Review of Purple Carrot's Fall Vegetable Ramen with Brussels Sprouts & Butternut Squash
Review Summary
Purple Carrot is a 100% plant based meal kit service based out the Boston area and I gave their Fall Vegetable Ramen with Brussels Sprouts & Butternut Squash the other day.
Every time i review any plant based service, i feel obligated to disclose that I'm a meat eater; a committed omnivore. Which I'm sure (even just subconsciously) colors my opinions.
Now that said, what's most important, is this dish any good? The short answer is yes!
The first taste of the finished dish actually confused me a bit...and I wasn't sure that I loved it. The truth is, this isn't a super rich/deep flavored ramen with broth that's been cooked down for hours. However, the complexity of the flavor was definitely there and after a few bites I really started to enjoy the recipe. Spicy chilis gave a good amount of heat (that you can control with more or less added in). And that spice was offset by the sweet, roasted butternut squash. The sprouts and Swiss chard provided both a bitterness and a nice texture component. Finally, the smoked nori spice, which I had never had before, gave the ramen an exotic and exciting finish.
Perhaps most important, the ramen noodles themselves were very nice. Any time there's pasta involved I worry about it being soft and mushy, but it was easy to get these noodles al dente, and the texture and flavor was great.
I could have used a little bit more broth in the dish, but fear that if I'd added more water, the flavor would have been too mild.
Despite being underwhelmed with my first taste of the ramen, once I poked around a bit, got a bit of chili, some of the smoked nori, squeezed a bit of the fresh lime, and exposed all the ingredients, the complexity of flavors came through, and I really appreciated it.
The dish took about 30 minutes to make, which is what the recipe card advertised. And none of the techniques were very complicated - everything came out as it should.
While the dish is clearly vegetable forward, I didn't feel cheated without any meat. The heat/spice helps a ton, and the butternut squash provided the "bulk" that chicken, beef or pork would normally have taken.
I happily give this recipe a thumbs up. It screams Fall flavors, it's easy to make, and quite tasty.
Ingredients
Purple Carrot ships their insulated boxes, packed with ice packs right to your doorstep. There were three recipes in my box, with the ingredients for each packed in separate bags, which makes it easy to get everything ready for the recipe.
For the Vegetable Ramen, the only minor issue I had was with some blemishes on the Brussels sprouts; where some of the outer leaves where quite black/brown. Those blemishes where easy to peel off, and didn't effect the flavor of the ramen, but if I was picking out of the grocery store, I would have skipped over the ones I got.
Everything else was really good. And I'd give a special call out to the fresh ramen noodles. Too often, fresh pasta is just plain bad. But I was completely happy with Purple Carrots.
The ingredients included in the box are:
- 6 oz butternut squash cubes
- 4 oz Brussels sprouts
- 2 oz Swiss chard
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 scallions
- 2 fresh Thai chiles
- 11 oz fresh ramen noodles
- 2 tbsp tamari
- 1 tbsp red miso paste
- 1 lime
- 2 tsp smoked nori spice
Making the dish
The ramen took me just over 30 minutes to make (while I was filming) and I don't think many home cooks are going to need much more time than that.
None of the steps are too complex, and aside from the roasted butternut squash, everything is cooked in one pot. One highlight for me, is the ability to "customize" your own bowl of ramen just before eating; adding the nori, chili, lime, and scallions to fit your personal taste.
The well written and easy to understand directions are split up in 6 steps:
- Roast the Butternut Squash: The squash is tossed with some olive oil and salt (they don't suggest, but i would also add pepper), and roasted in a 425 degree oven for 16 - 18 minutes until tender and slightly caramelized. You also start a pot of water to cook the ramen.
- Prepare the Vegetables: Prepping the vegetables requires a bit of knife work, which you can do while the squash roasts. You trim the ends off the sprouts, pulling off a bunch of the outer leaves for the soup, and then chop up the core. De-stem the chard and chop that finely. And finally slice the garlic, chilis and scallions - separating the white from the green.
