, and Mint - I really chose this as I love mint and it seems like something I could easily whip up after work, hopefully it won't disappoint.

Fennel-Roasted Pork with Apricot and Arugula Salad - I loved the last pork dish I got from them and since I am a big fan of pork with fruit I got this one.

Soy-Sriracha Beef Bowls with Brown Rice and Avocado - I was hesitant about getting this as the one other time I had their beef (that wasn't ground) it wasn't that good, but I still got it because I love avocado and I usually like their Asian dishes.

Japanese Chicken Tsukune Meatballs with Sesame-Lime Vermicelli Noodles - This is the dish I am most looking forward to this week (even if last weeks meatball left something to be desired).  I have yet to have a bad Asian noodle dish from them so hopefully this one isn't the exception to the rule.

So I have 4 meals this week, which can sometimes be a bit much for me, hopefully I will be able to make them all.

Chicken Paillard with Asparagus

So I really expected to think this dish was going to be so-so.  Mashed potatoes, asparagus and chicken seems pretty standard to me.  Fortunately I was mistaken and this meal was really good, no wonder it is a repeat.

What I liked - The lemon in both the asparagus and on the chicken really made this dish.  The chicken was perfectly tender.  I am not usually a fan of mashed potatoes, but I really liked these, maybe it was the lack of butter and milk/cream (which I was initially wary of) and the addition of chives, these potatoes were very savory (and a nice change from the brightness of the lemon in the chicken and asparagus).

What I didn't like - Honestly I can not complain about anything.  Ok if you make me complain maybe it was the lack of something new.

My modifications - Instead of 2 tablespoons olive oil in the potatoes I did one of olive oil and one of butter.  I thought the result was a nice olivey flavor without being overwhelming. 

I am giving this 5 stars. 

Spaghetti and meatballs with pesto

I really wanted to like these meatballs.  This was the first time I have made homemade meatballs and was hoping it would be something I would continue to do (especially given how my son loves meatballs), unfortunately neither I nor my husband were a fan of them.

What I liked - The pasta was pretty good, I really liked the combo of the pesto with the lemon zest, it made it feel light and refreshing. 

What I didn't like - While the meatballs were tender, I felt they were a little too tender, maybe its just me but I like my meatballs with a little more density.  I thought the dandelion greens were a little bitter for my taste.  I thought the peas were ok but there were too many for the dish.

My modifications - I made and cooked the meatballs ahead of time and then reheated them with the pasta.  Afterwards I thought a few red pepper flakes would have been a nice addition to the pasta.

Overall 2 stars.

Teriyaki trout

This was a pretty good meal, but I felt like it was nothing new, it seems like something I would make on my own.

What I liked - The fish was super moist (finally they gave me 2 pieces of fish that were of similar thickness).  The dressing for the salad was nice and refreshing and very tasty.

What I didn't like - While the dressing for the salad was nice, the actual salad was pretty boring, just lettuce, tomatoes and edamame.  Similarly the sauce for the fish while fine seemed just like standard run of the mill teriyaki sauce.  Maybe if I hadn't had such delicious Asian meals from them before I wouldn't be complaining but I know they can do better.

My modifications - I made the dressing earlier in the day (I did use a blender to make it) and let it sit in the fridge for a couple hours. 

Overall 3 stars - good but nothing special.

Upcoming for the week of April 20th

My food will be coming today but I think I will go back to delivery on Friday as I usually don't make my food until the weekend (which for me is Friday-Monday).  As long as I don't plan on going away for the weekend this should be better for me especially as I am home and as its getting warmer my food won't be sitting on my hot porch that long.

Chicken Paillard with asparagus - I really ordered this one because it said it was a customer favorite.  It doesn't look all that exciting, but I do like all the ingredients so hopefully it will be tasty.  Although looking at the recipe it seems like there is only olive oil and chives in the mashed potatoes, no butter or milk/cream, I may have to go off recipe with it, but I will make as directed and only add butter and milk if I don't like it.

Spaghetti with meatballs - I have never had meatballs with a pesto sauce hopefully its a good combo.  It looks like the pesto is pre-made, which sometimes isn't the best but is a timesaver.  To make up for last weeks lack of green vegetables it seems everything I ordered this week has a good amount of green. Definitely seems like I can make the meatballs ahead of time, I like when I can do that, saves me time in the evening.

Trout Teriyaki- The only Asian dish I have this week, they only had two and one wasn't to my taste.  This looks easy enough for a weeknight if I don't get to it on the weekend, especially if I make the dressing ahead of time. 

