Learn How To Make The Juiciest Pork Loins
Braga Fresh Family Farms & Josie’s Organics – Family Tradition
The Core Four: Meet the founders of Sun Basket!
Facebook LIVE—September 6, 2017
Chef Justine took over the test kitchen and walked us through the process of making this week’s Spicy Kimchi Fried Rice with Peas, Nori, and Eggs, but she didn’t follow the recipe as usual. Instead, she took us step-by-step through the technique of cooking each element of the meal. You’ll find her tips for washing and cooking rice, the best way to chop an onion, her favorite knife-sharpening hack, and much more in this episode. Watch it here and stay tuned for more technique-focused episodes in the future:
And tune in Wednesday, September 20th, at 4pm when Sun Basket’s chefs and food content writer, Ashley Goldsmith, show us how to turn a Sun Basket meal something completely new using what we refer to as “Basket Hacks.”
Pantry Essentials for Customizing Your Sunbasket Meals
Chile sauce (Sambal Oelek or Sriracha)
There’s no chef’s secret when it comes to hot sauce. It’s just an easy way to add flavor and complexity to a simple meal.- Season eggs, soups, or tacos.
- Add to mayonnaise or Greek yogurt for a slightly spicy dip.
- Add a teaspoon to marinades, sauces, and salad dressings for a little kick.
Corn tortillas
With fresh tortillas on hand, you can make any night taco night.- This week, turn leftover chili or taco fixings into chilaquiles. Cut tortillas into triangles and lightly fry, cover with any leftover chili and top with fried eggs and you have a seriously crowd-pleasing breakfast.
- Warm leftovers and toss with scrambled eggs, then wrap in warm tortillas for breakfast tacos. Or skip the eggs and make tacos or quesadillas with the remainder of last night’s dinner.
Eggs
“Put an egg on it” are words we live by.- Add soft-cooked eggs to pasta, soups, and salads.
- Crack a raw egg on top of a flatbread before baking.
- Turn a quinoa grain bowl into fritters by adding a lightly beaten egg to cooked quinoa and mashed cauliflower.
Grains, such as rice (jasmine, basmati, brown), millet, and barley; quinoa; and buckwheat
Grain bowls are trendy for a reason. Think of them as a blank canvas for whatever ingredients you have on hand.- Cook up a pot of rice or quinoa and top it with the leftover taco or salad ingredients. Alternatively, if you have some protein and vegetables leftover from your dinner, turn that into a grain bowl.
- Toss rice or other grains into soups and salads for some added bulk.
Healthy fats and proteins (nuts, canned beans, frozen edamame, and lentils)
Stretch leftovers from a Sunbasket meal by adding good-for-you fats and proteins that keep you feeling full longer.- Toss beans or lentils and toasted almonds with leftover lettuce cup ingredients.
- Fats and proteins add texture and variety to soups, salads, and vegetarian or vegan stews.
Long-lasting fresh ingredients (garlic, onions, shallots, ginger, lemons, and limes)
Some of the simplest ingredients, like garlic and onion, can dramatically boost flavor in many dishes and will keep in the pantry for up to a month.- Ginger stays fresh for months in the freezer. Grate it and add it to soups, cooked greens, and salad dressings.
- Keep a few lemons and limes in the crisper drawer to add a squeeze of lime to tacos or a bit of lemon zest to pasta dishes.
Rice noodles and/or rice paper
We love the flavors and versatility of Asian ingredients. Quick-cooking rice noodles and rice paper are a great way to stretch a stir-fry or turn dinner into an easy, on-the-go lunch.- Use rice paper to make many of our Asian-inspired recipes into spring rolls and use the dressing or sauce as a dip. Or serve over rice noodles for a Vietnamese-style bun cha lunch.
Umami ingredients (liquid aminos like coconut and Bragg’s, miso, tomato paste, kimchi, Parmesan, and porcini powder)
Umami is one of the essential tastes that form the foundation of flavor. It’s sometimes described as “meaty,” which is why umami-rich ingredients are often used in vegetarian recipes.- Add a teaspoon of porcini powder to stews or Parmesan rind to soups.
- Top a rice bowl with some funky kimchi.
- Whisk miso into melted butter and toss the butter with roasted vegetables.
Vegetable or chicken broth
The obvious reason for keeping stock on hand is to turn meals into a soup or stew, but it’s also a great substitute for water in many recipes.- Turn lettuce cups or dinner salads into a soup and side salad.
- Cook rice and other grains in broth rather than water by swapping out the suggested amount of water for broth and you’ll give your meal a boost of flavor.
Vinegars (sherry, rice, and white/red wine) and lemon juice
Acids, like citrus juice and vinegar, can go a long way to bring the flavors of a dish into focus.- Use sherry vinegar to brighten soups and stews.
- Toss thinly sliced cucumbers in rice vinegar and sugar for quick pickles.
- Add a splash of white-wine vinegar to oven fries for some salt-and-vinegar tang.
Soy Many Questions
One of the most controversial plant foods, soy has been hailed as a health food and demonized as a contributor to many diseases. Some studies suggest that consuming soy-based foods can prevent cancer, offer cardiovascular benefits, and enhance weight loss, while others suggest soy may be linked to the growth of cancer cells. Soy is also a common food allergy. “Soy” what should one do? Sun Basket’s team of dietitians dive into the research to help you make sense of this hotly debated topic.
One of the few plant foods with all the amino acids your body needs to make protein, soy also provides fiber, and can be a good source of calcium. Soy foods contain several key nutrients and phytochemicals known to fight cancer and have been found to lower risk of coronary heart disease.
Because soy contains estrogen-like compounds, there is fear that it may raise the risk of hormone-related cancers. However, studies show that eating one to two servings daily of whole soy foods does not increase the risk of breast cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, because of their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, consuming whole soy foods may even help lower your risk of cancer.
In addition to breast cancer, there are a number of other women’s health concerns that have been linked to soy foods. Research does not link moderate soy intake to fertility issues. In fact, consuming moderate amounts of whole soy foods, like tofu, soybeans, soymilk, and edamame may actually increase fertility, reduce hot flashes, and promote bone and heart health in women.
Some men avoid soy out of fear that its estrogen-like compounds will affect their testosterone levels. Numerous human studies have shown men who consumed 1 to 2 servings of soy foods per day had no significant changes in testosterone levels. In fact, an analysis of 14 studies by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed increased soy intake resulted in 26 percent reduction in prostate cancer risk.
In Asia, children have been consuming soy products safely for centuries. The recommended amount of soy for children is up to two servings per day of whole soy. Although only a small percent (0.4%) of children have soy allergies, it’s something to be aware of when feeding young ones. In addition, research indicates that the majority of children with a soy allergy will outgrow it by the age of ten.
Although research has found health benefits to eating soy foods, the same may not be true of soy supplements. Although short-term soy supplement use is considered safe according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, additional research is required to understand the impact of long-term use.
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