- Cook the noodles: Perhaps the easiest part for a home cook to mess up is cooking the ramen noodles. The directions correctly state you only need 1 - 2 minutes. If you go longer, they'll get mushy, and the dish will be ruined. So don't walk away, and once drained, run the ramen under cold water to stop the cooking.
- Saute the Aromatics: The broth starts by adding the garlic, scallion whites and half the chili to a soup pot with a drizzle of oil over medium heat. Once slightly softened, add a cup of water, the tamari, red miso paste and stir to combine everything. Add another 1.5 cups of water and season with salt per the directions. Again, they do not tell you to add pepper; but I would do so.
- Season the Broth: Once boiling, you add the Brussels and the Swiss chard, cooking for about a minute. You want to soften, but allow them to maintain some bite to them. Kill the heat and add the juice of half the lime; cutting the remaining lime into wedges to allow people to add more to their own bowl.
- Serve: The ramen noodles are divided between two bowls, and then the broth and vegetables (including the squash) are added to the noodles. It's then up to you to garnish with a bit more chili, the green scallions and more lime. I ended up adding quite a bit of all three.
Taste
I gotta say, upon my first taste of this ramen, i was a bit torn. I didn't think there was enough broth, and I thought the flavor was a bit too mild.
But then I added a bit more of the garnish (smoked nori, chili pepper & lime) and I started in on the sprouts and butternut squash. The flavor quickly became more complex, nuanced and enjoyable. This is not a "smack you in the face" meal. It's more subtle at first, and took me a few minutes to fully appreciate.
I still would have liked a bit more broth. But the sweet squash pairs well with the hot chili. The chard and sprouts give a nice bitternesses and the smoked nori adds some complexity.
The notion of Fall comfort food comes screaming out at you. There's a ton of vegetables. And I felt really good about eating this recipe.
Purple Carrot's Fall Vegetable Ramen with Brussels Sprouts & Butternut Squash
Overall
I say give this Fall Vegetable Ramen a try.
It's one of those plant based meals, where even a meat eater isn't going to wonder where the meat is. Obviously you need to like vegetables, but the complexity from the Japenese flavors, chilis, lime, and nori, make this a much more interesting dish, than a pile of steamed veggies.
The directions were clear and it's simple to make.
If you do make it, please let me know how it goes and what you think!
Comments (496 )
hi, I am gettin my site ranked “cb auto profits”. สล็อตเว็บตรง
Some really helpful information in there. Why not hold some sort of contest for your readers? 무료스포츠중계
thanks for sharing your thoughts, I haven’t think of this before, keep posting mate! 먹튀검증
이 기사는 기사 역사상 최고 중 하나입니다. 나는 골동품 'Article'수집가이고 때때로 그것들을 흥미롭게 읽습니다.
온라인홀덤
온라인홀덤
"여기에 제공해 주신 귀중한 정보와 통찰력에 감사드립니다 ...
메이저사이트
" '훌륭한 유용한 리소스를 무료로 제공하는 가격을 알 수있는 웹 사이트를 보는 것이 좋습니다. 귀하의 게시물을 읽는 것이 정말 마음에 들었습니다. 감사합니다!
웹툰사이트
excellent points altogether, you just gained a new reader. What might you recommend in regards to your post that you simply made a few days ago? Any positive? forex robot
You ought to be a part of a tournament for one of the most effective blogs over the internet. Let me recommend this web site! 토토사이트 올라카지노
irritable bowel is really bad, this disease can really crap your digestive system** Xtremehdiptv
Iím not that much of a internet reader to be honest but your blogs really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back in the future. Cheers Xtreme hd iptv 4k
i do a lot of article submissions in a week or two and i hire some writers from india and other countries to do my stuf` Xtreme hd iptv
대마초팝니다
'대마초 팝니다 ☆ 텔레 ◁@namsoon524▷'의 다나와 통합검색 결과입니다.
