Our Favorite Easy Dinner Recipes

September 21, 2020 by Miki Kawasaki

Everyone needs a few go-to weeknight dinner recipes in their back pocket. The ones that you can put together with minimal effort in very little time. We’ve collected some of our favorites in the list below. When you’re short on meal inspiration, give one of these dishes a try. You might just find a new hit to add to your cooking rotation!

Chicken & Poultry

» Spinach Artichoke Chicken Alfredo Baked Ziti
» Romaine Wraps with Saigon Chicken
» Grilled Chicken and Arugula Salad with Creamy Chobani Avocado Dressing
» One Pan Rosemary Chicken and Veggies
» Fall Salad with Rotisserie Chicken and Squash
» One Pan Moroccan Chicken
» Smoky and Sweet Chili Turkey Fajita Wraps
…

Hoisin Pork Meatballs With Crunchy Green Salad Recipe

September 18, 2020 by Miki Kawasaki

Hoisin sauce has a sweetness that kids will love, and it goes perfectly with meatballs made from ground pork. Try baked ground pork meatballs seasoned with garlic, ginger, scallions, and a big dollop of hoisin and you’ll have a new favorite dinner recipe for the week. Serve it with rice and a celery, cucumber, and apple salad to make things complete.

Makes 3–4 servings

What You’ll Need

For the Meatballs:
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely grated
1” knob ginger, finely grated
1 lb. ground pork
Pinch of salt
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 egg, cracked
Neutral oil, for greasing

For the Salad and Dressing:
1” knob ginger, finely grated
1 teaspoon honey
3 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 cup olive oil
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced crosswise
2 Persian cucumbers, sliced into thin half-moons
1 green apple, cut into thin matchsticks
1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

Steamed white rice, chili oil, and sesame seeds, for serving

What To Do

To cook the meatballs: Preheat oven to 450 F. In a large bowl, place scallions, garlic, ginger, ground pork, a pinch of salt, soy sauce, hoisin, vinegar, sesame oil, and egg. Mix with hands until evenly combined.

Grease a sheet pan with a drizzle of neutral oil. With your hands, shape mixture into large meatballs—you should have about nine—and arrange on greased sheet. Bake in oven until cooked through, 15-17 minutes.

To make the salad: In a large bowl, place ginger, honey, vinegar, and sesame oil. Slowly pour in olive oil while whisking to combine. Add celery, cucumbers, apple, and cilantro to bowl and toss to coat in dressing.

To serve: Arrange meatballs, rice, and salad next to each other on a plate. Garnish meatballs with chili oil and sesame seeds, if desired.

About the Ancient Grain Fonio, Plus a Recipe

September 1, 2020 by Miki Kawasaki

Fonio is a gluten-free ancient grain that has been farmed in West Africa for thousands of years. In countries like Senegal and Nigeria, it’s a centerpiece of the local cuisines, often appearing alongside stews or folded into porridge-type dishes. Once you get to know fonio’s nutty, rich taste and pleasing, quinoa-like texture, it’s easy to understand why it’s such a beloved, important staple in the areas where it’s cultivated.

Outside of Africa, fonio remains largely unknown, but Senegalese chef and restaurateur Pierre Thiam has made it his mission to share his culture’s love for the grain with a wider audience. In 2017, after realizing how difficult it was to find consistent, quality sources of fonio on the consumer market, he founded Yolélé, a company dedicated to importing directly from smallholder farmers in West Africa.

Fonio can be boiled simply the same way you would rice, using two parts water to one part grains, with a little bit of salt and oil. In addition to its uses in traditional African recipes, fonio is a versatile grain that can take the place of any other in protein bowls, salads, and side dishes. And since it’s gluten-free while being rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, it will provide a nutritional boost however you serve it.

