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
