I planned to make a dijon tarragon wine sauce to go with turkey. Then I found out that I didn’t have any white wine at home so I made this slaw instead. You know I bet it will taste really great with turkey.
Ingredients for around 8 servings
1 small head cabbage – shredded very thin
2 cups corn kernels (cooked however you want)
1 red bell pepper – diced
1 celery rib – diced
1 shallot – sliced thin
1 carrot – shredded
2 teaspoons course sea salt (this goes on cabbage to melt it)
2 teaspoons sugar (this goes on cabbage to melt it)
2 Tablespoons hot sauce (tabasco or Frank’s Red Hot)
1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon piment d’ espelette pepper
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 oz fresh tarragon – torn
Directions
In a large bowl add the cabbage, shallots, celery, bell pepper and carrot. Toss in the sugar and salt and mix well. Let sit on counter for an hour and drain. Add the corn and set to the side.
In a small mixing bowl add the dijon, oil, vinegar, hot sauce, celery seeds, white pepper, piment d’ espelette and honey and mix well. Toss the dressing into the large bowl with cabbage and mix well. Tear the tarragon leaves in half and mix into the slaw.
True Food Kitchen is a full service casual restaurant located in Phoenix Arizona at the Biltmore Fashion Plaza. There is another True Food Kitchen in Scottsdale and somewhere around forty other locations and many new locations to open in the United States. True Food Kitchen offers foods that are based on the science that to maintain your best health by choosing foods that don’t contribute to chronic inflammation by alternative medicine celebrity doctor Dr. Weil. True Food Kitchen offers vegetarian, non vegetarian, vegan and gluten free foods. They are happy to customize a meal for you. A few locations offer yoga brunches.
The Phoenix location offers a foliage lined patio.
Inside is bright, woody with green accents and modern light fixtures.
Today I went with the winter immunity bowl $14.00 (470 calories V) and added chicken $4.00 (160-180 calories)
This bowl was filled with mushrooms (That is why I wanted to try this…..OR THEY WERE SUPPOSE TO BE lion’s mane mushrooms????????), farro, quinoa, carrots, broccolini, garbanzo beans, bean sprouts, edamame, organic kale, garlic broth and added chicken. I’ve recently had lion’s main mushrooms a few times and these did differ in texture and taste and seemed very similar to shiitake mushrooms(???????????????). The bowl was tasty. The chicken was abundant and moist and tender. It was filling but didn’t weigh you down. I am sorry now that I didn’t pull out the mushrooms to photo…I can see one mushroom floating near the top. This does not look like a lion’s mane mushroom. It’s the wrong color, wrong taste and wrong texture. It’s the piece above the chicken and below the kale. But someone from the restaurant claimed it was lion’s mane mushrooms…………????????????? so I can’t say it wasn’t but I have my doubts. Most of the mushrooms in this dish seemed similar to shiitakes.
Here are raw lion’s mane mushrooms. They have a lacy texture and look like tribbles from Star Trek. Mine that I cooked were very very tender.
Here are the same lion’s mane mushrooms cooked
I did question my server about the mushrooms and she thought that my dish was made with lion’s mane mushrooms. I know that I did get one small piece of lion’s mane mushroom in my dish but most of the other mushrooms did seem different. A week after I contacted the restaurant management from True Food Kitchen contacted me back and said that I got lion’s mane mushrooms in my dish. They said that the texture might have changed because they soak the mushrooms. (???????????)
ANYWHO- the dish was still very good tasting and seemed very healthy. I really did like the dish. I apologies for doubting the mushrooms. I could be wrong but I don’t think I am. (That’s The FORKING TRUTH)
My husband had the grilled fish tacos $19.50 (570 calories GF).
We got two grilled red fish tacos with pickled jicama, avocado salsa, coconut crema, dried corn, radish slices and cold grilled lime with anasazi beans on the side. I tried a bite and I have to say this was very flavorful. Even the beans had very good flavors going on. This is enough food for a woman but most men might still be hungry after this.
Last time I tried the limited summer red fish ($26.00 480 calories). (this one was really delicious!)
My husband had the limited summer spinach and mushroom pizza $15.00 970 calories. (this one was made with vegan cheese)
The food we tried seemed to be flavored well and all of it seemed healthy.
www.TrueFoodKitchen.com
Every THING is subject to change and your experience may or may NOT differ.
This recipe was inspired by a salad I ate at FnB restaurant in Scottsdale AZ. The Chef is a James Beard Award Winner so everything she makes is amazing. This salad was simple but delicious. It had very few ingredients so I figured I could do something similar at home. I pretty much made the same exact salad but I added two ingredients the original didn’t have. I added fried radish slices and fried capers for an added interest and texture. This salad is very good and it’s something you might want to try. The dressing is enough to dress four servings. I can’t give you the exact amount of radish you need because radishes differ so much in size. For two people it was about one watermelon radish, 6 regular radishes and about two dates but they were smaller servings.