대마초팝니다
'대마초 팝니다 ☆ 텔레 ◁@namsoon524▷'의 다나와 통합검색 결과입니다.
Exceptional brief which article helped me a lot. Say thank you I looking for your data?–. apollo group tv
Billiard is a game which is mostly played by the high class people apollogrouptv
Hello! I recently want to make a large thumbs up with the great information you’ve got here with this post. I will be coming back to your website for more soon. apollo tv
대마초팝니다 텔레@namsoon524
'대마초 팝니다 ☆ 텔레 ◁@namsoon524▷'의 다나와 통합검색 결과입니다.
I feel as you could probably teach a category concerning how to produce a great blog. This really is fantastic! I need to say, what really got me was your design. You certainly learn how to make your site not only a rant about a issue. Youve managed to get easy for visitors to connect. Healthy, because not that lots of people know very well what theyre doing. IbeLink BM-KSMax 10.5TH/s
아이스팝니다 텔레 namsoon524
최첨단 영상감시 솔루션 전문기업으로 세계 최초의 하드웨어 일체형 디포그 영상장비를 독자적으로 개발, 세계 최고 성능의 ‘슈퍼비전 카메라’와 초고성능 커스텀 GPU 서버 및 워크스테이션 제조·공급(대한민국 공군·대기업·공기업·글로벌 게임사 납품, 조달청 등록 기업), 중동 아랍에미리트 알파탄 그룹에 1,000만 달러 규모 슈퍼비전 카메라 수출계약 체결.
<a href="https://www.ltechkorea.com/bbs/board.php?bo_table=online&wr_id=9263">아이스팝니다</a>
최첨단 영상감시 솔루션 전문기업으로 세계 최초의 하드웨어 일체형 디포그 영상장비를 독자적으로 개발, 세계 최고 성능의 ‘슈퍼비전 카메라’와 초고성능 커스텀 GPU 서버 및 워크스테이션 제조·공급(대한민국 공군·대기업·공기업·글로벌 게임사 납품, 조달청 등록 기업), 중동 아랍에미리트 알파탄 그룹에 1,000만 달러 규모 슈퍼비전 카메라 수출계약 체결.
OK, so I hope this article gives those looking to start their own online service based business a better understanding on what it takes to set up and grow a successful online serviced based business. 에볼루션카지노
Nice post. I find out some thing very complicated on distinct blogs everyday. It will always be stimulating to see content using their company writers and employ a little from their store. I’d would rather use some with all the content on my small weblog no matter whether you do not mind. Natually I’ll provide link for your internet weblog. Thank you for sharing. apollo group tv
Hey, nice art i add your blog to my rss! Xtreme hd iptv
i read a lot of stuff and i found that the way of writing to clearifing that exactly want to say was very good so i am impressed and ilike to come again in future.
Drain Stopper Sink
kantor bola
Kantorbola adalah situs slot gacor terbaik di indonesia , kunjungi situs RTP kantor bola untuk mendapatkan informasi akurat slot dengan rtp diatas 95% . Kunjungi juga link alternatif kami di kantorbola77 dan kantorbola99 .
