Sun Basket (07-07-16)

At Sun Basket, they believe food should taste good first, and do good always. From their 100% recyclable box to the pristine, organic and sustainably sourced ingredients harvested at the peak of freshness inside it, they create each Sun Basket with exceptional care. Because good food makes life better.

Sun Basket keeps it clean by using humanely raised, antibiotic and hormone-free meat, and seafood aligned with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Watch List. Their fishermen use low-impact fishing methods and they partner with ranches that treat animals with respect. Their farmers are pioneers in sustainable crop rotation and water efficiency. Plus, their paleo, lean & clean, gluten-free and vegan recipes are nutritionist approved.

As the executive chef of Sun Basket, every week Justine Kelly crafts deceptively simple and delicious reccipes and sources the best ingredients for each week's meal baskets. Known for her longstanding role as the corporate chef de cuisine at San Francisco's famous Slanted Door restaurant, Chef Justine's many accolades include mentions in Gourmet Magazine and an appearance on Iron Chef. Throughout her career, she has become a champion of delicious, wholesome cooking featuring the best produce, seafood and meat, all of which are brightened with unique ingredients and spices from around the world.

My husband and I love to cook our own homemade meals throughout the week, usually repeats... chili, spaghetti, soups, grilled meats and veggies. But this enables us to take it a step further and make delicious dinners that we wouldn't think to just make on the fly. With Sun Basket, you can incorporate gourmet meals into your diet with minimal effort.

The first meal I chose to create was the Almond-Crusted Cod with Chermoula & Cucumber-Olive Salad. In Chef Justine's contemporary riff on the French classic truite amandine, she swaps in meatier cod for trout and gives it a brilliant crust by dredging it in almond meal and sliced almonds instead of flour. The almonds prove a natural match for chermoula, a lively Moroccan herb sauce.

Aside from the olive oil, salt and pepper that you have at home, Sun Basket provided fresh parsley and cilantro, garlic cloves, a lemon, a Chermoula spice blend (coriander and cumin mixture), Persian cucumbers, Kalamata and Castelvetrano olives, Pacific cod fillets, a pasture-raised organic egg, almond meal and slivered almonds.

I made the chermoula by combining chopped parsley, cilantro and garlic with zest and juice of the lemon, followed by the spice blend and olive oil. For the cucumber and olive salad, I chose to not peel the cucumbers and rather than lengthwise, I just cut them into 1/4-inch slices. After that, I coarsely chopped the olive, and added those, lemon zest, oil, and salt and pepper to the cucumber in a bowl.

To prepare the cod, I dredged the fillets in the seasoned almond meal, followed by the beaten egg, and finally the almond slivers, on both sides. I cooked it over medium heat in a smidgen of olive oil in a pan, all the way through for about five minutes on each side. Then I plated the fish with the chermoula drizzled over it and the salad to the side.

This was such a delicious, and more importantly, low-maintenance dish. Oh... the protein and its side complimented one another perfectly! Each bite was a flavor explosion! This may be my favorite recipe of any meal preparation kit that I've received. It gets top honors on my fridge!
                                                                                                                                                  

The second meal I made was Ricotta-Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Tomato Panzanella. Ricotta makes chicken breasts even when it's slipped beneath their skins before roasting. As a counterweight to the richness, Chef Justine serves the chicken with a refreshing panzanella, or Tuscan bread salad, of toasted ciabatta, cherry tomatoes and basil.

Sun Basket provided all ingredients, except for oil, salt and pepper, including a ciabatta roll, a lemon, garlic cloves, fresh rosemary and basil, ricotta, chicken breasts, cherry tomatoes, shallots and sherry vinegar.  

I began the dish by making the ricotta filling. I zested and the lemon, finely chopped the garlic, and coarsely chopped the rosemary. I combined those items in a small bowl with the ricotta, salt and pepper.

Once that was prepared I stuffed the ricotta under the chicken breast skins. I roasted the chicken at 425, skin-side up on the sheet pan until the skin was browned and it was cooked through, about 15-18 minutes.

While that was cooking, I tossed the ciabatta in oil and seasoned, and then toasted it in the oven for 5-6 minutes. As it was cooling, I put the panzanella together by cutting the cherry tomatoes in half, slicing the shallots crosswise to create rings, and stripping the basil off the stems and tearing it into rough pieces. In a small bowl I mixed the lemon juice, vinegar, oil and salt and pepper. Then I topped the ciabatta mixture and tossed. I let it rest so that the bread soaked up some of the juices, and served.

I'm not a big meat eater. I like chicken but not with the skin on. However, I tried it and the skin was crispy and the cheese was very flavorful, so I believe it was a success. Thanks to meal delivery kits such as this I have become a big fan of shallots. I won't use a regular onion anymore. And unlike a regular onion, I love shallots raw. Maybe even more than cooked! Plus I also really dig oil and vinegar dressings. The panzanella was positively dreamy. That alone deserves a place on the fridge!
                                                                                                                                                                

Finally, Grilled Naan Panini with Summer Squash & Arugula Pesto... not your grandmother's grilled cheese sandwiches, these ooze with melted fresh mozzarella, sauteed spinach, basil and lightly salted sun-dried tomatoes, all held together in sturdy yet pliable naan flatbreads. A nourishing, casual supper, perfect for enjoying in the backyard with a chilled rose.

Once again, I only needed to have the most basic of ingredients (olive oil, salt and pepper), while Sun Basket provided me with everything else, including sun-dried tomatoes, summer squash, fresh mozzarella (mmm...), garlic cloves, fresh basil, pine nuts, baby spinach, naan, and arugula pesto (a mixture of arugula, parsley, pine nuts, canola/olive oil blend and salt).

As I was soaking the sun-dried tomatoes, I began preparing the squash by cutting it lengthwise, adding salt and pepper, and cooking in a pan coated in olive oil, 2-3 minutes per side, until browned and beginning to soften. While the squash was cooking I cut the mozzarella into thin slices, coarsely chopped the garlic and the basil leaves. After removing the squash from the pan, I roasted the pine nuts for about five minutes. Once that was done, I again used the same pan to sautee the garlic, adding the spinach, salt and pepper, and a little water until the leaves wilted.

I cut the naan in half and tried to "open to form pockets," but that didn't really work out for me. So I layered the bread with the mozzarella slices, sun-dried tomatoes, drained spinach, basil, and cheese again. Making good use of that pan for the fourth time, I toasted the sandwiches until the naan was browned and the cheese was melty. I chose to lay the pesto and pine nuts on top of the squash rather than tossing together, and served to the side of the panini.

This was another refrigerator magnet-worthy dish. Wow! The sandwich was so... GOOD! I can't think of another word. It was just good, good, good, good, good, good, GOOD! And the squash, pesto and pine nuts... such a nice, light but tasty combination that I would have never in a million years thought to cook together.

Sun Basket usually costs around $12 per meal per person. I received my first box for half off, which is fairly common among these programs, so look for the deal. All of Sun Basket's recipes are available to the public HERE.

Sun Basket pulled out all of the stops. I mean, I can't believe the taste quality of all three of these dishes. I hate to say it, but I think Sun Basket may be my favorite meal delivery plan just based off of this one kit. I'm sure the others stack up. This one just happened to knock it out of the ball park. There wasn't a single thing I would change. I highly recommend it and will definitely order from them again, if for no other reason but to see if they can continue to dazzle me. That and the flavors.

Bon appetit!