Perfectly Imperfect Produce: Box #4
Perfectly Imperfect Produce: Box #4
Perfectly Imperfect Produce: Box #4
I have officially been doing PIP's boxes for a month, and I have really enjoyed it! We eat a larger variety of foods, and I like the challenge! This week we were surprised with the prettiest red plums, a large green bell pepper, a ripe mango, a large spaghetti squash, and more! Look below to see what I did with the produce!
Nectarines: Nectarine Vanilla Scones
These scones were so delicious that I made them twice this week! The juicy, tart nectarine with the sweet glaze and crumbly scone is absolutely perfect. The oranges and reds from the nectarine also look stunning with the golden brown dough and white glaze. Beautiful! We ate them for breakfast with a cup of hot chocolate, and I couldn't describe a more perfect breakfast. The scones are the perfect treat and comfort food. Plus, they were not too hard to make! Just make sure that once you add the wet ingredients that you do not over mix. You want the dough to just barely come together before you put it on the baking sheet. This will ensure a flaky scone! I also popped the butter in the freezer for a couple minutes to make sure the butter was extra cold before I cut it into the flour. You don't want the butter to warm up! Definitely, a recipe I will hold on to for a long time.
Recipe Link: Here
The recipe calls for vanilla paste, but I just used the same amount of regular vanilla. They still turned out great, and I didn't have to go to the store for the extra ingredient. I also almost doubled the fruit the second time because I thought it could use a bit more! Yum!
Green Bell Pepper: Lemon Fajitas
The large green pepper from the box went to good use this week! We made lemon fajitas (with a kick) and all the fixings. I marinated the chicken in olive oil, lemon juice, chili flakes, garlic salt, salt, pepper, and a sliced banana pepper overnight. Then when we were ready for dinner, we poured the chicken mixture into a hot pan and let the chicken cook. I sliced up the green bell pepper along with an onion, yellow bell pepper, and red bell pepper and threw them in the pan once the chicken was close to done. Once the peppers, onion, and chicken caramelized, we toasted the tortillas, melted the cheese, and plated everything with butter lettuce, avocado, cherry tomatoes, lemon juice, and sour cream. Let's just say that I couldn't wait to eat leftovers the next day. The fajitas were just that good! I love the lemon flavor with a subtle heat kick from the spices. Paired with the cool avocado and sour cream, the green bell pepper shined this week! 10/10 recommend!
Plums: Plum Cake
The four red plums in this box were a beautiful red color! I had never tried a plum before, and they are so yummy! I love how this box is helping me discover new fruits and recipes! This plum cake was so simple and delicious. It reminds me of a cake I would get in Europe. The pound-like cake with the sweet yet tart plums balances each other out perfectly.
Recipe: Here
I tweaked the recipe by adding a splash of vanilla to the batter. I also changed the order I added the ingredients, as I always add flour last to prevent over mixing.
Zucchini: Zoodles Topped with Lemon and Parmesan
Spaghetti Squash: Sautéed Shrimp with Squash
I think this is one of my favorite meals that I have ever made! This shrimp with squash was so easy and tasted *amazing.* I zapped the squash in the microwave for 3 minutes, so I could cut the squash lengthwise in half. After I scooped out the seeds, I drizzled the squash halves with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Oiled side down, the squash went into a 400-degree oven for 45 minutes. The squash had a bit of brown and flavor from the roasting and shredded perfectly! It was not overdone but rather cooked perfectly! I also sauteed the shrimp in browned butter and seasoned with garlic salt, pepper flakes, parsley, pepper, and lemon. I then topped everything off with more lemon juice and parmesan cheese! Absolutely delicious, and it was fun to use the spaghetti squash in a new way! The spaghetti squash is a great substitute for pasta and has a summery yet fall-like feel! Plus, once the squash was done, the shrimp took less than five minutes to complete. Overall, not a lot of active cooking to get such a flavorful dish. Highly recommend!
Mango & Tomato: Mango Salsa Salmon
Mango salsa salmon is a classic at our house. Every time we see a ripe mango, our minds go directly to this dish! I love how the sweet salsa balances out the heat from the spices. I blogged this recipe a while ago! Go check it out!
