U-Relish Farm

U-​relish got my wife and I through grad school. I was not in grad school, but I was working full time and needed to feed my very busy wife. U-​relish makes it easy to just throw stuff in a crock pot and a little bit later, meal.
the good news is, my wife is no longer in grad school. which means u-​relish meals are just my easy, delicious way out of not having to cook for the evening.
They really are ridiculously easy and ridiculously delicious meals.

Super easy. Super healthy. Super cheap. Super tasty. Need I say more? Nope, but I will!
Being a teacher and a coach, I’m always on the go, and I struggle to find good, healthy, easy meals to prepare for my husband and I. Compound that with the fact that the hubs is a vegetarian, and it’s an added challenge to find options full of nutrients that are easy to prepare, don’t cost an arm and leg, and aren’t a salad.
Then we found U-​Relish Farm at City Market! They assemble quality ingredients to make dehydrated lentil-​based and bean-​based meals that you prepare in a crock pot! Seasonings and spices all included! Each pouch makes enough for 3 adults or 2 adults with leftovers, and the few we’ve retried are excellent! They seem to be named after their inspirations. We’ve had one called Pizza that reminded me of pizza. Another was called Herbs & Spices, and it was inspired by KFC. Yummmmm!
To sweeten the deal, it is a local Indiana business that farms as much of their ingredients as possible! I love that! Plus, we’ve met over of the owners at her both at City Market, and her customer service was top notch.
While you can buy U-​Relish products at their City Market both, you can also find them at local retailers (ex: Georgetown Market). We just went to City Market today to stock up! Bought 6 pouches for less than the price of 1 sit-​down dinner for 2, and all we have to do is add water and cook (although you certainly can add more!).
Give it a shot! You won’t be disappointed!

I am so struggling between a 3 and a 4. I LOVE my experience whenever I visit with the owner at the Indianapolis City Market. but I do not love everything about the meals I make!
The owner of this business is so helpful and knowledgeable about all things health. She spoke with me about all of the health benefits of lentils, how they are a Ph balancer and oh-​so-​good for you.
I also love the tea she brews! It has protein, so she advised to drink it in between meals.
The lack in stars stems from the two times I have made the food she packages. I have made the Cajun lentils and the Chili. My crockpot cooks fast, and I mean chicken in two hours fast. So I was thinking this would be the same. NOPE! Cook it for the suggested amount of time or you will have some hard lentils and beans in yo mouth. All of it is organic, so it was a little flavorless. I do think this problem would be solved if I added in meat to either of the dishes, or used a beef/​chicken broth instead of water.
I will definitely be trying to make my review improve by trying new variations with her easy dishes… but for now I have to say it’s a 3.5.
The ease of the dishes does not totally make up for their lack in taste, but I am confident I can doctor them up with some other ingredients and spices to make it a solid 4 star.

My cooking skills are rather dismal, and for me, the simpler = the better. I just bought my first crock pot so I can experiment. I’ve been meaning to make it down to the City Market and have a smorgasboard feast and then swing by sweet owner Cara Dafforn’s stall, but instead I found them at Homespun on Mass Ave and picked up a few.
They’re reasonably priced at $ 6 for a bag w/​three servings. I think you can buy three for $ 15, but that offer may only be available at her stand in the market.
I tried Chef Jenxie Three Bean Chili for dinner. It’s idiot-​proof to make and comes with instructions, a list of ingredients in the mix, and suggestions for protein. I added ground beef and it easily served three people with some leftovers. Put some water in the crock pot, add the mix, and six hours later you’ve got a hearty meal ready to go!
Cara’s mixes are preservative free, all natural, healthy, and inexpensive. Can’t wait to pay her a visit and try new mixes! I’ve got a pot pie mix in my pantry that I can’t wait to crack open.

1 Bag of U-​Relish Farm + Water + Crockpot = Easiest Dinner Ever.
So far, I’ve been the biggest fan of the lentil minestrone, not only for its simplicity in preparation, but also for its hearty flavor. I’ll never turn to canned soup again when I can buy from a local purveyor who is so incredibly conscious about what she puts in her preservative-​free bean, lentil, and pea recipes.
Simple, healthy, hearty, delicious… what more could you ask for?

I love crock pot meals.
This places sells crock pot meals.
The meals are cheap and yummy.
The business owner is kind, funny, and a trained nutritionist.
Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. Go there, get healthy, plug in your crock pot. Dinner is served.

