Holiday Mocktails – Facebook LIVE
This week on Facebook LIVE, Sun Basket’s Content Project Manager Chistina Stork showed us some easy recipes to serve your guests who aren’t imbibing—Hot Buttered Apple Cider, Pomegranate Fauxjitos, and Hibiscus-Ginger Mocktails.
Watch the video below to learn the basic recipes, tips, and ideas for making your holiday gathering special for everyone. She covers some ideas on how to do alcoholic versions of these cocktails, plus check out one of our fave low-alcohol drinks, also known as Shims, the Americano aka Fauxgroni.
Tune in on Wednesday, December 6th, at 4 pm when we’re live with the test kitchen team as they show you how to make their recipe for socca, a gluten-free chickpea flatbread popular in the southern France and northern Italy.
Coconut Meringue Topping Recipe
Made with egg whites and coconut milk, our dairy-free, paleo dessert topper is a delicious stand-in for whipped cream. Try it on your favorite pie or pudding this holiday season. Be sure to use full-fat coconut milk, which typically comes in a can (always stir together the milk and any cream on top before measuring). Low-fat or “lite” coconut milk, particularly the stuff meant for drinking that comes in a box, won’t cut it here. You’ll want to serve this right away, as it begins to lose volume once the milk is folded in. A spoonful on top of our Chocolate Avocado Pudding makes for an elegant paleo dessert.
Coconut Meringue Topping
Makes about 4 cups
Serves 8
Shopping List
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
⅛ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons sugar, preferably coconut sugar
3 tablespoons coconut milk
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Tools
Whisk or standing mixer, large bowl
1 Make the coconut meringue topping
In a large bowl and using a whisk, or in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, gently whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar and salt until frothy. Slowly whisk in the coconut sugar. Then beat the egg white mixture, on medium speed if using a mixer, until stiff peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the coconut milk and vanilla extract. Using a spatula, gently fold just until incorporated.
2 Serve
Serve at once.
Chef’s Tip: When whisking egg whites, make sure the bowl and whisk are completely clean of any oils that could prevent the whites from picking up volume. The addition of cream of tartar or the same amount of lemon juice also decreases the pH of the whites, which stabilizes the proteins, helping the air bubbles to remain intact as the whites are whipped. If food safety is a concern, make this with pasteurized egg whites, sold in cartons in the refrigerator case.
Nutrition per serving: Calories: 45, Protein: 2g (4% DV), Fiber: 0g (0% DV), Total Fat: 1g (2% DV), Monounsaturated Fat: 0g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g, Saturated Fat: 1g (5% DV), Cholesterol: 0mg (0% DV), Sodium: 75mg (3% DV), Carbohydrates: 7g (2% DV), Total Sugars: 6g, Added Sugars: 6g (12% DV). Not a significant source of trans fat.
Bonus recipe—ingredients not included in box.
Set the Table for a Healthy Feast
When it comes to sensible eating, it turns out that the plate itself is as important as what’s on it. Same with the size of your fork, the color of your dishes, even the tempo of the music. Sun Basket’s Director of Nutrition, Lindsey Kane offers some suggestions based on research by Dr. Brian Wansink at Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab, on how to set the table and the mood for healthier eating.
Be strategic with serving pieces
The smaller the serving spoon, the less you’ll put on your plate, too. Designate your largest serving utensils for the most nutrient dense dishes, like roasted vegetables and sautéed Brussels sprouts, and reserve your smaller serving pieces for the marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes.
Big glass, small glass
Studies show the bigger the glass, the more you drink, so use your largest glasses for water. When it comes to cocktails, choose a tall and narrow glass. Most people serve themselves less when pouring a drink into a tall skinny glass, compared to using a short and stout glass of equal volume. Drinking wine? Opt for a white wine glass, which tends to be taller and more narrow than its wide-mouthed counterpart traditionally reserved for red wine. Studies have found wine drinkers pour 12 percent less wine when using a white wine glass.
Color a healthy plate
When the color of the plate is too similar to the shade of the food, it can be more difficult it is to gauge how much food is on it. Serve vegetables on plates of similar hues (green salad in a green bowl), but use white plates for chocolate cake, and other dark-colored foods that you want to enjoy in moderation.