Duck with risotto

I love duck and this duck was really no exception.  I tried making duck once at home and it wasn't really that good, but this one definitely lived up to the expectations.  I was a little hesitant about it but really glad I spent the extra money and went for it.

What I liked - The duck was really tender and perfectly cooked.  The sauce for the duck was nice and sweet and salty (one of my favorite combos).  There also was a lot of duck, this recipe would easily feed 3 people (but really you will not want to share any of your duck with a third person).

What I didn't like - The risotto, it was ok (not the best though) but I honestly didn't feel like it paired well with the sweet salty duck, maybe like an asian coconut rice would have worked better, or something with a little sweetness to it as well.  I think I liked the risotto better also before I put the mushrooms in (and I do like mushrooms).  Also it would have been nicer if the duck skin was crispy, you crisp it up at the begining but then add sauce which I think de-crisped it (ok I know its not a word), but even though it wasn't crisp the duck was still delicious.

My modifications - I used a lower heat to simmer the risotto as I thought that simmering on medium high heat wasn't right, but then the risotto took longer then the 25 min directed so maybe I should have used med high heat.  I pre-roasted the mushrooms earlier in the day. 

Overall 4 stars and that was really just because the duck was so good.  If the risotto had been better (or something else) this would be 5 stars.

Sesame Soy Udon bowls with Crispy Tilapia

Noodles were great but the fish needed something more, ok I really didn't like the fish at all but ate it.

What I like - Again the udon noodle were really good, nice and chewy and the sauce was yummy with just the right amount of kick (probably used 1/4 of the sriracha sauce).

What I didn't like - The fish wasn't really good at all, its possible I over cooked it as I did cook it longer then directed, but even if that was the case there still wasn't that much flavor in it, I think it needed some sauce of its own.  Another one where it lacks vegetables.

My modifications - As mentioned I cooked it initially for longer then directed and added less then the full amount of sriracha (but that said to taste anyway).  Looking at my photo and the photo that came with the recipe I can see that my tilapia is crisper then theirs so really maybe it was just me trying to make it crisp and it should have just been seared. 

I think if I took the tofu from the previous review and added it to these udon noodles it would probably be a 4.5 star review but alas that is not the case here.  3 stars, but only because the udon noodles were that good on their own.

Spicy mapo tofu

I think I would have liked this better with actual pork as I was unable to get my mushrooms crisp, but otherwise it was a pretty solid dish.  I made it for lunch on Saturday and it was a good meal.

What I liked - I like tofu especially when it's got a nice crisp bite to it. The sauce for the tofu/mushrooms was good but I wish there was a bit more for the rice to soak up.

What I didn't like - The lack of any real veggies (ok I knew going in what was in the recipe but still I am going to complain about it.

My modifications - I didnt use any of the Sichuan peppercorns (but thanks to plated if I did they had already cracked mine) so it wasn't spicy at all (probably should have put a pinch in).

I would give this 3.5 stars, it was good but nothing blew me away about it.

Upcoming for the week of April 13th

So I will be getting my delivery of the following items this week.

Sesame soy tilapia udon - Really looking forward to this as I have yet to be disappointed by an asian noodle dish from them (of course I hope I have not jinxed myself).

Spicy Mapo tofu - I will make sure not to put too much of the spicy mapo (whatever that is) in mine.

Duck with risotto - I love getting duck in restaurants and and slightly intimidated by having to make this at home.  Hopefully all will go well.

I was unable to make the fish and chips this past week mostly due to being sick this weekend, and because it is fish I will not be making it now.  Oh well, this is my first time I have been unable to make something I ordered. 

On a side note Plated used to have the expiration date on meats but no longer does, I wish they would bring that back (maybe with it getting to be warmer

chicken tikka masala

Ok I was not a fan.  Not that anything was really bad just there were problems with every component.  I ended up adding rice because the suace was really spicy and needed something to break it up (and I was not a fan of the nan). 

What I liked - The chicken was really tender and there was a lot of flavor in the sauce.

What I didn't like - The sauce was too spicy.   Normally I like extra suace here I was trying to get mostly just the chicken on the plate with a minimum of sauce.  The spinach was just boring, couldn't they have added some extra garlic in there to give it a little extra something.  The nan wasn't good.  In a pinch I would eat it and probably would have had I not had some rice in my freezer to heat up quick to go with the dinner. 

My modifications - I marinated the chicken in the yogurt for a couple hours in the fridge before cooking.  I made rice.  I put some butter on the spinach just to give it some more flavor (probably some garlic salt would have been good too but I didn't think of it at the time).  I had to broild the chicken a couple minutes longer then directed (still a little pink the first time I pulled it out of the oven). 