Cara, the owner of U-​Relish Farm, puts on one heck of a show. She came to speak at the Unilocal 10 minute talks on January 21^st and it was the first time I had ever seen her. I was aware of U-​Relish but had no idea what it meant to Indy.
Until that night.
Cara was dressed in her best pioneer woman outfit and she shined and dazzled us with her story. I love that she prides herself on using only the best ingredients. What’s great about these pre-​mixed crock pot recipes is that Cara gives you the opportunity to add more if you wish… but if all you want is whats in the bag, then you’re more than covered. Each bag contains 3 servings and its so simple! In this busy day and age, its the simple things that stand out the most.

I had the pleasure of learning about this wonderful company and met the owner, Cara, when I attended the Unilocal Glamping Gathering with U-​Relish at the IMS last spring. One of the reasons I am completely in love with Unilocal is because they spotlight local and unique businesses that deserve our support and attention!
At the glamping event, we received a coupon to try a free mix from U-​Relish. Who am I to pass up on some free stuff?! So a few weeks later I stopped by the U-​Relish at the City Market. I must say that Cara is the sweetest as well as the gentleman who assisted me with making my selections. They were so passionate and excited about their creations. Basically, U-​Relish is Cara’s homemade crock pot creations. There are a wide variety to including fajita, chicken pot pie, etc. I opted for the two aforementioned flavors as well as the Pawnee Chickpea (They had me at Pawnee!).
I must admit that my crockpot mostly sits in cabinet collecting dust. Unfortunately Cara’s marvelous creations sat in the cabinet as well until one day I needed something easy to cook with a bunch of chicken I purchased on sale. So I finally decided to use the fajita mix. Loved it! I am not a huge fan of beans, but I found the meal to be easy to make and hearty. This week, I tried the chicken pot pie. It is a much healthier and lighter version to the sodium laden (although delicious) pot pies you find at the store.
I am definitely a fan and my crock pot is happy that it gets a little more attention. I definitely plan to pick up more mixes soon. I’m really excited about trying the white hot chili! Be sure to check out Cara’s marvelous creations next time you are at the City Market! Definitely worth a try!

I wish I could get downtown more often, I miss working there. And our fabulous City Market is one of the reasons why! But the most fabulous of the fabulousities is U-​Relish. Cara’s concoctions are magic you perform in your own kitchen! I’m willing to bet most people have a crock pot sitting in that cabinet way up above their refrigerator — you know, the cabinet you look in once or twice a year? You open the doors, see the crock pot, and say to yourself «hmm, don’t see the giant platter I’m looking for, but there’s that damn crock pot, I need to get that down one of these days and use it». Great! Get it out now and scoot down to U-​Relish (or Pogue’s Run Grocer or Homespun) and grab several bags of easy to prepare meals. There’s sweet or savory selections; the breakfast choices only take 1 – 2 hours, the others 3 – 6 depending on the ingredients. Doll ‘em up to your preference; veggie style or carnie style. I especially like the White Hot Chili, but I’m sure you’ll find several flavors to try. It makes you feel awesome ’cause a) you’re eating healthy, b) your home smells delicious, c) it was a snap to prepare, d) you’re supporting a local business, and e) you’re using the damn crock pot.

If you are looking for a great meal with little effort you need to check out the U-​Relish crock pot meals. Crock pot, water or broth, bag of ready-​to-​go-​ingredients and 6 hours later you get a really tasty hot meal. The latest bag-​o-​fixins I cooked was the Chef Jenxie Three Bean Chili. I used some broth in place of water and added some cayenne pepper along with some left over shredded pork loin. Very satisfying and delicious. If you haven’t tried any of their crock pot mixes, do yourself a favor and pick some up at the City Market.

Since my discovery of U-​Relish crock pot meals this winter, my pantry has not been found without at least one of these in stock at all times. First of all, crock pot meals are just hard to beat in general with the lack of effort that has to go into creating them. U-​Relish has taken out what little work actually went into making a crock pot meal by blending up the perfect mixture of ingredients into their 3ish serving bags so that all you have to do is add water or broth and the contents of the bag and you have dinner started.
There is something for just about every taste available. Whether you want something spicy, savory, or even a little sweet, you will be directed to the perfect meal. I don’t recall which one it was, but if you’re looking for spicy, they have at least one that will clear your sinuses. I prefer to add a little more into the meals I prepare, and each different variety has a suggestion on adding proteins, greens, or anything else that might go well with that particular mix so you don’t have to think about that either. Each bag, especially if you add the suggested extras, produces 3 servings, and is $ 5 if you buy 3, which is a great deal for a full meal. Even if you don’t plan to use them often, they stay good for a really long time and make for an easy item to keep in the back of your cupboard for one of those days you don’t want to have to do much to put some food out on the table.
The only reason I don’t make more of these is because just about all of them are 6 hours recipes. That’s not enough time to set it before I go to work and have it finishing when I get back, and too much time to start it when I get home and have dinner done before bed time. It would be great if I had a way to get it started at lunch time, but I’m not close enough to home to do that. Because of that, these are my meals on a lot of weekends when I can get it started and then go get stuff done knowing I will have food waiting for me when I get back. I haven’t actually asked what cooking it significantly longer than what is recommended will do to it, or if there is a good way to extend the cooking time, so that may already be something they have worked out and I’m just behind of asking.
On top of the delicious food, Cara (the owner), is probably the nicest lady you’ll meet. She is always more than happy to help you pick out what you’re looking for and loves sharing her creations with her customers. Aside from the soups/​chilis that they have, there are also a handful of other items such as breakfast crock pot meals and even different dip mixes, but I have only second-​hand information about how good they are.
Don’t leave City Market again without a few of these in your shopping bag.