Go small
The less surface area on your dinner plate, the less room there is for food, making it more difficult to pile on the potatoes. The same size portions served on smaller dinnerware tend to appear bigger than when spooned onto a larger plate. By using a smaller plate, you obtain a greater visual and physical sense of satisfaction—the perfect formula for enjoying more of less.
Keep the food away from the table
Studies have found that people eat 19 percent more food when a meal is served family-style at the table. Set up a buffet in the kitchen or on a side table instead. As one would predict, the farther away food is stationed, the more inconvenient a second helping becomes.
Mood lighting
Dim the lights, but not too much. Bright light (think fast food chains) promotes speed eating, while a softly lit room will get your guests to slow down and enjoy the meal. But don’t make it too dark. Eating in the dark can create a false feeling of “invisibility” which can mute inhibitions and promote overeating.
Play some slow tunes
As for music, we tend to eat to the beat. Choose some mellow tracks to encourage eating at a steady pace and then turn on the dance music after dinner and start burning off dessert.
Prioritize your line up
Give the most nutrient-rich, vegetable-centric dishes priority seating at the table. This encourages guests to commit the initial real estate on the plate to the healthiest choices right off the bat and limit the amount of space available for the richer dishes further down the line.
Shrink your silverware
Smaller utensils translate to smaller bites, which prolongs the meal, creating more time to chew, savor, enjoy, and digest your meal allowing you to feel full before going back for seconds. Yet another reason why smaller utensils increase satiety and satisfaction.
Artwork by ekströmdesign
Celery Salad with Parmesan and Pine Nuts Recipe
As much as we love the traditional Thanksgiving feast, there comes a time in the middle of the marathon of mashed potatoes, gravy, and meat that we start craving something a little lighter. Enter this crisp celery salad, which uses every part of the plant—root, stalk, leaves, and seeds—to break the rich monotony of the holiday meal. If you have a mandoline, this is a great time to pull it out. Otherwise, use a vegetable peeler or your sharpest knife to slice the celery root. Season with your best coarse-grain sea salt.
Celery Salad with Parmesan & Pine Nuts
Serves 6
Shopping List
1 small celery root (about 1 pound)
1 bunch celery (about ¾ pound)
2 lemons
⅓ cup pine nuts
One 2-ounce wedge Parmesan
1 teaspoon celery seeds
Coarse sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Tools
Peeler, mandoline with a guard, optionaI, small whisk, small bowl, large bowl, small frying pan
1 Prep the ingredients
- Place the celery root on its rounded side; using a sharp knife, trim off the ends. Stand it upright on a cut end and cut away the peel in strips, following the contours of the root. Using a mandoline with a guard, a peeler, or a sharp knife, thinly slice the celery root.
- Trim the root end from the celery; separate the celery leaves from the stalks; measure out ⅓ cup leaves. Using a sharp knife or a mandoline with a guard, thinly slice the celery stalks on the diagonal.
- Zest 1 lemon and juice both lemons, keeping the zest and juice separate.
In a large bowl, combine the lemon zest, shaved celery root, ⅓ cup celery leaves, and sliced celery stalks and toss to combine.
2 Toast the pine nuts
In a dry small frying pan over medium-low heat, toast the pine nuts, stirring often, until lightly browned and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
3 Prep the dressing; assemble the salad
- Using a peeler, cut the Parmesan into thin slices.
In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons lemon juice with the 2 tablespoons oil and season the dressing lightly with salt and pepper.
To the large bowl with the shaved celery root mixture, stir in the pine nuts and toss with the lemon dressing. Top with the Parmesan slices and sprinkle with the celery seeds, coarse salt, and coarsely ground pepper.
4 Serve
Transfer the celery salad to individual plates or a platter and serve.
Nutrition per serving: Calories: 180, Protein: 6g (12% DV), Fiber: 3g (12% DV), Total Fat: 13g (20% DV), Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 2.5g (13% DV), Cholesterol: 10mg (3% DV), Sodium: 290mg (12% DV) (does not include pantry salt; for reference, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt added to the recipe averages 240mg per serving, or 10% DV), Carbohydrates: 13g (4% DV), Total Sugars: 3g, Added Sugars: 0g (0% DV). Not a significant source of trans fat.