Ingredients for around 4 servings
2 watermelon radishes sliced very thin on mandolin (or more depending on size) (reserve about a dozen slices for frying)
12 regular radishes sliced very thin on a mandolin (or more depending on size) (reserve about a dozen slices for frying)
2 teaspoons small capers – reserve one teaspoon for frying
4 (or more) dates pits removed sliced in thin strips
5 teaspoons pumpkin seeds
pinch urfa pepper (you can substitute another pepper like black pepper but urfa is better for this)
6 anchovies
1 Tablespoon anchovy oil
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small lemon – just the fresh squeezed juice
1 clove garlic – ground to paste or microplane
neutral oil to fry with
Directions
Get a sauce pot on medium-medium high heat with about an inch of oil in it. If you are using a thermometer you don’t need a high heat. You only need about 250 degrees F if your slices are very thin. Carefully add 1/2 of the reserved radish slices and fry them. They get done quickly and use either paper towels on a pan or a cooling rack to drain them. Then do the other reserved half. Be real careful when you do the capers. They have a lot of liquid that you need to squeeze out and they get done even faster and look like little crispy flowers. Set them on paper towels to the side when you are done.
Blend the anchovy’s, anchovy oil, olive oil, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon capers and garlic till it emulsifies and set to the side.
On your serving plate add the radish slices, dates pumpkin seeds and lightly add dressing. Top with some fried radish slices and some fried capers. Finish with a pinch of Urfa pepper.
Radish Dates Pumpkin Seeds Fried Radishes, Fried Capers and Caper Anchovy Dressing finished with Urfa pepper
I was watching Jacques Pepin on TV and he made this Red Cabbage Pistachio & Cranberry Salad with Blue Cheese. I thought that it sounds really good and he made an interesting but simple dressing for it that interested me so I wanted to try his recipe. It delicious and very balanced. I think most people would enjoy it. I didn’t have walnut oil so I didn’t add it but it still came out delicious. I guess it would be even better with walnut oil! Will add the walnut oil next time!
Ingredients for 4 servings
1 small head red cabbage – core removed, sliced thin
1/2 cup pistachios
1/2 cup cranberries
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons peanut oil
1 Tablespoon walnut oil
6 Tablespoons blue cheese
3 Tablespoons chives
Directions
in a large bowl add the oils, salt and tabasco and mix well till it emulsifies. Then add the cabbage, pistachios and cranberries. Carefully add in the blue cheese and toss. Serve
Jacques Pepin’s Red Cabbage Pistachio Cranberry Salad with Blue Cheese
It’s DELICIOUS and easy to make!
A SPECIAL THANKS to Jacques Pepin for sharing this wonderful recipe!
I had beets, red grapefruits, fresh mint and a watermelon radish in the refrigerator and that is how I came up with this recipe. It’s sort of light and tasty with textures. I think most people would like it.
Ingredients for around 6 servings
1 medium/small watermelon radish – sliced very thin on a mandolin (this gets fried and is used for finishing)
neutral oil for frying
1 lb beets – peeled – roasted and cut in wedge shapes like pieces of citrus
2 cups red grapefruit supremes and the fresh squeezed juice from the flesh around the segments
1 cup radish sprouts
1/4 cup (loose) fresh mint – torn (for finishing)
1/4 cup feta cheese – crumbled (for finishing)
1/4 cup red grapefruit juice (squeezed from the flesh that was around the segments from your grapefruits (dressing)
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (dressing)
1 Tablespoon tahini (dressing)
1 1/2 teaspoons red Aleppo pepper (dressing)
1/2 teaspoon paprika (dressing)
small pinch ground allspice (dressing)
1 1/2 teaspoons date syrup (you can substitute honey or sugar) dressing
small pinch cinnamon (dressing)
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander (dressing)
I Tablespoon chopped fresh mint ( dressing)
1 garlic clove -ground to paste or microplane (dressing)
Directions
Set oven to 400 degrees F if your beets aren’t roasted yet. The peeled beets get wrapped in foil with some water and go on a tray that can catch some liquid if they leak. They need to stay in the oven till fork tender. Depending on their size and age the timing will differ. Beets usually take one hour – one and one half hours. If you have very large beets you might want to cut them in half. When the beets are cool enough to handle cut them in wedges that are similar to citrus segments and set to the side.
Get a pot on medium heat with around an inch and a half of oil. You should use a thermometer and when the oil get to 200 you can start frying if your radish are sliced paper thin. You do need a pan lined with paper towels or a cooling rack for the beets to drain on. You can fry about a third of the beets at a time. They are done with they turn into a small flower shape like in the picture. Repeat till they are done and set the fried radish to the side.
Make the dressing. The grapefruit juice, olive oil, tahini, pepper, paprika, allspice, date syrup, mint, garlic, cinnamon, coriander all get blended together. I don’t think they need anymore salt or pepper but feel free to add some if you want.
When you are ready to serve dress the bottom of your serving plate with dressing. Add the beets, grapefruit and radish sprouts. Then it gets topped with some crumbled feta cheese, torn mint and the crispy fried radish.
