Overall rating: 8.25/10
This meal was probably the healthiest of the three we cooked this week, but was my least favorite.
Deliciousness
Rating: 7/10
To be honest, this was not one of my favorite Blue Apron dishes we reviewed. I’ll take part of the blame because I think I overcooked the salmon a teensy bit. The resulting salmon flavor was overwhelmingly fishy, so I had hard time deciphering the BBQ spices that I had painstakingly rubbed on every square inch of the fillets. While the main attraction was a bit of a flop, the sides were wonderful. I loved the simplicity of the sweet potato rounds roasted with just olive oil, salt and pepper. So easy, yet so sweet and delicious. We were both especially hungry on Sunday when I made this for lunch, so I tossed in another sweet potato to make it a more filling meal. The side salad was probably my favorite. The bitterness of the arugula was offset by the sweet tartness of crunchy, juicy Granny Smith apple bites and topped with a simple red wine mustard vinaigrette. The salad was so good that we went to the store and bought the ingredients to make again for a potluck meal with friends the same day.
Nutrition
Rating: 10/10
This meal gets a major health shout out. The only ingredient I would shy away from is the brown sugar, but this was used in a very small quantity in the salmon rub. Here are all the health highlights of this recipe:
- Salmon: I’ve mentioned this in previous posts, but a 4 oz. serving of salmon has 236{2646a176311491570739a13dd319592155ac9cdba4632368aea58c38c45c78aa} DV of Vitamin B12, 128{2646a176311491570739a13dd319592155ac9cdba4632368aea58c38c45c78aa} DV of Vitamin D, plus loads of selenium, Vitamin B3, Omega-3s, and protein, among other nutrients. While all of these nutrients are great, Omega-3s have gotten a lot of attention in recent years for their amazing cardiovascular benefits; studies have shown that omega-3 fat can help reduce the risk of heart attacks, stroke, and high blood pressure.
- Granny Smith Apple: 1 medium apple is low in calories with 20{2646a176311491570739a13dd319592155ac9cdba4632368aea58c38c45c78aa} DV of dietary fiber and 20{2646a176311491570739a13dd319592155ac9cdba4632368aea58c38c45c78aa} DV of vitamin C. The teacher would give this an A+.
- Sweet Potatoes: Sweet potatoes are one of my all-time favorite super foods. A one cup serving has 214{2646a176311491570739a13dd319592155ac9cdba4632368aea58c38c45c78aa} DV of Vitamin A, 52{2646a176311491570739a13dd319592155ac9cdba4632368aea58c38c45c78aa} DV of Vitamin C, and a whole slew of other vitamins and minerals. The beta-carotene that gives these treasures their orange hue is an amazing source of antioxidants.
- Arugula: This peppery green is extremely low in calories and has higher concentrations of Vitamin A, C, and K than your typical salad green.
Ingredients
Rating: 6/10
We received the box on Wednesday and didn’t get around to making this dish til Sunday, so some of the ingredients weren’t doing so hot.
- Granny Smith: Bruised like a peach. However, since it was cut up into matchstick size bits, it didn’t really impact the salad.
- Sweet Potato: I love the long shelf-life of tuberous plants. The quality of this sweet potato did not disappoint.
- Arugula: I think this leafy green was about a day short of going bad; some pieces had started wilting. We probably should have made this meal first for freshness’ sake.
- Salmon Fillets: The quality of the salmon in the the Salmon Labneh we made the first week was excellent, the salmon this week was described by my husband as “meh”. Not a huge seafood lover, I will only eat really fresh fish, and I ended up having to give the last few bites of my fillet to my husband because something just seemed a bit off.
Ease of Prep
Rating: 10/10
As usual, we were starving when we started cooking. I love having a big lunch after church on Sunday and then lazily nursing my food coma in our sunroom for the rest of the afternoon. The recipe suggested 30-40 minutes start to finish and I had the whole thing cooked and plated in 37 minutes. That’s a record people – the first time I’ve ever completed cooking a Blue Apron meal in the suggested time frame. I really appreciated how easy this one was to prep.