I have a real fondness for oriental flavours . . . sesame, soy, ginger, garlic . . . I love the way they go together. I love the freshness of stir fries, and the simplicity of them. I love Chinese Food, and yes I know pretty much my only experience of that is Westernised, but I am quite happy with that! When I looked into my August Degustabox I was inspired to do something along those lines . . . something quick and delicious and with Oriental flavours!
I love these boxes. Opening each one is tiny a bit like opening a Christmas gift. Always a surprise, and always filled with things that pique my interest and desire to try. Degustabox is a monthly foodie subscription service that sends out a range of 10 to 15 specially selected foodie products. There's always a great mix of new products that I haven't tried before, as well as plenty of treats from more established brands. Quite often you will have the opportunity to try new products before they arrive in the shops, so it can be a bit of a sneak peak! Each Degustabox costs only £12.99, delivery costs are included in the price, and there is no fixed contract involved - you can cancel at any time. I love getting these boxes! They are great value for money spent.
Here is what was in the August Box. I am not sure what the theme was if any, it was kind of a mix of all things tasty! Some was perfect for starting off your day, some for snacking and some for popping into a lunch box!
LIOBITES Smoothis Bites 2 X £1.99 each
LioBites are new, healthy and 100% natural fruit crisps. Their Smoothie Bites are made from fresh fruit, picked in season, blended and freeze dried to create a crunchy and delicious snack. Smoothie Bites are high in nutrients, vegan and gluten free with no added sugar or preservatives. The perfect snack for the whole family, ideal for lunch boxes and one of your five a day!
These were really moreish. I love the fact that they are made from fruit and sugar & preservative free!
JOHN WEST Infusions 1 X £2.29
John West Tuna Fillets are a range of succulent tender tuna fillets, delicately cut from the highest quality part of the fish and marinated in to keep them tender. Infused in oil that's a perfect salad dressing and available in 3 flavours; Chili & Garlic, Basil, and Lemon & Thyme.
Todd enjoyed this for lunch one day along with some crisp crackers. He really liked it. We had the Chilli & Garlic flavor.
BOKA Bar 2 X £0.75
Boka cereal bars are unique in having four green traffic lights, they are low in fat, saturated fat, sugars, and salt, under 100 calories, whilst tasting delicious! Great as a healthy snack, in a school lunch box or sports bag.
I confess, I was a greedy gus and hogged these both to myself. Very yummy! I liked the healthy snack aspect of them and they were quite tasty!
ROWNTREE's Random's 30% Less Sugar Pouch 1 X £1.29
30% Less Sugar, 100% fun-filled. Introducing Rowntree's 30% Less Sugar Randoms. The sweets you know and love, but now with 30% less sugar. Rowntree's sweets contain no artificial colours, flavours, preservatives or sweeteners.
Its nice to know that when you want something a tiny bit sweet to munch on or share, there is a lower sugar alternative to the regular sugar filled sweets available.
GOOD HEMP Unsweetened Dairy Free Drink 1 X £1.60
A dairy-free alternative to milk that's delicious, nutritious and good for the planet. Try it with your cereals, hot drinks and smoothies. Made from organic hemp seeds, Good Hemp is 100% natural, vegan friendly, free from GMO's, dairy and lactose, gluten, soya and nuts.
A lovely Vegan alternative to dairy.
illy Instant Smooth Taste 1 X £5.85
Discover the unique 100% arabica illy blend, now available as an Instant! illy Instant Smooth Taste is a well-balanced velvety coffee characterised by sweet, floral and fruity notes with caramel, toast and chocolate. Naturally fragrant with aromas of almond and honey, its the perfect coffee for any moment of the day.
We don't do coffee as we are Latter Day Saints, so I gave this to my neighbor and she said it was lovely.
DORSET Cereals Spectacular Grains 1 X £3.49
Discover the new Spectacular Grains collection. Made with toasted spelt flakes and popped grains, fora crispier crunch than their classic meuslis and blended with delicious fruit, they are a remarkable fusion of flavours and come in three flavours.
I am no stranger to Dorset cereals. I have always liked them.
CROOKED Beverage Co Alcholic Soda 1 X £2.00
Crooked Beverae Co Alcoholic soda is light, refreshingly and totally deliciosu. Often fruity alcohol can be heavy, syrupy and synthetic, yet Crooked delivers tasty, moreish fruity flavor whilst only containing less than 5% sugar, and just 46 calories, per 100ml. Made with natural ingredients, no nasties, you can't go wrong!
