Goodfood recap: Teriyaki burgers to Mezze platter

If you follow me on Instagram, you may be aware that I’ve been continuing to cook away with the Goodfood meal kits. I’ve also been working on my plating and food photography but didn’t have any luck with the #GoodFoodieMoment photo contest. Curse you, Goodfood, curse you!

In any case, I have now tested out another week’s worth of meals and am due for a dedicated blog post to recap my thoughts on these culinary experiments.

MONDAY

Teriyaki pork burgers with blistered shishito peppers, creamy slaw & roasted potatoes.

This Japanese inspired recipe featured pork burgers seasoned with teriyaki glaze, and topped with shishito peppers. I discovered shishito peppers just in the past year and really enjoy them. They are a sweet pepper commonly used in East Asian cuisine, with the interesting phenomenon of one in eight peppers being spicy, so it’s kind of like playing Roulette when you eat them. Although I used a pan, this would have been a great recipe for the barbecue, as both the burgers and blistered shishito peppers can be easily prepped on the grill.

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

TUESDAY

Korean-style beef bowls with sesame rice, broccoli & sweet peppers.

This was basically a lite version of bibimbap, a classic Korean dish typically made of warm white rice topped with sautéed seasoned vegetables or kimchi, chili pepper paste, soy sauce or soybean paste, raw or fried egg, and sliced meat. The seasoning for the ground beef was good and the vegetables, including sweet peppers and broccoli, turned out well. The sesame oil and seeds mixed into the rice was a delicious touch. I liked this meal so much that I’ve added another Korean rice bowl onto the menu for an upcoming box.

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

WEDNESDAY

Spring vegetable tagliolini carbonara with asparagus & string bean amandine.

Carbonara is one of my favourite pasta meals, so I was really looking forward to this vegetarian version. It didn’t turn out as rich and creamy as the one I had in Rome or when Mr. Chuckles made it for us, but it was still quite tasty. The side of green beans with toasted almonds was better than I expected, adding some extra crunch along with the seasonal vegetables – asparagus and spring peas.

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

THURSDAY

Whiskey butter pork chops with potatoes and kale corn salad.

We turned on the barbecue to cook these pork chops. They tasted decent but we couldn’t really detect much whiskey flavour, even in the whiskey butter that went on top. My favourite component was actually the salad, a perfect summer recipe of kale and grilled corn, although Mr. Chuckles did not enjoy it as much due to his aversion to kale.

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

FRIDAY

Fully loaded Mexican-style sweet potatoes with black bean salsa, zingy crema & spiced pepitas.

Ever heard of the term ‘ugly delicious’? This dish epitomizes the concept of the ugliest looking plate presentations often turning out to be the yummiest meals. Indeed, this vegetarian recipe of roasted sweet potatoes covered with creamy slaw, black bean salsa, and spiced pepitas (pumpkin seeds) was one of our favourites out of all the Goodfood meals we’ve had, despite it looking like a heaping mess. The green blob is the avocado purée, which came pre-made and was a bit spicier than guacamole – good stuff!

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

SATURDAY

Tomato pesto pizza-antipasto with marinated artichokes & bocconcini.

This was my first Goodfood meal that turned out to be a bit of a disaster. I was looking forward to making this pesto pizza, but it turns out that pizza is more challenging than it appears! The key is kneading out the dough correctly, and it seems that I did not thin it out enough. I ended up with a super thick, bubbled up crust that threatened to engulf the entire pizza while I watched it cook in the oven, an intense sight to behold. The flavours were unevenly distributed, with bites of bitter from the artichokes and excess acidity from the tomatoes. Unfortunately, a nice concept that was poorly executed by yours truly.

Yum rating: ⭐ | Find the recipe here.

SUNDAY

Beef meatball mezze platter over spiced rice with chopped salad & avocado tzatziki.

After that poorly done pesto pizza, I redeemed myself with this beef meatball mezze platter. Although not particularly photogenic, I enjoyed the meatballs seasoned with a Greek inspired spice blend and accompanied by avocado tzatziki, spiced rice, and chopped salad. I was pretty hungry while preparing this meal so was particularly happy with the fast and easy prep.

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