Bonus recipe—ingredients not included in box.
Kale Walnut Stuffed Delicata Squash
Feeling confident enough to cook without a recipe takes experience (and often a few missteps), but being able to make different dishes with the same ingredients is a great skill to have when plans (or your cravings) change direction. We like to call this creative redirection “Basket Hacks.”
This week, Sun Basket Sous Chef Ali Ramee turned our pan-roasted delicata squash with sage, white beans, and kale into an impressive stuffed squash for a quick cold-weather dinner. This recipe is versatile and can be made with any type of squash. The possibilities for the filling are limited only by your imagination and what’s on hand in your pantry.
For more tips on how to customize your recipes, see our test kitchen’s Pantry Essentials for Hacking Your Sun Basket Meals. And if you ever go “off recipe” with your Sun Basket, we’d love to hear about it! Share it on Instagram with the hashtag #hackyourbasket
Ingredients
2 delicata squash (about 1¼ pounds total)
1 or 2 cloves peeled fresh garlic
1½ cups cooked white beans
¼ cup walnuts
1 lemon
½ cup mirepoix (onions – carrots – celery)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ pound chopped kale
1 cup diced tomatoes
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon red chile flakes, optional
2 or 3 sprigs fresh sage
1 fresh bay leaf, save for another use
From your pantry
Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, olive oil
Tools
Peeler, fine-toothed or garlic press – optional, colander, large frying pan, sheet pan
1 Roast the squash
Heat the oven to 425°F.
- Trim the ends from the squash and cut the squash in half lengthwise; using a spoon, scoop out the seeds. Season the cut sides of the squash with salt and pepper. Drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons oil on the cut side of the squash.
On a lightly oiled sheet pan, place the squash cut side down and roast until tender when pierced with a sharp knife, 20 to 25 minutes.
While the squash roasts, prepare the stuffing.
2 Prep the kale-bean stuffing
- Finely chop, press, or grate enough garlic to measure 1 teaspoon.
- Rinse the white beans.
- Coarsely chop the walnuts.
- Juice the lemon.
In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon oil until hot but not smoking. Add the mirepoix and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the kale and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale begins to wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the white beans, tomatoes, allspice, walnuts, and as many red chile flakes as you like; bring to a boil and immediately remove from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3 Stuff the squash
Remove the squash from the oven; using tongs or spatula, turn the squash cut sides up and fill each with the kale-bean stuffing; wipe out the pan. Return the squash to the oven and continue roasting until the kale-bean stuffing is bubbling hot, 8 to 10 minutes.
While the stuffed squash roast, prepare the sage.
4 Prep and fry the sage
- Strip the sage leaves from the stems.
In the same pan used for the stuffing, over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon oil until hot but not smoking. Add the sage leaves and cook, turning once, until crisped and fragrant, about 15 seconds per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
5 Serve
Transfer the squash to individual plates, top with fried sage, and serve.
Nutrition per serving: Calories: 680, Protein: 17g (34% DV), Fiber: 20g (80% DV), Total Fat: 43g (66% DV), Monounsaturated Fat: 22g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 5g (25% DV), Cholesterol: 0mg (0% DV), Sodium: 130mg (5% DV), Carbohydrates: 69g (23% DV), Total Sugars: 11g, Added Sugars: 0g (0% DV). Not a significant source of trans fat.
How to Cut Shallots
Sun Basket Basics:
Tackling the three most common ways to prep shallots.
Before you start cutting, trim both ends and peel the shallot.
Finely Chopped
- Halve the shallot lengthwise and lay it cut side down on your board.
- Cut strips lengthwise, about 1/8-inch apart, leaving about half an inch of un-cut shallot at the end to help it hold its shape.
- Chop crosswise.
Test your shallot-chopping skills this week while preparing our Turkey Meatballs and Baby Bok Choy in Lemongrass Broth.
Thin Slices
- Halve the shallot lengthwise and lay it cut side down on your board.
