Goodfood recap: A week of meal kits

As you may recall, I have finally started contributing to our sustenance by getting in the kitchen and actually cooking every so often. We signed up for the Goodfood meal kit subscription shortly after the C-virus took hold and grocery shopping became more complicated. At least the toilet paper hoarding stopped pretty quickly.

For the past couple months, we have been receiving weekly deliveries of Goodfood meal kits. Here are seven of the recipes that I’ve tried so far, one for each day of a week, along with some notes on what I thought of them.

MONDAY

Goan-style haddock curry with cilantro rice.

Goa, India is the birthplace of seafood based curry, and this was apparently the inspiration for this dish. The haddock was cooked in a simmering red curry sauce with zucchini and carrots, and then served over cilantro rice. I liked this one a lot. Adding cilantro to rice was a revelation.

Yum Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Find the recipe here.

TUESDAY

Pork tacos with chayote slaw and picco de gallo.

Taco Tuesday! I actually made these tacos on a Saturday but could have eaten them a few times in the week. This was the first time I’ve ever seen or eaten a chayote fruit, which was used in the slaw. This, along with the pico de gallo, added some extra tang. For me, the key component that made this recipe extra delicious was baking the Monterey Jack cheese onto the tortillas.

Yum Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Find the recipe here.

WEDNESDAY

Orange and turmeric glazed salmon with spiced bulgur, and cucumber and mint salad.

The marinade for this salmon recipe was an interesting combination of orange juice and turmeric based spice blend. Unfortunately, my fish cooking skill was subpar this evening, so it came out a little overdone. I did enjoy the salad with snow peas, cucumbers, and mint, as well as the spiced bulgur, another ingredient new to me. Bulgur is a Middle Eastern cereal food that is reminiscent of quinoa, chewier and not as dense as rice. Mr. Chuckles was not a big fan of the texture but I liked that stuff.

Yum Rating: ⭐⭐⭐½ | Find the recipe here.

THURSDAY

Halloumi and honey-za’atar roasted carrot bowls with pearl couscous, hummus, and ajvar vinaigrette.

Goodfood seems to enjoy Middle Eastern inspired cuisine. This vegetarian selection featured za’atar, an herb often combined in a mixture with toasted sesame seeds, dried sumac, and salt, amongst other spices. Another ingredient new to me was halloumi, a semi-hard, unripened and brined cheese composed of both goat and sheep milk. It was pan seared and served atop a bed of kale and couscous, along with spiced and roasted carrots. It seemed weird to eat a big chunk of cheese like that but it was interesting and quite yummy. The vinaigrette featured ajvar, a condiment made principally from red bell peppers and oil, apparently often used in Southeastern Europe. I thought that this dish was one of the most photogenic, great for the ‘gram!

Yum Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Find the recipe here.

FRIDAY

Tofu katsu in coconut curry sauce with jasmine rice.

Katsu typically refers to the Japanese dish of panko fried meat (usually chicken or pork), but this recipe was modified with a vegetarian twist and featured tofu instead. We ate lots of katsu while in Japan and loved it, but I was not a big fan of this tofu version. Perhaps I failed to season it properly, but the tofu just tasted bland. Meanwhile, the red curry sauce served on top was too salty for my liking. Ironically, this is one of my most ‘Liked’ recent posts on Instagram. All looks but no substance. 😉

Yum Rating: ⭐⭐ | Find the recipe here.

SATURDAY

Seared pork sausage skillet with kale, potatoes, and sun-dried tomato drizzle.

This sausage skillet made up for the bad tofu we had the previous evening. Skillet dishes are well suited for lazy cooks like me. The prep, or mise en place, is the most complicated step. After this, all I had to do was stick everything into a pan and let it sizzle. The sausage was good quality and went well with the sun dried tomato drizzle. Would eat again.

Yum Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Find the recipe here.

SUNDAY

Butternut squash souvlakia with cucumber yogurt.

This was my most recent Goodfood creation. We went vegetarian again and made this pseudo souvlaki wrap featuring roasted butternut squash and a cucumber yogurt spread. It was a Greek inspired meal but the pita was substituted with naan bread, which I appreciated because naan is fluffier and tastier, in my opinion anyway. I screwed up a little by piling on a heavy portion of the yogurt, squash, and chopped salad, making it a big mess when wrapped. At least it looked nice!

Yum Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Find the recipe here.

The verdict

I’ve given most of these meals 4 or 5 stars on my Yumminess Rating, with only the tofu katsu falling far behind. The recipe cards were detailed enough and generally easy to follow. As I’ve mentioned before, the calorie counts for each dish are surprisingly high, but we rarely finish everything on our plates anyway. Our subscription actually only includes three meal kits per week, so we would not be eating from Goodfood everyday. I have found this to be adequate for our needs.

Many of the recipes have common themes or ingredients, so I’ve had the chance to practice some techniques over and over. There are also a few kitchen tools that I’ve used almost every time and have found helpful to have around.