The Purple Carrot is a plant-based meal delivery service that focuses on organic whole foods. I first heard about The Purple Carrot via Chic Vegan. While I was super excited, I was not surprised to see a vegan meal delivery service had finally popped up! Seeing so many other delivery services start up, with varying vegan options, I knew it was only a matter of time before someone came along and did it the way it should be done, or at least how I think it should be done – all plant-based and organic.
Much like other meal delivery services, The Purple Carrot provides all of the necessary ingredients for preparing the meals, as well as step by step instructions. They provide a wonderful selection of amazing-looking meals that follow a whole food, plant-based diet, meaning no heavily processed ingredients and no animal products such as meat, eggs or dairy. After browsing through their website I knew I had to try it!
I was pleased to have the opportunity to speak with founder, Andy Levitt, to get the full scoop and he was nice enough to send me a box to try it out. He told me that he came up with the idea for The Purple Carrot shortly after watching the documentary Forks Over Knives. (Sounds very similar to my story of going vegan!)
Experiencing the benefits of a more whole, plant-based foods diet, Andy knew that this was something special. With a background in the pharmaceutical industry and a desire to shift gears, he began to look differently at the way our diet and our health are connected. As an entrepreneur, Andy was able to develop this unique vision into a mission – “helping food earn its spot alongside pharmaceutical medications as a proven, trusted way to treat chronic disease.”
This idea really speaks to me, as the more I have learned about diet and nutrition, the more I realize how big of a role it plays in our health and quality of life. Teaching others to take care of their bodies through healthful, nutritious – and tasty! – foods is an important part of what I try to do here on this blog. I feel that a meal delivery service like this is wonderful for those of us who may not always have the time to create a meal plan, shopping list and get to the store(s) for all of the ingredients we need. Andy also pointed out that The Purple Carrot is not just for vegans, it’s for anyone who is interested in exploring a more whole foods, plant-based diet.
As you can tell, I was won over by the idea for this service and the mission behind it. But what about the food? I ordered my box on their website by picking 2 meals and a snack which included the Shitake Bok Choy Soba Noodle Bowl, the Buddha Bowl and the Carrot Cake Power Bites.
Right now, The Purple Carrot delivers to areas of the East Coast due to their desire to provide the freshest ingredients possible, at an affordable price. They hope to expand to the West Coast in early 2016. That being said, they were still able to get a box to me in Los Angeles and the produce was very fresh, neatly packed and labeled.
I love noodles, so I made the Shitake Bok Choy Soba Noodle Bowl first. I’m not sure if the ingredients are supposed to be pre-measured. Assuming they were, I poured the contents of the entire bottle labeled “tamari” into the pan when it called for it. I think it was definitely too much because my end product had much more liquid than the photo they provide on the website. It was also very salty, but I’m normally very sensitive to salt. I ended up whisking in a little bit of corn starch to thicken the sauce a little bit. I feel like this could have easily been avoided if I had double-checked the measurement!
Overall, the bowl had a delicious flavor despite my mishap and even my husband, who usually dislikes mushrooms, enjoyed it. Each meal is supposed to feed “four hungry people.” I made the Noodle bowl for my husband and a friend of ours and it easily fed all three of us with some leftovers!
The next night, I prepped the Buddha Bowl with great enthusiasm. The picture looks so good and I love the combo of ingredients which includes quinoa, black beans, kale and red cabbage. I love the simplicity of this dish and how it combines a so many nutrients into one bowl. It was very easy to prep – simply cooking the quinoa like normal then washing, dicing and steaming the veggies. The tahini sauce was also very easy to make, though funnily enough I felt like it need a little salt added. Everything in the bowl worked so well together and I thought it was very delicious. My husband (who is not vegan for the record) also enjoyed it.
And finally, the Carrot Cake Power Bites were super easy to make. The flavor really does taste like carrot cake! I love that you don’t even have to bake them. Delicious and easy snack to have around.
Overall, I was pleased with the entire experience I had from ordering the box, to making the recipes – to eating the delicious food! Everyone I’ve dealt with at The Purple Carrot has been so friendly and easy to communicate with. They’ve even been so kind as to include my recipe for Sesame Orange Tempeh for their service. Check it out here!
If you’ve ever considered signing up for a meal delivery service, I would highly recommend The Purple Carrot. Not only is it 100% plant-based, it’s also organic with a focus on whole foods. And because it’s two meals a week, it’s a great way to ease into eating more nutritious foods and taking some of the pressure off from having to plan out your meals. Enjoy!
Have you tried The Purple Carrot or another meal delivery service? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