I really wish they would make spicy food more to taste, meaning label the spicy ingredient and say use to taste or something.  I have made indian food before and used grahm masala and never had it been this spicy (granted I am not biggest spicy fan, so maybe if you like things medium spicy this would have been fine). 

2 stars (I guess I will still get my favorite indian take out still) 

Tofu scallion dumplings

These were quite good.  I was able to make the dumplings ahead of time while my little one napped and placed them single layer on a plate in the fridge. 

They stuck a tiny bit to the plate when I pulled them out, but not enough for any of them to tear (just enough that I was worried they would tear).  There was probably enough filling to make at least 8 more dumplings and that was only using half the tofu (as directed).  Making the dumplings was a bit hard and time consuming but doing it ahead made it easier.

What I liked - I like dumpling and these had a nice fresh taste with nice seasonings.  The bok choy good, make sure to salt it though.  The dipping sauce was good, might have been better with some sesame oil/

What I didn't like - Making the dumplings.  Didn't really feel like a meal, it was apps with some veggies, but still yummy.

What I changed - Made the dumplings ahead.  Used coconut oil to fry the dumplings in.  I think I cooked the bok choy longer then directed as it seemed a little too crunchy when I first took it out of the oven.

Overall 3.5 stars.

Next week

This coming week (I am now getting my shipments on Wednesday) I will be making the fish and chips (maybe my son will even try this), chicken tikka masala and tofu scallion dumplings. Any one else making these?  I can't imagine that this chicken tikka will live up to my favorite indian foods place's chicken tikka (one of my favorite indian dishes), but at least it will be healthier.   

Ginger Trout en Papillote

Another really good offering from plated.  Even though I waited about 5 days to make the fish it still turned out really good and not fishy at all.  The ginger and miso butter did not overwhelm the fish but gave it a really nice flavor.

What I liked - I don't think I have cooked fish in parchement before and I really liked it, the fish came out so moist even though I cooked it a little bit longer then suggested.  The peas and sweet potatoes made for a really nice side, and the minimal preparation for them let there flavors really shine thorough. 

What I didn't like - Again one of the pieces of fish was quite a bit thicker then the other but I think cooking them in the parchement allowed for the fish to cook a little longer without it drying out. 

My modification - I think I cooked everything a little longer then the recipe stated.  My parchements never puffed up (maybe I didn't have the parchement closed enough) but the fish was done and still moist (think I cooked it about 3 min longer).  Also the sweet potatos I think needed a little more time but then again my 1 inch dice might have been bigger then 1 inch. 

Another 4.5 star review here.

2 meals 1 night

So I went to my I laws for the weekend and I offered to make Saturday dinner for the 4 of us, si I decided to make 2 plated meals, the Thai beef lettuce wraps and fresh spaghetti with artichokes. Everything was great and everyone liked the food, however making 2 recipes at once was difficult.   I had 4 burners going at once and having to keep switching which recipe I was looking at was a bit confusing.  If I try to make food  I liked the lettuce wraps more then the pasta another example of how I generally like the Asian recipes better.

What I liked -
Lettuce wraps - pretty much everything. The beef with the crunch of the water chestnuts and peanuts and the sweet spicy combo.

Pasta- fresh pasta, a little brightness from the lemon, a little bite from the red pepper and arugula.

What I didn't like -
Lettuce wraps - because I was making 2 things at once the beef and rice were a little cool by the time we ate, I think having them warm/hot would have been better, but again this was my own fault.  The outer big layers of the lettuce weren't that crunchy but the inner layers were small.

Pasta - the artichokes were difficult to prep probably more then they were worth (but they were good).   Would have liked a little more cheese or something to make this a little creamy, maybe more garlic, it needed something a little more.

My modifications-
Lettuce wraps - only used about 1/4 of sriracha to make sure it wasn't to spicy, think it could have used a little more.

Pasta-  I used 2 strips of lemon zest and added more fresh pasta (really used fresh linguinni as thats what the store had) as we had 4 people. Added most of the cheese when I was mixing in the pasta water to make it a bit creamy then served it family style with the rest of the cheese on the side.

Lettuce wraps - 5 stars
Pasta - 3.5 stars

Spicy Tofu Soup

Another good asian dish from plated.  It wasn't too spicy but then again I didn't add all the chilli sauce.  Since I did all the prep work the night before it was really easy and the fact that you only need one pot was great.  When I get soup I often think about the cost as I feel this was probably one of the dishes that didn't cost them that much but here I am paying $12 for a bowl of soup.  But as I liked it a lot I won't complain that much. 