Again we don't do alcohol for religious reasons. Was shared with my neighbor and she liked it.
GUNNA Craft Soft Drinks 2 X £1.09
GUNNA is a new range of lower sugar craft soft drinks. We were tired of bland tasting, sugar packed soft drinks packed with unnatural junk, so we created GUNNA, gret tasting, characterful soft drinks with less sugar, 100% natural flavours and no artificial colours or preservatives.
Its nice to have an alternative fresh soda drink that is all natural, and free from artificial colours and preservatives, with less sugar.
MAGGI Fusian Sticky Hoisin Duck Noodles and 3 Minute Noodles 1 X £1.39
Bring the taste of Asia to your home with Maggi Sticky Hoisin Duck Fusian Noodles. Sweet soy, oriental spice and roasted duck flavours combine with sunflower oil and veggies to create a flavourful noodle dish with a difference.
This is the product I decided to use and highlight with a recipe. I always have Maggi noodles in the cupboard anyways. They are quick and easy to use, and always tasty.
It was screaming Stir Fry to me! So that is what I did. I created a quick and easy stir fry Chow Mein dish for two.
I prepared the noodles as per the package and then set them aside while I prepared the rest of the dish.
A mix of crispy stir fried vegetables . . . cabbage, celery, green pepper, red onion and carrot . . . do you like how I cut my carrots like flowers? Easy to do. Just take a sharp knife and cut out small wedges along the length of your peeled carrots and then slice crosswise. Flowers!
I used two boneless skinless chicken thighs . . . seasoned with salt and pepper and browned all over in a bit of sunflower oil . . .
A large free range egg, scrambled . . .
Some of my homemade Ketjap Manis, and some garlic powder . . . that's it. Easy peasy!
Yield: 2Author: Marie Rayner
Quick Chicken Chow Mein
prep time: 10 minscook time: 20 minstotal time: 30 minsThis is quick, easy and delicious, and built just for two. You can very easily double it to feed four if you want.ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken thighs1 package of Maggi 3 minute noodles (chicken)pinch dried chili flakes1/4 tsp garlic powder1/2 red onion, peeled and sliced1/2 medium green pepper, trimmed and cut into chunks1/4 small head of green cabbage, trimmed and thinly sliced1/2 carrot peeled and thinly sliced1 stalk celery, sliced on the diagonal 1 large free range egg, beatena splash each of sesame oil and Ketjap Manissunflower oilsalt and black pepper to tasteinstructions:
Season the chicken pieces all over. Heat
a splash of sunflower oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the
chicken and cook for approximately 5 to 6 minutes per side, until golden
brown and the juices run clear. Remove and set aside.
Cook the Maggi noodles according to package directions and drain well. Rinse in cold water and drain again. Set aside.
Using
the drippings in the pan add the cabbage and cook for a few minutes.
Add the pepper, onion, carrot and celery. Cook for a few minutes until
all the vegetables are crispy tender. Add the chili flakes, garlic
powder and ketjap manis. Toss everything well together. Push
everything over to one side in the pan and drop the beaten egg into the
empty side. Scramble it and then stir it into the vegetables. Cut the
chicken meat crosswise into slices and add to the pan along with the
noodles. Toss all together and heat through. Taste and adjust seasoning
as required. Serve immediately.Created using The Recipes Generator
Every box does include an information card, along with some other bits, recipes, etc. from the brands included. I find it really handy to have, to learn about the products a bit more and to also know how much the products would cost if I went on to buy them, and also for ideas on how to use some of them.
So, that was the August Degustabox - a nice selection of products as always. We loved it. The price of each Degustabox is £12.99 (including delivery). To order your box, visit www.degustabox.com Many thanks to Degustabox UK for sending me this box. I have to say I really look forward to getting my box each month. There are always lots of things in it to enjoy and new products to try out. I highly recommend. You can also tailor the boxes to your own likes and dislikes by filling in your own Taste Profile. Do you like the sound of this box? Why not sign up now! I find them to be really good value for money spent and I really enjoy trying out new products that I have not tried before.
Follow them on Facebook
Follow them on Twitter
Note - Although I was sent a box free of charge any and all opinions are my own.Bon appetit!