Recipe: Here
Carrots: Chicken Noodle Soup
When my husband and I both started feeling a bit under the weather this week, I decided it was time for a quick batch of chicken noodle soup. I used a rotisserie chicken from Costco, which made the meal so easy. I also used wheat egg noodles for the first time in a soup, and I will do it again! Because of the flavors in the broth, I could not even tell that the noodles were wheat. The soup also kept us full a lot longer than if I would have used normal white noodles. If you are trying to eat healthier but do not like wheat noodles, try adding wheat egg noodles in soups! They are actually yummy!
My favorite chicken noodle soup recipe has a couple more ingredients like potatoes, corn, and a can of cream of chicken (recipe here). But this batch I used what I had, and it still turned out delicious. I browned half an onion in butter and added a clove of garlic. Then I added carrots, celery seed, thyme, salt, and pepper. Next, I added four cups of chicken broth and 4 cups of water. I added the shredded chicken, uncooked noodles, and 2 bay leaves and let it boil for 20 minutes. We ate the hot soup with grilled cheese, and it was the most comforting meal. This soup was absolutely delicious!
Apples & Cucumber: Snacks for the Week!
I love how we keep getting Honeycrisp apples in the box. They are the perfect snack!
This week pushed me outside of my comfort zone, and as a result, we ate a lot of really yummy food! Between the addicting scones, lemony fajitas, sweet yet tart plum cake, al dente zoodles, to die for shrimp & squash, comforting chicken noodle soup, and spicy mango salmon, I would say we had quite the food week! What would you have done with the produce? Let me know!
More Links:
Perfectly Imperfect Produce: Box #4
I have officially been doing PIP's boxes for a month, and I have really enjoyed it! We eat a larger variety of foods, and I like the challenge! This week we were surprised with the prettiest red plums, a large green bell pepper, a ripe mango, a large spaghetti squash, and more! Look below to see what I did with the produce!
What's in the box?
Red Plums
Nectarines
Apples
Mango
Cherry Tomatoes
Cucumber
Zucchini
Carrots
Spaghetti Squash
Green Bell Pepper
Nectarines: Nectarine Vanilla Scones
These scones were so delicious that I made them twice this week! The juicy, tart nectarine with the sweet glaze and crumbly scone is absolutely perfect. The oranges and reds from the nectarine also look stunning with the golden brown dough and white glaze. Beautiful! We ate them for breakfast with a cup of hot chocolate, and I couldn't describe a more perfect breakfast. The scones are the perfect treat and comfort food. Plus, they were not too hard to make! Just make sure that once you add the wet ingredients that you do not over mix. You want the dough to just barely come together before you put it on the baking sheet. This will ensure a flaky scone! I also popped the butter in the freezer for a couple minutes to make sure the butter was extra cold before I cut it into the flour. You don't want the butter to warm up! Definitely, a recipe I will hold on to for a long time.
Recipe Link: Here
The recipe calls for vanilla paste, but I just used the same amount of regular vanilla. They still turned out great, and I didn't have to go to the store for the extra ingredient. I also almost doubled the fruit the second time because I thought it could use a bit more! Yum!
Ready to eat!
Before they went into the oven!
Baked and Glazed
Green Bell Pepper: Lemon Fajitas
The large green pepper from the box went to good use this week! We made lemon fajitas (with a kick) and all the fixings. I marinated the chicken in olive oil, lemon juice, chili flakes, garlic salt, salt, pepper, and a sliced banana pepper overnight. Then when we were ready for dinner, we poured the chicken mixture into a hot pan and let the chicken cook. I sliced up the green bell pepper along with an onion, yellow bell pepper, and red bell pepper and threw them in the pan once the chicken was close to done. Once the peppers, onion, and chicken caramelized, we toasted the tortillas, melted the cheese, and plated everything with butter lettuce, avocado, cherry tomatoes, lemon juice, and sour cream. Let's just say that I couldn't wait to eat leftovers the next day. The fajitas were just that good! I love the lemon flavor with a subtle heat kick from the spices. Paired with the cool avocado and sour cream, the green bell pepper shined this week! 10/10 recommend!
Plums: Plum Cake
The four red plums in this box were a beautiful red color! I had never tried a plum before, and they are so yummy! I love how this box is helping me discover new fruits and recipes! This plum cake was so simple and delicious. It reminds me of a cake I would get in Europe. The pound-like cake with the sweet yet tart plums balances each other out perfectly.
