Boyfriend won three meals from Blue Apron in a work competition.  I was very excited to have a chance to try out Blue Apron, and I loved the meals we tried.  I would definitely happily pay to try more meals from them.  The process was extremely easy, the food ships to your front door and is nicely packaged so that it could sit out for many hours in case you’re not home.  Everything is pre-portioned so it’s extremely easy to make the meals.  The recipes are well-written and easy to follow.  I would definitely consider doing this when you’re bored with cooking and need a little inspiration, or when you’re returning from a vacation and don’t want to have to worry about going grocery shopping right away.

My only complaint is that the recipes don’t include as many vegetables as I would like.  In the recipe below I’ve doubled the amount of collard greens because they’re delicious and you can never have too many greens.  I would definitely make this meal again.  I’ve never used grains of paradise before, but they added a pleasant lemony flavor.  There was so much going on with this dish, from the lime zest in the plantain (which was fantastic), to the extra pop of freshness from the parsley-lime mixture and the zing of ginger-peanuts.  So full of flavor!  

Grains of Paradise-Crusted Steak

Serves 2-3

Adapted from Blue Apron

• 1 Ribeye steak
• 1 black plantain
• 1 lime
• 1 bunch collard greens
• 1 bunch parsley
• 2 Tbsp peanuts
• olive oil
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1-inch piece ginger
• 1 tsp grains of paradise

Wash and dry the produce.  Zest the lime, and cut it into quarters.  Chop the peanuts.  Peel and mince the ginger.  Remove the collard green stems and thinly slice the leaves.  Finely chop the parsley leaves and stems.  Gently crush the grains of paradise in a bag with the bottom of a heavy pan.

Heat a medium pot of water to boiling on high.  Peel and slice the plantain in 1/2″ pieces, and add them to the boiling water.  Boil the plantain for 9-11 minutes, or until fork tender.  Drain the plantains, return them to the dry pot, off the heat, and mash in the butter and lime zest, season with salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add peanuts and ginger, and season lightly with salt and pepper.  Stir constantly until lightly browned and fragrant.  Remove to a paper towel.  Wipe the pan clean.

Dry the steak with a paper towel and season both sides with salt and grains of paradise, pressing them into the steak.  Heat 2 teaspoon of olive oil over medium-high heat.  When the pan is hot add the seasoned steak, cook on each side for 3-5 minutes or until browned and cooked to your desired doneness.  Remove steak from the pan and let rest for 5 minutes.

Return the same pan to the heat (with all the browned bits still in it), and add 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan and add the collard greens and a little water to soften the greens.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a small bowl, combine the parsley and lime juice, then add a little olive oil to make a paste, and season with salt and pepper.

Cut the steak against the grain and serve over the mashed plantains and collard greens.  Top with the parsley-lime mixture and the ginger-peanuts.