U-​Relish crock pot meals have been a real savior for both me and Jason B since I’ve been in grad school. Jason is amazing, and has been making meals for me since I’m always doing schoolwork when I’m not regular work. These meals make it so at least I can prepare something sometimes! Every one I’ve had has been amazing. They are vegan on their own, and grow most of the ingredients on their farm. At 3 for $ 15 you can’t really beat these for a good, simple to prepare and good for you meal.

I always have several bags of soup mix from U-​Relish Farm in my pantry for those cold, snowy Indiana winter days that seem to sneak up without warning. I can throw one in my crock-​pot early in the afternoon and have homemade soup in about 6 hours. Even better, the shelf life is fairly long so I can stock up!
U-​Relish is located at City Market, but you can find their products around Indy at local stores. Personally, I’m a fan of swinging by U-​Relish and chatting with Cara on Saturday mornings while visiting the Winter Farmers Market and Circle City Sweets.

The dips and crock pot mixes smell tasty, and the sales lady was super friendly! The food is shelf stable, so you can store if you aren’t ready to make it right away. It seems like it’s healthy food, and the prices are very reasonable! It doesn’t get much easier than this.

You really have to try this! They have created bagged concoctions filled with beans, dried vegetables, and whole grains. You just have to dump the bag into the crock pot and you have a great meal waiting for you later.
I have tried about 5 different ones and all were really great. Last week I went to a local foods potluck. I brought the chili and it was the hit of the pot-​luck. Everybody commented on how it was spiced so nicely. They asked what I did and I said nothing, I just dumped in the bag, added some water and cooked for 6 hours on high in the crock pot like the bag said.
I know that I have seen U-​Relish Farms Products on shelves at pogues run green grocer, and smoking goose… I get mine at City market where they are headquartered.
Do yourself a favor, go to city market and pick up a bag or two for your pantry.

Love every thing here, love the throw in a crock pot & come back to FAB dinner, can’t wait for the nettle tea in June! Friendly & Healthy at the same time

Must must must try the coconut curry lentil mix. New favorite. Added quionoa. Rocked my world. May or may not have consumed almost the entire three servings…

Lords Of The Crock Pot,
Thank you. 1. You created the crock pot. 2. You found a way to get to everyone. And on the 3^rd day you created U Relish.
I love cooking but I rarely have time for it. Old story right? Thus, I think about how lonely the crock pot in the lazy susan cupboard is, and I’m constantly curious about how to utilize the thing beyond chili. Then, I overhear a friend saying, «yeah, crockpot meals. That’s what they make and sell at U Relish.»
Crockpot meals? Those two words together lower my stress levels, increase endorphins and secure an extra two years on my life expectancy.
White Bean Rosemary. «Suggestion: garlic sausage.» Cook for 6 hours in crock with broth and olive oil.
If for whatever wild reason you’ve never heard of a crock pot, or have heard of one but have never dived into its genius: you can plug it in, fill it up with whatever you’d like (I recommend this U Relish genius), and leave. Go. Get out of there. Go work, run with your puppy, get a room, see a movie, dance, anything. Then… return. Your meal’s ready. Thanks to the genius of the crock pot. You don’t even need to hire any crock pot elves to come in to your house (creepy!) to stir your meal.
U Relish can be purchased in City Market at their stand… at Smoking Goose and Homespun (yeah, your Homespun experience just got *that much* better).
The U Relish meals vary from spicy curry to spicy black bean to white bean rosemary… they’re all over the place, and if someone said, «here… here’s 182 U Relish meals, you can live off these all year.» I’d not only be a happy man, I’d be perfect. Yes, perfect. How so bold? The crock pot is the perfect invention for the modern household. Take that microwave!