Cooksimple is a line of boxed meals with the tag line “Think Inside the Box”. They strive to offer delicious healthy dinners that are simple to make, with almost all ingredients found inside their boxes.

I recently tried their Cranberry Wild Rice. First off, I loved the concept and lay out of the product. The directions are primarily pictures, and include suggestions for add-ons or variations on ingredients. Once you open the box you realize that simple cooking is truly their mission. The bag that the mix is in has measurement labels on it, making it very easy to measure out the required water and optional red wine once you’ve emptied the contents into your pot. No need for a measuring cup!

Cooking this was also simple as everything goes in one pot. They say that back in the days cowboys would throw whatever they could find for nutrients into one single pot, creating a ‘healthy’ and nutritious meal. The up side to this method of cooking? It keeps things easy and quick, and leaves you with less to clean. The down side? The finished product usually looks less than pretty. Visually, that’s how I felt about the cranberry wild rice. However, I really enjoyed the quick and easy cooking time.

I opted to add the green chives and sauteed mushrooms to the dish right before serving. The finished product was a conglomerate of distinct flavors: spice from the green onions, crunch from the wild rice, sweetness from the redwine and carrots, and bitterness from the cranberries. Unfortunately, the bitter sweet taste of the cranberries was the winning flavor, rising very distinctly above the others. This for me is not what I would look for in a lunch or dinner, at least not on it’s own (which is how I was eating it). It would certainly be a great side to something a bit simpler in taste, such as grilled chicken or a simple salad.