I tend to be a "throw stuff in the pan" stir fry chef. I don't measure, I don't meal plan, and I rarely even use the same ingredients.
That said, I love trying recipes from Blue Apron because their recipes tend to favor my way of cooking, but introduces me to new flavors and combinations that I wouldn't think to try on my own, particularly unfamiliar spices. This recipe for Peach & Snap Pea Grain Bowl from Blue Apron is my favorite new dish that I have tried all year. I have never combined peaches and medjool dates into dinner food before, but these ingredients, combined with onions and the ras el hanout spice, was pretty incredible.
The best thing about this dish is that it uses a lot of vegetables that are common in our summer gardens. The snap peas, some of the tomatoes, and mint came from my garden. In a pinch, I could substitute the shallot for onions from my garden, too!
The shallot flavor comes across very strongly in this dish so if you are someone that likes onions in your salad, this recipe is for you. It definitely had a mediterranean vibe so if mediterranean food isn't your thing, move on. I am crazy about this dish, though! The first time I made this, I used Blue Apron's ingredients, and it was perfect.
The second time (that's how much I loved it, there was a second time), the extra ingredients I needed to find were readily available at the grocery store, except the Ras El Hanout spice, which was easy to make from my existing spice rack. The farro is often in the grain aisle, the Medjool Dates are in the raisin aisle, and I found the feta cheese over by the special butcher cheese.
For the Ras El Hanout, I followed the recipe for the spice at AllRecipes.com. I didn't like this version of the spice quite as much as what Blue Apron had provided, but it was close - maybe a little bit sweeter. However, I don't like a lot of heat in my food so I'm glad I only used a pinch of cayenne pepper instead of the full amount that AllRecipes suggested. I did not have ground cloves or coriander seed, which I regret, so make sure to look at the recipe for Ras El Hanout before you head to the store. This spice was very strong, much stronger than Blue Apron's version, and I ended up cutting white rice into the dish afterward to tone it down a bit. Next time, I won't cook the farro in quite as much of the spice, and I might add a tiny bit more spice and a little less cinnamon.
I love Blue Apron and I think it's a fun splurge when we are trying to limit visits to the grocery store, but if you want to try one of their recipes without ordering from them first, I highly recommend their Peach & Snap Pea Grain bowl.
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