Sun Basket- subscription meal service

I'd been toying with the idea of trying out a subscription meal service for a while when I decided to give Sun Basket a try. I liked that, while slightly more expensive than the others on my list, they offer recipes made with organic ingredients in recyclable or compostable packaging.  The recipes also looked rather interesting and easy to make. My first order arrived on Wednesday and came with ingredients for 2 portions of 3 separate meals: Salmon with Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa & Jicama Salad, Creole Shrimp Rice & Padrón Peppers, and Steak with Artichoke Butter & Summer Vegetables. 

So far I've had the salmon and the shrimp dishes and both were very good.  Here's a quick review of each of those, the steak dish will be reviewed after I make and eat it tonight. 

The Salmon with Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa & Jicama Salad was delightful. 

I was introduced to a delicious spice I was unaware of prior to this box and got to work with a root vegetable I'd tasted before but never really thought about since then, not because it wasn't tasty but because I had no idea what to do with it.  The recipe was easy to follow and turned out deliciously. 

The salmon was a simple pan-frying with a small amount of oil, salt, and black pepper but it was delicious with the salsa. I'd never thought about using mint and cilantro at the same time in a salsa, nor had I ever used a radish, but it was very, very good. The only negative was that the avocado wasn't quite ripe yep so it was a bit tougher than I would've liked. (I blame that on my own lack of knowledge regarding avocados- they're either not ripe at all or they're way past their tasty ripeness by the time I get to them. Had I waited another day or 2 to try this recipe it would've been perfect.) the jicama salad was delicious (it's the part that looks like French fries) and introduced me to working with jicama as well as sumac- a citrus tasting spice- to make a crisp and refreshing side dish and (in my solo-culinary adventurer style of cooking for one) snack the next day. Overall the meal was delicious and a great first impression of the recipes I'll be trying. 

Last night, I tried the next recipe: Creole Shrimp Rice with Padrón Peppers. It was delicious, albeit a bit spicier than I usually eat. 

There was a note in the bag for the padrón peppers that they had run out but replaced them with mini sweet peppers. I made the sweet peppers the same way the others would've been made and frankly can't believe I never made them before. Just heat them over a medium high heat with a bit of oil until they're blistered and slightly charred, then plop them on a paper towel lined plate and add some salt when they're done. Super easy and very tasty! They also paired beautifully with the spicy rice dish with their sweetness. 

The rice dish was super easy and made me wonder why I've been using minute rice or ready-cooked Trader Joe's frozen rice for so long! The meal was colorful, flavorful, and pretty easy to make by myself. With a few ingredients and basic instructions, the meal was ready to eat in a short amount of time and I made my first Creole rice dish. 

So far I have been pleased with the recipes I've tried and have even picked up a few new tricks along the way. I'm excited for this evening's dinner and will post about it later.  If you'd like to try Sun Basket for yourself, get 3 meals for free (you still pay for the other half) with the following address: sunbasket.com/3free/Jennifer142294 

Tea Notes: David's Tea: Pumpkin Maté

This is a rather tasty maté with pumpkin seeds and a touch of spice.  I was in the mood for a strong cup of caffeine and maté fits that bill. It was very good with a few pieces of rock sugar and I have no complaints. I would absolutely get this tea again, perhaps when autumn comes back around as it reminds me of sitting by the window watching the falling leaves. It doesn't taste like a pile of leaves, of course, but it has a definite taste of fall to it (of course it does... pumpkin!). I'll keep this one on my list for sure. If you like maté, pumpkin, and a bit of spice, you'll enjoy this tea. I'm not sure how it would be unsweetened, but it was very good with the rock sugar (regular sugar would work too, of course). 

To make this tea, heat the water to 185 degrees Fahrenheit and steep for 4-7 minutes. I went closer to 7 and used a scoop and a half for 16 oz. of water. 

Bonus Product Review: Cheeky: 16oz. hot cup with lid and sleeve from Target: 

As I was running some errands today, I decided to use a paper to-go cup. The latest batch of cups is from Cheeky. You get 10 cups for about $4 and a portion of the sale goes to help combat hunger in the USA through Feeding America.  I like the cups because they're relatively large (16 ounces is pretty sweet for a paper cup) and they come with sleeves and lids. The manufacturer of these cups is Solo... I'm not really sure that I've had a to go cup like this that wasn't by Solo.

I have discovered that hotter teas don't always work as well in this kind of cup because the sleeve doesn't provided a lot of protection from the heat. However, for a tea steeped at 185 degrees Fahrenheit, the sleeve was perfect. I like the pretty color of the cup and the easy cleanup. While I don't normally use disposable drinks are, occasionally I do and this is a nice product to work with. I also liked that my tea cooled faster than it does in my thermos. I'm not a fan of piping hot beverages and the last time I used the thermos, I had finished my entire day of shopping and getting lunch before it was remotely drinkable.  That isn't necessarily a bad thing, of course.  It just depends on preferences and/or moods.    I would purchase the cups again and recommend them to a friend if the friend was looking for a similar product. 

Tea Notes: David's Tea: Jessie's Tea

Steeped somewhere between 4 and 7 minutes in water heated to 200 degrees F, this tea forms a beautiful gold color. The scent is very relaxing with hints of coconut and lavender. The flavor is rather delicate and enjoyable without additional sweetening. The most noticeable flavor is the coconut, but it is not overpowering nor unpleasant. I enjoyed this cup of tea greatly in my delicate porcelain tea for one set from the English Tea Store (stay tuned for a review of the product later).