Oh my goodness! an amazing post dude. Thanks a lot Even so We are experiencing problem with ur rss . Do not know why Can not sign up for it. Could there be anyone finding identical rss issue? Anybody who knows kindly respond. Thnkx 바카라사이트
Oh my goodness! an amazing post dude. Thanks a lot Even so We are experiencing problem with ur rss . Do not know why Can not sign up for it. Could there be anyone finding identical rss issue? Anybody who knows kindly respond. Thnkx 바카라사이트
Oh my goodness! an amazing post dude. Thanks a lot Even so We are experiencing problem with ur rss . Do not know why Can not sign up for it. Could there be anyone finding identical rss issue? Anybody who knows kindly respond. Thnkx 바카라사이트
This post has some really wonderful insights and interpretations in it. I like your writing style. Atlas pro
I’m just commenting to let you know what a excellent discovery my cousin’s girl encountered going through your web site. She noticed several details, which include how it is like to possess an ideal coaching spirit to let others smoothly learn a number of grueling subject areas. You actually did more than visitors’ desires. Thank you for distributing these great, dependable, informative and unique tips on that topic to Tanya. Ice Cream Cake In Hawai
Regards for this howling post, I am glad I found this internet site on yahoo. mexican restaurant
light bulbs are good for lighting the home but stay away from incandescent lamps because they generate so much heat;; sub sandwiches
Gamblers have an alternative option to play their favorite casino games on Internet in addition to the traditional land-based casino. The feeling and playing experience can be totally different between these two versions of playing environment. Some players like to play at brick-and-mortar casino while others may take the advantages of online casinos. Let's explore a few major advantages of playing at online casino that make many players choose it as their option to play their favorite casino games. 스포츠중계
i frequent hair salons because i always want to keep my hair in top shape“ 메이저사이트 추천
This can be a really great accessibility. Today coming from yahoo while searching the same subject material. I really ate up everything you were required to talk about. Maintain the fantastic perform! we buy houses pittsburgh
Absolutely pent written content , Really enjoyed reading through . qidoll shop
I can see that you are an expert at your field! I am launching a website soon, and your information will be very useful for me.. Thanks for all your help and wishing you all the success in your business. mawartoto
wonderful post. Ne’er knew this, regards for letting me know. mawartoto alternatif
*This web site is really a walk-through for all of the info you wanted about this and didn’t know who to ask. Glimpse here, and you’ll definitely discover it. mawartoto
THE ONE CARGO บริการ คาร์โก้ นำเข้าสินค้าจากจีนที่ครบวงจร คุณจะได้รับบริการผู้ช่วยส่วนตัว ที่จะคอยช่วยเหลือให้คำปรึกษา ตอบคำถามกับคุณตลอดช่วงเวลาของการนำเข้าสินค้า ซึ่งเป็นทีมงานผู้เชี่ยวชาญที่คอยดูแลทุกขั้นตอนของการนำเข้าสินค้า ช่วยให้ท่านสามารถนำเข้าสินค้าจากจีนได้อย่างสะดวกและรวดเร็ว
Excellent read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing a little research on that. And he really bought me lunch because I located it for him smile So let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch! www.cblucashvac.com
I just added this weblog to my feed reader, excellent stuff. Cannot get enough! www.cblucashvac.com
Hi there Dear, What you ?have here absolutely have me excited up to the last sentence, and I gotta tell you I am not that typical man who read the entire post of blogs ’cause I most of the time got bored and tired of the trash content that is presented in the junkyard of the world wide web on a daily basis and I simply end up checking out the pics and maybe a headline, a paragraph and so on. But your headline and the first few rows were great and it right on the spot grabbed my attention. Commending you for a job well done in here Thanks, really. www.cblucashvac.com
I like this post, enjoyed this one appreciate it for putting up. Cermin4d
kantorbola88
Kantorbola adalah situs slot gacor terbaik di indonesia , kunjungi situs RTP kantor bola untuk mendapatkan informasi akurat slot dengan rtp diatas 95% . Kunjungi juga link alternatif kami di kantorbola77 dan kantorbola99
클레오사이트
클레오카지노의 매혹적인 세계를 발견하십시오. 게임 산업에서 클레오 카지노의 놀라운 여정을 평가하기 위한 주요 통찰력, 성능 지표 및 전문가 분석을 알아보세요. 또한 우리는 엄청난 카지노쿠폰을 제공 합니다!
In Australia, the use of steroids is regulated under various laws and regulations, primarily overseen by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Steroids are classified as Schedule 4 drugs under the Poisons Standard, meaning they require a prescription for legal use <a href="https://super-steroidswarehouse.com/">steroids australia</a>