Recipe: Here
I tweaked the recipe by adding a splash of vanilla to the batter. I also changed the order I added the ingredients, as I always add flour last to prevent over mixing.
Zucchini: Zoodles Topped with Lemon and Parmesan
I'll be honest... I have always kind of turned my nose up at zoodles. (I sure do love my pasta.) But since I had a zucchini in my box, I decided it was time to try. The zoodles took less than five minutes to make and cook; and, to my surprise, they were absolutely delicious! I will be making many more zoodles in the future! I sauteed them in a pan with butter for 90 seconds and then ate them with lemon juice and parmesan cheese. The zoodles were perfectly al dente, and I really enjoyed them!
Spaghetti Squash: Sautéed Shrimp with Squash
I think this is one of my favorite meals that I have ever made! This shrimp with squash was so easy and tasted *amazing.* I zapped the squash in the microwave for 3 minutes, so I could cut the squash lengthwise in half. After I scooped out the seeds, I drizzled the squash halves with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Oiled side down, the squash went into a 400-degree oven for 45 minutes. The squash had a bit of brown and flavor from the roasting and shredded perfectly! It was not overdone but rather cooked perfectly! I also sauteed the shrimp in browned butter and seasoned with garlic salt, pepper flakes, parsley, pepper, and lemon. I then topped everything off with more lemon juice and parmesan cheese! Absolutely delicious, and it was fun to use the spaghetti squash in a new way! The spaghetti squash is a great substitute for pasta and has a summery yet fall-like feel! Plus, once the squash was done, the shrimp took less than five minutes to complete. Overall, not a lot of active cooking to get such a flavorful dish. Highly recommend!
Mango & Tomato: Mango Salsa Salmon
Mango salsa salmon is a classic at our house. Every time we see a ripe mango, our minds go directly to this dish! I love how the sweet salsa balances out the heat from the spices. I blogged this recipe a while ago! Go check it out!
Recipe: Here
Carrots: Chicken Noodle Soup
When my husband and I both started feeling a bit under the weather this week, I decided it was time for a quick batch of chicken noodle soup. I used a rotisserie chicken from Costco, which made the meal so easy. I also used wheat egg noodles for the first time in a soup, and I will do it again! Because of the flavors in the broth, I could not even tell that the noodles were wheat. The soup also kept us full a lot longer than if I would have used normal white noodles. If you are trying to eat healthier but do not like wheat noodles, try adding wheat egg noodles in soups! They are actually yummy!
My favorite chicken noodle soup recipe has a couple more ingredients like potatoes, corn, and a can of cream of chicken (recipe here). But this batch I used what I had, and it still turned out delicious. I browned half an onion in butter and added a clove of garlic. Then I added carrots, celery seed, thyme, salt, and pepper. Next, I added four cups of chicken broth and 4 cups of water. I added the shredded chicken, uncooked noodles, and 2 bay leaves and let it boil for 20 minutes. We ate the hot soup with grilled cheese, and it was the most comforting meal. This soup was absolutely delicious!
Apples & Cucumber: Snacks for the Week!
I love how we keep getting Honeycrisp apples in the box. They are the perfect snack!
This week pushed me outside of my comfort zone, and as a result, we ate a lot of really yummy food! Between the addicting scones, lemony fajitas, sweet yet tart plum cake, al dente zoodles, to die for shrimp & squash, comforting chicken noodle soup, and spicy mango salmon, I would say we had quite the food week! What would you have done with the produce? Let me know!
More Links:
Box #3 Carrot Cake Cupcakes, Omelet with Crispy Hash Browns, Butternut Squash Soup with Beet Salad, Pulled Eggplant Sandwich, Salmon with Roasted Zucchini
Box #2 Butter Chicken with Watermelon for Dessert, Very Homemade Sushi: Custom California Roll, Chicken Orzo with Vegetables, Waffles with Peaches
Box #1 Fruit Salad, Broiled Salmon with Vegetables, Eggplant Roll-Ups, Carrots with Hummus
**One of my favorite boxes
I have made these scones twice now and both times they were a hit! My neighbor has a peach tree and she keeps bringing peaches over to our house, so I saw your recipe and decided to try it out! They were amazing and everybody loved them. Thanks for sharing your recipe!!
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