Jessie's Tea came in my latest sampler from David's Tea. It is an all organic, all caffeine free sampler with some new and some familiar blends. Like the other 2 samplers I've gotten, this one has 12 small tins of tea.  It was a logical set to purchase as I like to avoid consuming caffeine in the evening and staying up until sunrise (unfortunately I know this from experience). I'm also growing a bit bored with the delicious chamomile tea from Harney and Sons and wanted to mix things up a bit.

All in all, Jessie's Tea is a beautiful, delicate, tasty tea that I give 4 stars.

Sweet Peppers w/ Peanut Butter Sauce

This incredibly easy recipe is also surprisingly tasty! I had it today as a side dish to a veggie soyaki with rice. To make it, simply mix some peanut butter and water then toss a bit of sliced sweet peppers to coat. I've enjoyed this dish several times when visiting a family friend for homemade dumplings. My dad's colleague and good friend is from China and makes some of the tastiest foods I've had the pleasure to eat. This is one of his recipes and it goes wonderfully with various Asia-inspired dishes. Give it a try if you like peppers and peanut butter then let me know what you think!

For this dish, I used the peanut butter I had open in the pantry- it was an all natural crunchy peanut butter and worked pretty well. It's also good with creamy peanut butter, just use what you have on hand. No need to buy special ingredients, just use what you like!

Tea Notes: Product Review: Tea Box Express: February 2016

 

After finding so much joy with Topper's monthly Bark Box subscription, I was searching for a nice little subscription box for myself. After some pretty exhausting research, I decided to try out 3 months of Tea Box Express as a gift to myself. I love to try new teas and tools, so it seemed like a rather good subscription to try out. The reviews and contents of previous boxes were rather promising with 2-3 featured teas, a small food item, and a tea accessory each month, all with a central theme.  I especially liked the idea that the box would come with new flavors and brands to try as well as a tea accessory. Some of the boxes looked really nice so I thought I'd try it out with a 3 month gift order instead of the recurring subscription.  If I like the 3 boxes, I will probably sign up for a regular subscription.

The February 2016 box has a pretty basic, unimaginative theme of "Valentines Day" and arrived on February 19.  Had it arrived before Valentine's Day, the theme may have been a tad less disappointing. I would have liked to see a bit more creativity in the theme selection and look forward to seeing what the March box holds. 

The featured teas for February are Berry Me in Kisses and Chai Love You by Tease Tea. I had never heard of the company before this subscription, so I'm looking forward to trying them both out. My experience with chai teas has been a bit hit or miss lately, but I am hopeful that the Chai Love You will be good. It seems like a nice list of ingredients so I am optimistic. I had the Berry Me in Kisses during work today with honey and without and it tastes pretty good either way.  It's also a really pretty color when it steeps. 

The box held 2 food items: a tiny box of chocolates by Nunu Chocolates and a heart-shaped decorated sugar cookie from Corso's Cookies. The chocolates I've tried so far have been pretty tasty. The chocolate shell is a bit underwhelming but the filling is good and the little box is rather cute in its simplicity. The box of chocolates also fit into the valentine theme rather nicely.  The cookie was pretty standard in the decorated sugar cookie world... sweet and cute.

The accessories in this box were a tea scoop and some loose empty tea bags. It never hurts to have an extra scoop around the house. The tea bags were a bit disappointing. They were just a thin paper that is folded and sealed around the edges. Without a drawstring or other means of closing the bag, they're a bit awkward. This isn't a huge deal, but I would have liked something a bit more conducive to steeping tea without a mess or risk of leaves escaping.

All in all, this was a decent box, but I am not yet convinced that I will want to order another set after the gift subscription trial is through. This particular box pulls in 2 stars on the 1-5 scale.  I am still hopeful for the next 2 as I like the concept of trying new teas as well as receiving treats and tea accessories. We shall see!

Tea Notes: Tease Tea: Berry Me in Kisses

My first box from Tea Box Express arrived today and this is one of the teas it contained. A post on the overall box is to follow. This tea has a nice and fruity aroma in the bag. A combination of strawberry, blueberry, elderberry, rose petals, and white tea leaves form this blend. It steeps to a beautiful deep purple-red color. The flavor is mostly fruity with just a hint of traditional tea flavor.  Without a sweetener, there is a pleasant tartness to this tea. With a sweetener, the sweetness of the berries is more enhanced. Overall, I'd say it is rather good with or without any added honey. I would purchase this blend again if I were in the mood for a cup of berries. 

Garlic Naan with Marinara Sauce

This is a very tasty and easy combination to prepare.  I came across the garlic naan from Trader Joe's while perusing the frozen foods section on my last visit.  As a solo diner most of the time, if you don't count the eyeballs surrounded by fur watching my every bite, I rarely purchase bread anymore because I can never finish it before it goes bad. The frozen naan was an excellent solution because it is already frozen and is pretty flat, thus taking very little space in the freezer. The package contains 4 naans and is recloseable. The naan takes about 10 minutes to prepare, mostly just waiting for the oven to warm to a toasty 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  I'm very glad I picked it up because it is also delicious!  I heated a bit of Trader Joe's marinara sauce (also delicious) for dipping and the combination has found a new home in my easy peasy go to pseudo-recipe collection. With a nice leafy salad, some cheese, and fruit, it makes a pretty spectacular lunch or light dinner. Alone, it makes a tasty snack between meals.

I'm all out of the garlic naan until the next trip, but I still have a package of whole grain naan ready to heat and eat. I'm looking forward to trying that one too!