When you buy fonio from Yolélé on FreshDirect, you’ll also be supporting the company’s groundbreaking mission: to create economic opportunity for small farming communities, support regenerative food systems, and promote the biodiversity that our planet needs. Yolélé works directly with West African farmers to connect them with wider markets and support sustainable agricultural practices. These efforts have helped create a path to financial security for local communities and contributed to the regreening of the area’s landscape.  
If you’re looking to start cooking with fonio, we recommend trying Yolélé’s recipe for arugula and fonio salad below. It’s highly versatile, so you can feel free to swap out the ingredients with whatever you’ve got on hand.

Fonio Salad With Arugula and Feta

What You’ll Need

1.5 cups Yolélé fonio, cooked according to package instructions
1 clove garlic, minced
Pinch of ground coriander
A small handful of fresh herbs (like mint and/or parsley)
1 medium container of arugula
A few thin slices of red onion
1 tablespoon pine nuts
A handful of crumbled feta
Salt and pepper
Optional add-ins: sun-dried tomatoes, dried cranberries, sliced pear
Dijon vinaigrette (see below) or fresh lemon juice and olive oil

For the Dijon vinaigrette: 
Zest and juice of a lemon
Dijon mustard
Olive oil
Sugar
Salt
Pepper

What To Do: 

In a large bowl, toss together the cooked fonio, garlic, coriander, herbs, arugula, onion, pine nuts, and feta. Fold in the sliced pear (if using) and either the sun-dried tomatoes or dried cranberries. Season with salt and pepper.

 For the dressing, either whisk together a few squeezes lemon and olive oil, or make a Dijon vinaigrette by combining to taste all of the ingredients.

Add as much dressing as desired to the salad and toss to distribute evenly.

Veal & Mushroom Burgers with Balsamic Onions

August 27, 2020 by Fresh Direct

This post is made in participation with Veal Made Easy funded by Beef Farmers and Ranchers.

Mushroom Veal Burgers

Had enough of your standard burger? Try something new with veal! These veal and mushroom burgers with balsamic onions will wow in a way that you won’t expect, bringing the perfect combination of juiciness, tanginess, and deliciousness right to your dinner table.

Serves four

What You’ll Need:

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 onions (about 5 ounces each), cut in half lengthwise, then crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon salt, divided
8 ounces mixed mushrooms, trimmed and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 pound ground veal
4 egg twist rolls, split
4 leaves Boston lettuce
4 slices provolone cheese

What To Do:

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion slices and cook, tossing occasionally, until browned and almost tender, 7–8 minutes. Stir in vinegar and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until fully tender, 3–5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in same pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook 2 minutes, tossing frequently. Mix in garlic, thyme, and lemon zest. Cook until mushrooms are tender, about 2 minutes more. Remove from pan and set aside to cool.

Place veal, mushroom mixture, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Mix until just combined, then divide into quarters and shape into four 3/4-inch-thick patties.

Set up a charcoal or gas grill or stovetop grill pan over medium heat. Place rolls, cut-side down, on the grill and lightly toast. Remove and set aside.

Add patties to grill and cook, flipping once, until they reach an internal temperature of 160 F, 10 to 14 minutes. Arrange roll bottoms on a serving platter. Top each with a lettuce leaf, followed by patties, cheese, onions, and roll tops to create the finished burgers.

Grain Bowls with Egunsi Foods Soups

July 29, 2020 by Miki Kawasaki

One of our all-time favorite local discoveries at FreshDirect is soups from Egunsi Foods. Made in New York City, these ready-made, 100% vegan soups to bring West African flavors straight to your kitchen. Egunsi Foods uses locally-sourced ingredients wherever possible, and works with African farms for their spices and grains. From their tomato-y Obe Ata to the creamy Gbegiri with brown-eyed peas, these soups bring tons of vivid and exciting flavors in a sleek little grab and go jar. …

Banza Pasta Al Limone Recipe

April 24, 2020 by Emerald Chan

Hi everyone, Emerald here with another recipe for you!

Today we’re teaming up with Banza to make some pasta al limone (lemony pasta) with peas and asparagus. It’s a really awesome springtime dish and it comes together in just under half an hour. I love it because it’s super creamy from using lots of Parmesan, but it doesn’t feel heavy at all since there’s that really nice and bright citrus cutting through it….