What I liked - The tofu I found was very addicting.  I had to stop myself from snacking too much on it while the broth/veggies were cooking.  I do like tofu, especially when it has a nice crispy layer to it.  Really it was all good.

What I didn't like - Had to add quite a bit of salt to this which I was surprised at given the soy sauce and veggie base in it.  All my pots are not non-stick which made the tofu stick a bit to the pan when frying, of course I could have used one of my non-stick frying pans, but then it wouldn't have been one pot.

Modifications - I prepped it the night before and had the tofu draining all night in my fridge (between two plates and paper towels under some milk to press out the liquid) which is much longer then the 10 minutes in the recipe.  I am not sure if this had any affect of the final outcome though.  As I said before had to add quite a bit of salt to the final broth.  Also added some coconut oil in with the sesame oild when frying the tofu.

4 stars- yum.

Tunisian Chicken

Finally back in my regular kitchen, so nice to have the extra space.  So one of the problems with Plated is what to do if you have a guest for dinner.  If the plan is made in advance you can maybe modify your order (either by adding if you want to make more for your guest or removing something if you plan on making something else).  My husband decided to invite his uncle over for dinner kind of last minute (invited sunday morning for sunday dinner).  My plan was to make the tunisian chicken but add rice to stretch the meal to account for the 3rd person.  I was planning on making the rice to go with this anyway as I thought just chicken in sauce was a bit lacking for a meal.  I think the rice was needed for this as the spices in the sauce are pretty heavy (the heat level is not that high, but there is a kick, but there are a lot of spices in there that make this a pretty flavorful sauce).

What I liked - This had a lot of flavor!  I like dark meat chicken and the braising of the thighs was nice.

What I didn't like - A little too much cumin for my taste.  The lack of any kind of starch with this dish I think was a big problem, if I just ate the chicken and the sauce I don't think I would have liked it as much.

My modifications - I cut the thighs up into bite sized pieces before marinating to accomodate the extra person as there were only 2 thighs, I used all the marinade here and just added it straight to the pan, maybe this was a mistake?  I didn't braise the chicken in the oven, I just put my stove on low and braised it that way.  And obviously added rice to the dish.  I think adding some sour cream or yogurt also would have been nice with this dish but I didn't have any on hand (unless you count my sons strawberry banana yogurt, but that would have just been weird).

Not sure what to give this for a star rating as I did make quite a few modification.  As I made it probably 3.5 stars (yes now I am doing half stars).  Everybody liked this dish, there was even enough sauce left over to have seconds of rice and sauce for my husband and his uncle.
Finished Dish

Marinating the cut up chicken

Over ordered

Ok so yesterday I received my next plated order of 3 meals (spaghetti with artichokes, beef lettuce wraps, and ginger trout in case anyone is interested) but I still have one more meal to make from last week (spicy Tofu soup) and its Easter this weekend so at least 1 dinner and maybe 2 are off the table and generally I don't make my plated meals on days I go to work (Tue, Wed, Thur). 

I did the prep work (chopped veggies, drained tofu) for the Tofu soup last night after my son went to bed so hopefully my son won't be to fussy/demanding after work today that I can try to make the soup.

It looks like the beef wraps might be doable on a work night as well so maybe I will try that too.

Anyone else get the ginger trout?  Normally when I get seafood from plated it is frozen but this was not, not sure if it just thawed or if was supposed to be fresh.  Seems a little too difficult to do during the week but worried the fish might go off.  I put it in the fridge instead of the freezer as it wasn't frozen.  Maybe I will email plated.

**** Update ****

I heard back from plated and they said they ship the fish frozen but it will naturally thaw in transit (as it was so cold here in the Boston area must have never thawed before).  Anyways they said it would last 4-5 days in the fridge.  I can live with that. 

Lemongrass Pork

In general I really like Plateds asian selections and this was no exception.

What I liked - I liked the contrast of the crispy pork with the soft noodles and the combo of sweet (agave) and spicy (only added a little siriacha but enough to give it some warmth).  The broth wasn't really a broth for me more of a thicher sauce, but I liked it this way as it clung to the noodles and gave them a nice flavor.

What I didn't like - I can't think of anything this was a real winner in my book.

My modifications - I made the pork a little ahead of time and let it sit out in the agave sesame mixture.  I don't think this made any difference, but it did allow me to snack a bit on the pork which was tasty.  Only added about half a packet of the siriacha but this was the perfect amount of spice for me. 

If this one shows up again I will definitely be getting it.  4.5 stars (Ok I rarely hand out 5 stars).