Brad and I love Blue Apron because it always challenges my cooking skills and taste buds. I have had more variety  of cuisine in the past month than I ever thought I could cook. My go to in our marriage has been grilling, Whole30, Mom’s favorites and easy Mexican or Chinese dishes. I never dreamed of cooking authentic cuisine like Blue Apron has taught me. You too can now try Blue Apron with 2 Meals Free on Your First Blue Apron Order!

Beef Arepas with Pickled Onion, Avocado & Radishes was a Blue Apron hit at our house. For those who are not familiar with the dish like me, Arepas is a specialty of Venezuelan and Colombian cuisines. Arepas are flat, round cornbreads that we made by hand and quickly cooked in a frying pan. Ours was dressed with spice beef and pickled onions, but you can fill you arepas with a wide variety of toppings.

Blue Apron | Beef Arepas Ingredients:

• 10 Ounces Ground Beef
• ¾ Cup Masarepa
• 2 Radishes
• 1 Avocado
• 1 Red Onion
• 2 Teaspoons Sugar
• ¼ Cup Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 Teaspoons Carne Molida Spice Blend

Blue Apron | Beef Arepas Recipe:

• Prepare your produce: Wash and dry the fresh produce. Peel, halve and thinly slice the onion. Pit, peel and thinly slice the avocado. Cut off and discard the ends of the radishes; thinly slice the radishes into rounds.
• Pickle the onions: In a small pan, combine the sugar, vinegar and half the onion; heat to boiling on high. Once boiling, cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until the onion has softened and the liquid is slightly reduced in volume. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and set aside to pickle, stirring occasionally, for at least 10 minutes.
• Brown the beef: While the onion pickles, in a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the ground beef; season with salt and pepper. Cook, frequently breaking the meat apart with a spoon, 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly browned.
• Fill the house with delicious smells: To the pan of beef, add the remaining onion and as much of the spice blend as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 4 minutes, or until the beef is cooked through and the onion has softened. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool slightly. Rinse and wipe out the pan
• Form the arepas: In a large bowl, combine the masarepa, a big pinch of salt and ½ cup of lukewarm water. Stir until just combined. (The dough should be moist and easy to shape. If the dough seems dry, add up to ¼ cup of water.) Using wet hands, divide the dough into 4 equal-sized balls; on a clean, dry work surface, carefully flatten into ¼-inch-thick rounds.
• Cook the arepas and plate your dish: In the pan used to cook the beef, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the arepas and cook 2 to 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown and cooked through. Divide the cooked arepas between 2 dishes and top with the cooked beef. Season the avocado with salt and pepper. Garnish the arepas with the seasoned avocado, radishes and as much of the pickled onion as you’d like (draining just before adding).
• Enjoy your authentic and delicious meal!

The meal was scrumptious and I learned two new tricks that I never new how to do – pickle onions and make arepas. I would call this another Blue Apron win that ended with a full stomach and mind. 🙂 Don’t forget you can receive 2 Meals Free on Your First Blue Apron Order by taking action today!