Korean Beef Bibimbap with Flank Steak Recipe

March 19, 2020 by Fresh Direct

This post is published in partnership with the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative.

Image Courtesy of BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com

Bibimbap gets its name from the Korean words for “mixed rice” and that’s exactly how it’s served: after piling meat, veggies, and grains into bowls, you get to stir it all together and dig in! Our partners at the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative shared their recipe for the dish, which is perfect for a weeknight meal. The seasonings center around signature Korean ingredients like soy sauce and gochujang (chili paste), which make the already rich and robust flavor of flank steak truly shine.

Korean Beef Bibimbap with Flank Steak Recipe

Makes about 4 servings

What You’ll Need

For the beef and marinade*:
1 lb. beef flank steak
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons minced scallions
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons peeled and minced ginger

For serving:
4 servings cooked brown rice
Steamed broccoli florets
Sautéed sliced shiitake mushrooms
Shredded carrots
Mung bean sprouts
Gochujang (Korean chili paste), to taste

*Marinade ingredients may be substituted with ½ cup prepared bulgogi sauce.

What To Do

Cut steak in half lengthwise, then slice against the grain into ⅛–¼-inch-thick strips. In a medium bowl, mix the soy sauce, scallions, brown sugar, garlic and ginger. Add sliced steak and toss to coat. Cover bowl and let marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Heat a large, nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, remove steak from marinade, discarding any excess marinade. Add half the steak to the pan and stir-fry until slices are no longer pink on the outside, 1–2 minutes (do not overcook). Transfer to a plate or bowl and keep warm. Repeat with remaining half of steak.

Divide rice between 4 bowls, then arrange cooked steak and vegetables for serving on top. Add a dollop of gochujang, if desired. Mix together everything in the bowl before eating.

Shop the ingredients on FreshDirect.

About Our Sustainable Fish From Iceland, Plus Easy Steelhead Recipes

March 10, 2020 by Fresh Direct

Grindavik, Iceland is a small town with a 1,000-year-old fishing history. These days, it’s home to our partner Matorka, who is carrying that tradition into the future.

Matorka is a leader in sustainable aquaculture, raising steelhead and arctic char using a land-based farm that leverages the purity of Iceland’s natural resources in an efficient, carbon-neutral way. Iceland’s remote location and careful resource management make it one of the greenest countries in the world and Matorka is committed to keeping it that way. …

A Lighter Cioppino Recipe for Seafood Lovers

March 3, 2020 by Miki Kawasaki

This cioppino recipe is excellent for a quick and warming weeknight meal.

Cioppino is a seafood stew that originated in the old Italian fishing neighborhoods of San Fransisco. Typically, it would be made with whatever the catch of the day was, and you can feel free do the same here by swapping out any other fish or shellfish you’ve got—clams, crab, squid, lobster, halibut, or sea bass would all be worthy choices. Our chefs’ take on it is a lighter than the traditional version—you could say it’s somewhere between a cioppino and the Italian acqua pazza. Which makes it perfect for a simple weeknight dinner, especially when the weather is still chilly out. …

5 Easy Pantry Dinners for Busy Weeknights

February 20, 2020 by Miki Kawasaki

Have you ever set out to create a fancy dinner, only to end up staying late at work and caught in traffic on your way home? Or made restaurant plans, then had your pal cancel at the last minute, leaving you hungry and wondering what to do instead? We’ve all been in these sorts of situations, where you feel caught between wanting to make a nutritious, home-cooked meal and the desire to throw in the towel and reach for the takeout menu.

So how does one still get dinner done when time and energy are in short supply? Look to your pantry: by adding on a few shelf-stable items to your FreshDirect order, you’ll always have a quick, convenient, and tasty meal at the ready. It’s truly amazing what you can accomplish with an all-purpose sauce, some grains or pasta, and a few simple veggies or proteins. …