- Cut crosswise into thin slices.
Roast your thinly sliced shallots with vegetables this week in our vegan Penne with Rosemary-Roasted Winter Vegetables and Balsamic-Fig Sauce.
Shallot Rings
- After peeling, cut the shallot into ¼-inch-thick slices and separate the slices to make individual rings.
Chef Justine’s Six Strategies for Winning at Thanksgiving
Later this month, I’ll be gathering with my family as we do every Thanksgiving for our annual feast. As much as I love this holiday, it’s easy to get overwhelmed, so I developed some strategies that help me get through the day with my sanity intact.
1. Start early.
Many parts of the meal can be prepared ahead of time. I caramelize the onions and make the dough for my caramelized onion tarts, and I prepare the stuffing and refrigerate it. And I always take the Wednesday off before the feast, which is when I do most of the cooking. That way, on Thanksgiving, all I need to do is roast the turkey and pour the wine.
2. Delegate.
You shouldn’t have to prepare a meal this epic on your own. Get guests and family involved. My dad brings the pie, my brother makes the gravy, and our dear family friend contributes a smoked trout spread to munch on while we wait for the main feast.
3. Get outside.
Making sure I schedule some time outside the house is a real sanity saver. You’ll fine me doing a 5K Turkey Trot around Oakland’s Lake Merritt or out on the water rowing with the East Bay Rowing Club. Starting the day with some exercise boosts my mood and helps me handle the inevitable chaos.
4. Don’t forget the music.
Our day always includes a piano recital by my daughter and my nieces, then we pull out the vinyl and play some of my dad’s jazz favorites. I’m also into our listening to our Thanksgiving playlist while I cook.
5. Send leftovers home with your guests.
While friends and family manage the cleanup, I pack leftovers for everyone to take home. That way, we’re not left with more than we can eat.
6. Stock Up.
The last thing I do is make a stock from the turkey carcass. I let it simmer on the stove overnight and use it the next day to make turkey tortilla soup to serve at my annual Friendsgiving poker party.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving, Done Easy
Shop Thanksgiving BoxesRecipes for Thanksgiving Side Dishes by Sun Basket and Williams Sonoma
While our Thanksgiving sides are available for shipping this year, we’re sharing the recipes so that you can still enjoy them on your holiday table.
Get the new Sunbasket Holiday Dinner Box
Working in collaboration with the Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen, we gave three classic Thanksgiving side dishes a Sun Basket twist: Ciabatta Stuffing with Pancetta and Leeks, Kale and Butternut Squash Gratin, and Green Beans with Hazelnut Gremolata. We’ve made them super simple to throw together (hello 20-minute prep!), and so packed with flavor that they’re sure to be the stars of the table (sorry, turkey).
Photo by Colin Price Photography
Thanksgiving, Done Easy
Shop Thanksgiving BoxesHow to Choose the Right Salt for the Job
We asked executive chef Justine Kelly and executive R&D chef Alan Li to help us understand the differences in salts and how to best use them. While every cook has a preference when it comes to salt, Kelly and Li advise that you choose a salt like you like and stick with it. When you use the same salt for cooking dish after dish, you can be confident that the results will be consistent every time. The two prefer kosher salt for everyday cooking over table salt, which tends to have a saltier flavor that can leave food tasting oversalted.
Kosher salt
Milder than traditional table salt, kosher salt is fairly forgiving, making it a good choice for everyday cooking. Its texture and shape allow it to adhere to food and give you even control as the salt moves through your fingertips. Use it to season throughout the cooking process.
Himalayan Pink Salt
This ancient sea salt from Pakistan is one of the purest salts available and makes an excellent finishing salt. Its rosy pink color looks great on homemade sweets, such as truffles or shortbread.
Sea Salt
Coarse sea salts add crunch along with a pop of salinity. Because of their large crystals, these salts melt more slowly. Grab a pinch, crush the crystals between your fingertips, and sprinkle them over a dish just before serving for a Pop Rocks-like explosion of flavor. If you’re looking for an everyday salt that isn’t kosher or table salt, fine sea salt falls somewhere between the two, with a briny salt taste.
