A little help from Hello Fresh

Beyond Meat veggie taco bowl in a blue bowl.This post is produced in partnership with Hello Fresh Canada.

Are you needing a little help with dinner these days? Do you feel like you’ve run out of ideas and/ or you don’t want to tackle the grocery shopping (we’re still supposed to be staying home and sometimes grocery shopping which is one of the “allowed activities” feels a bit like a full-on expedition)? Have you thought about a meal kit delivery – where all the ingredients are delivered to you so you don’t have to shop?

Maybe you have tried a meal kit in the past – like me – and for various reasons, chose to not continue deliveries. I know for me, when I tried Hello Fresh in 2016, while I loved the meals, I took issue with the amount of packaging used. Apart from the fact that each meal (you receive 3 at a time) came in a giant box, every single ingredient was individually packaged and I felt like it was a lot of waste. It didn’t feel right. And that was a shame because the meals themselves were really good.

Hello Fresh box on a porch.(^^^ now, all three meals come in one box)

Last year, Hello Fresh Canada contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in working together and my first question was actually about the packaging. I was interested (SO interested, gimme all the meal ideas!) but not if the packaging hadn’t changed significantly. In fact, the boxes are now 100% recyclable (and all three meals come in one box only), and their kit bags are now 100% compostable. Hello Fresh Canada has also decreased their packaging by 45% since their first box. Check out more about their sustainability and recycling guidelines here.

Hello Fresh meals in bags on a fridge shelf.(^^^ all three meals fit comfortably on the top shelf of my fridge and those paper bags are great for collecting kitchen scraps for the green bin too!)

And the food? Well, we’re in our third round of meals right now – I have deliberately chosen vegetarian meals because we’re making a conscious effort to eat a little less meat these days – and I can’t say enough about them. We’ve enjoyed the variety of meals on offer (over 20 meals to choose from each week, including many veggie options that are not *just* “pasta with veg” as sometimes vegetarians find themselves with) and I’m certainly enjoying the quick prep time (none of the meals has taken longer than 45 minutes to prepare from start to finish so far) and the fact that you get *just* the right amount of ingredients – so much less waste and aren’t great at meal planning.

In fact, my biggest issue (if you could call it that) with the meals is that I already have a handful of favourites that I want to make again! I’ve been getting some great ideas for dishes and little tips and tricks for making meal time easier (in the recipe below, cooking the rice with tomato sauce or salsa is a game changer – so much flavour for so little work!).

The good news? Hello Fresh also has some of their most loved recipes available on their website so you can enjoy your faves over again!

Ingredients for a veggie taco bowl laid out on a tray.(^^^ a recent fave was the Veggie Taco Bowl and I’m lucky enough to get to share the recipe here today!)

Yield: 2-3

Veggie Taco Bowl

Vegetarian Taco Bowl with red rice and Beyond Meat in a blue bowl.

A deconstructed burrito? Yes, please! No need for a tortilla when delicious Beyond Meat® teams up with hearty Mexican basmati rice, crisp kale slaw and citrusy lime crema.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 80 g Roma tomatoes (approx 3)
  • 1 lime
  • 2 large cloves garlic
  • 2 green onions
  • 3 tablespoons oil, divided
  • 3/4 cup Basmati rice
  • 2 tbsp tomato sauce (smooth salsa works here)
  • 2 Beyond Meat® burgers
  • 1 tablespoon Mexican seasoning (burrito or taco seasoning works here)
  • 113 g kale slaw mix (approx 2 cups)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 6 tablespoons sour cream
  • 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
  • (optional) crushed tortilla chips for garnish
  • (optional) 4 green onions, thinly sliced for garnish

Instructions

    Prep your vegetables:

    1. Cut tomato into 1/4-inch pieces.
    2. Zest, then juice half the lime. Cut remaining lime into wedges.
    3. Peel, then mince or grate garlic.

    Prepare the rice

    1. Heat a medium pot over medium heat. When hot, add 1 tablespoon oil, then half the garlic, tomato sauce and rice. Cook, stirring often, until fragrant, 1-2 min.
    2. Add 1 1/3 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low.
    3. Cook, still covered, until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, 12-14 min.
    4. When rice is tender, fluff with a fork, then season with salt and pepper.

    Cook the Beyond Meat®

    1. While rice cooks, heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add 1 tbsp oil, then Beyond Meat®.
    2. Break up patties into bite-sized pieces, then add Mexican seasoning and remaining garlic.
    3. Cook, until slightly crispy, 5-6 min. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from heat.

    Prepare the slaw and crema

    1. While Beyond Meat® cooks, whisk together lime juice, sugar and 1 tablespoon oil in a large bowl. Add kale slaw mix and tomatoes. Toss to combine.
    2. Combine lime zest and sour cream in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

    Assemble the bowls

    1. Divide Mexican-style rice between bowls.
    2. Top with Beyond Meat® and sprinkle over cheese.
    3. Top with kale slaw and a dollop of lime crema.
    4. Squeeze over a lime wedge, if desired.
    5. Sprinkle over the crushed tortilla chips and sliced green onions.

did you make this recipe?

please leave a comment or review on the blog or share a photo and tag me on Instagram @eatlivtravwrite !

Veggie taco bowl with melted cheese.(^^^ for a warming version of this dish, melt the cheese over  the rice and Beyond Meat® – a minute or so in the microwave – then add the cold slaw, tortilla chips and crema)

This recipe will be going on our regular rotation of meals, for sure – with and without Beyond Meat® (sometimes it’s hard to find) – it would work with so many other ingredients. I generally have most of those ingredients on hand too which makes for a tasty meal at short notice. It’s nice to change things up every now and then.

And the meal kit delivery? Yes, we’re continuing with this once or twice a month. I’ve been impressed with the variety, quality and freshness of ingredients. The (much less) packaging that is compostable and recyclable is a bonus. Not having to think about shopping/ cooking/ planning for a few days a month? Priceless!

Vegetarian Taco Bowl with red rice and Beyond Meat in a blue bowl.

Want to try Hello Fresh for yourself? Click here for an $80 Discount – Including Free Shipping on Your First Box!(this is not an affiliate link, I do not receive any compensation if you use it)
 
Disclosure: Hello Fresh provided me with three complimentary meals so I could experience the meal kits for myself. I received financial compensation for sharing information and a recipe in this post. Content was not reviewed by the brand prior to publication. All opinions my own.

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