Hello Fresh July 1 Review and Coupon #hellofreshpics

This week’s Hello Fresh featured some recipes that went light on the oven use, great for the July 4 weekend.  Hello Fresh is a meal kit subscription box where you’ll get the recipes and ingredients to make 3 meals for two (or 4) every week. Hello Fresh is a subscription, but you can pause your deliveries and choose alternate meals (at least for the Classic box). There’s also a vegetarian box available. This is a solid meal subscription box with easy and accessible recipes.  Take $40 off your first box with coupon code 7UT7K8. 

Hello Fresh recently redesigned their menu cards, and the instructions are super easy to follow.  It has nice illustrations, is clearly written, and even lets you know nutrition info, prep time, and which recipes are best to make first to optimize freshness of perishables.  Hello Fresh sends all the sauces, bouillon and such in individual serving packets or in off-the-shelf brand name packaging; although it means a little more packaging, they survive shipping better than the plastic cups used by Plated.

Garlic-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa Verde and Spiced Honey-Butter Corn: 45 minutes, Level 2

Zesty and sour, the tomatillo-based salsa packed a lot of flavor.  The avocado added nice, creamy richness that paired well with the pan-fired chicken.  Flash-broiling the tomatillo was the only part of the recipe that required an oven, though I’m sure you could manage the same on the stovetop or with a grill if needed.  The corn was a great treat (I have never pan-cooked corn on the cob like that), and the honey butter, with a dash of jalapeño, really set it off.  Once again, Hello Fresh managed to surprise me with a simple twist on a summer staple.

Juicy Lucy Burger with Tomato-Red Onion Jam and Charred Romaine: 45 minutes, Level 2

I have had very limited success with stuffed burgers in the past — they usually fall apart before they fully cook.  This version came off without a hitch.  I credit the quality of the hamburger for the success of the recipe.  Unlike your standard grocery-store fare, that is pebbley and rough-ground, the Hello Fresh beef is finely ground and makes a great, cohesive patty straight out of the pack.  The onion chutney was very simple to make and will be a new staple of our kitchen.  I hadn’t seen sesame seed brioche before.

Pan-Seared Pork Chops with Pineapple-Serrano Relish and Spicy Cheddar Grits: 30 minutes, Level 1 (alternate choice)This was another stove-top only dish.  the grits were great (don’t forget to season them!), and were very forgiving.  The pineapple salsa is a beautiful complement to pork, and it has a slightly different character than expected due to the swapping of scallion in place of red onion.

This was a nice set of summer recipes.  It has been warm at our place, but it has rained nearly every day.  Thankfully, this week’s selections are stove-top friendly, so we were able to avoid both the oven and the grill.  Hello Fresh tends to feature recipes that “pile” and blend nicely, so you can throw everything on a single plate and eat outside or wherever.

One of the great things about Hello Fresh is the ease of preparation.  The knife work is simple, and I’m always amazed at the great flavors I can get using just a few key herbs and seasonings. Take $40 off your first box with coupon code 7UT7K8.

Here are the selections for next week! Meal choices end Wednesdays at midnight.

You can click on each dish and get the recipe information, including calories, ingredients, and difficulty levels.

Visit Hello Fresh to select your box for next week! Check out all our Hello Fresh Reviews and don’t forget to take a look at other Fresh Food Subscription Boxes