Fleur de Sel
Another finishing salt, fleur de sel, or “the flower of salt,” comes from the fine crystals that rise to the water’s surface like aquatic flowers. Fleur de sel is generally more expensive than other salts, so don’t use it to season pasta water or a sauce. Try it instead as a finishing salt to season roasted vegetables or the runny yolk of a fried egg.
Smoked Salt
Because these salts tend to have a strong flavor, Kelly recommends using them sparingly on grilled foods like oysters and steaks or for finishing such hearty root vegetables as potatoes and beets.
Grey Salt (sel gris)
This heavy, mineral-forward salt is coarser than other finishing salts and delivers an intensely saline bite. Try combining it with crushed beet chips to make a beet salt, or mixing it with herbs and spices to make a seasoned finishing salt.
Seasoned Salts
Toss kosher or fine sea salt with kitchen staples like citrus zest, fresh herbs, and spices. Try a lime-chile salt on the rim of a glass of tomato juice, or season eggs with crushed fennel seed salt. You can also buy salts seasoned with truffles to finish a seared steak, or saffron to add to risotto, or even black garlic to sprinkle on sautéed mushrooms.
Artwork by ekströmdesign.
Salting Your Food 101
Adding the right amount of salt at the right time in the cooking process will deepen the flavors of a dish, doing more for your meal than a last-minute sprinkle of salt at the dinner table can do.
Here, executive chef Justine Kelly and executive R&D chef Alan Li explain what “salt to taste” means, and share their tips for salting food as you go and for repairing oversalted food.
When should you season food?
“The default answer to “when” is early and often, so that you can layer flavors and seasonings,” says Li. “But this varies according to what you’re cooking.”
“For me, it’s about what I want the water in the food to do,” adds Li. “A good example of this is cooking mushrooms in a pan. If I’m cooking button mushrooms and want them to retain all their juice, I’ll salt them only after they’re done cooking. If I’m sautéing maitake mushrooms, I want all of the water to come out so I’m left with crisp edges and slightly chewy centers, so I’ll salt early to make sure I get all that water out. Understanding how ingredients interact with salt is the key to knowing when to season.”
Salt becomes more concentrated in such long-cooking foods as stocks, stews, and soups, so season lightly to begin and then adjust the salt before serving.
The takeaway: Learn how salt interacts with the ingredients you’re cooking. In most cases, salt as you go, and taste as you cook.
What’s the best technique for salting food?
- Get rid of the salt shaker. Keep your salt in a bowl big enough that you can easily grab the appropriate amount while you’re cooking. “I prefer a three-finger pinch,” says Kelly. “However, the most important thing is finding a pinch that gives you consistency and control. Do whatever is most comfortable and easy to repeat.”
- Go high. “For even coating on larger foods, like a whole chicken or a steak, salt from about 6 to 8 inches above the food,” says Li. “For precision salting, like seasoning a fried egg, I get right in its face at about ½ to 1 inch above it.”
Which salts do you prefer to use and what do you use them for?
Both Kelly and Li use kosher salt for everyday cooking. They recommend finding a salt you like and sticking with it, so that every time you grab a pinch of salt you know how it’s going to season a dish. For finishing a dish, try a flaky sea salt with big, crunch crystals. These salts are excellent on many sweets. Sprinkle them on top of brownies, chocolate chip cookie, or even ice cream.
How do you avoid over-salting and how do you rescue something that’s too salty?
“Taste everything that can be tasted as you go,” says Li. “Your palate will be your best teacher when it comes to understanding seasoning. Taste immediately after salting, then adjust as needed.”
If you do over-salt something, don’t despair, we’ve all been there. While there are several ways to mute saltiness by adjusting seasonings, Li recommends adding more ingredients to the meal to help balance out the saltiness. Yes, you’ll increase the portion size, but the salt will be more evenly spread out among the ingredients, so you’re not consuming a large amount of sodium. “But, if you don’t have extra ingredients,” adds Kelly. “Try adding acidity or sweetness to the dish. My favorite trick for saving something that’s slightly over-salted is to add a squeeze of lemon juice.”
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