Red Grapefruit Beet Salad with Fried Crispy Radish Feta Radish Sprouts and Red Grapefruit Tahini Mint Dressing
I came up with this recipe because I only had potatoes and only had leeks and cabbage in my refrigerator….So I looked up cabbage, leeks and potatoes and I found out it’s a traditional Irish Dish of basically mashed potatoes mixed with kale or cabbage. Everybody makes it different and often colcannon has a big pool of melted butter on the top. Some people boil all the vegetables and other people fry the vegetables. I think cabbage is most delicious roasted so I roasted the cabbage and fried the leeks. I also have a little trick that makes mashed potatoes taste better and I add two medium cooked egg yolks. It came out Forking delicious! I wish I could give you a sample to try. If you make this exactly the way I did you will love it!
Ingredients for around 6 servings
1 smaller cabbage – peel of outer leaves, remove core and dice into about 1/2 inch dices
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (goes on cabbage)
2 leeks – trimmed (root and all the dark green removed, peeled, cut in half long ways and then cut each half long ways again and slice thin. Put in a large bowl of water and wash away any dirt and drain)
5 potatoes – peeled and cut down into about 6 pieces each (mne weighed 1 1/2 pounds)
3 cloves of garlic – chopped (this goes with the potatoes to boil)
2 eggs – (wash eggs and they go in the water last 6 minutes of boiling the potatoes ((you are only using the yolks))
3 oz unsalted butter (goes into potatoes)
2 Tablespoons cream cheese (use a quality brand like Aria that is free of preservatives and stabilizers) ((I almost never have milk or cream in my house so I use aria because it’s basically cream)
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper (for potatoes – or to taste….your taste may differ….but this is perfect)
1/4 teaspoon course sea salt (for potatoes – or to taste…your taste may differ but this is perfect…love course sea salt…..it’s my second favorite salt…..Blue Persian is even better)
1 oz unsalted butter (this is to fry leeks)
1/4 teaspoon course sea salt (to season leeks)
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper (to season leeks)
fresh ground sea salt to taste (just a very small amount to season cabbage)
fresh ground black pepper (just a small amount to season cabbage)
Directions
Set oven to 450 degrees F.
Cabbage goes on a baking sheet and gets sprayed well with olive oil. It goes in the oven till soft and charred (This took 30 minutes in my oven on the middle rack….yours may differ)
While the cabbage is roasting boil the potatoes with the chopped garlic and season the water well with course sea salt) the potatoes should be done in around 15- 20 minutes depending on size. In the last 6 minutes add the eggs. Remove the eggs after 6 minutes…(or you can cook longer like 10 minutes if you only like we’ll done eggs…and rinse in cold water and set to the side.) When the potatoes are tender remove them from the water and mash by hand with the butter and cream cheese. Add the egg yolks and 1/4 teaspoon (or to taste) of salt and white pepper.By now the cabbage is done and season it lightly with salt and pepper and mix it into the potatoes….set to the side.
Melt the last ounce of butter in the pot and add the drained leeks…..Stir and cover loosely. They will be done very quickly like in three minutes. Add them to the mashed mixture and enjoy!
Leek and Cabbage Colcannon
Everyone will love this!
Leftovers can be fried into patties and can be turned into a dish called Bubble and Squeak
This came out tasting like a Greek Salad (with walnuts) in a roasted pepper. I added walnuts for a crunch factor that I thought it needed because I don’t like an all soft texture. Did something different to the squash so it wouldn’t be so squashy. The squash was spiral cut and then was salted with the paper thin cut onions. You would believe how much water poured out….you have to do the mixing in a colander that sits over a large bowl. It looked like maybe 2 cups of water poured out when I let it sit on the counter for about an hour. The squash turns into like almost a noodle texture. It’s not squashy anymore. My other secret was by adding some dijon mustard (Amora brand). After the mustard the flavor really popped. It doesn’t taste mustardy….but it’s the right amount of bite that makes it pop. I used some very small bell pepper halves and some whole Mexican Guero yellow peppers (that are similar in heat to shishitos). This recipe (after draining) makes around 9 servings……so you need about 9 smaller (but not mini) half bell peppers or around 9 medium sized peppers.
Ingredients for around 9 servings
2 lbs yellow squash (smaller squash will work out better) spiral cut
1 medium sized sweet onion – sliced paper thin on mandolin
1 teaspoon course sea salt
2 garlic cloves – ground to paste or microplane
1 large tomato (ripe one) rough cut
9 small/medium sized peppers (of your choice many different kinds would taste good here) You might need more or less peppers depending on size and shape. ( I used a combination of half bells and whole guero peppers)
3 Tablespoons fresh dill – chopped (two Tablespoons go in mix and reserve one Tablespoon for finishing.)
The first thing that you need to do is to get the squash and onions in a colander over a large bowl mixed with the salt…..This needs to sit for an hour on the counter so around two cups of water will be released.
After an hour and the water is released then mix in to the squash mixture the garlic, tomato, 2 Tablespoons dill, feta, oregano, basil, pepper and dijon.
Eiter use pepper halves or whole peppers split with cores removed and stuff tightly.
Roast in pre-heated 425 degree F oven till slightly charred. (will differ depending on pepper size….mine took 35 minutes in my oven on middle rack).
Finish with last Tablespoon of fresh dill and toasted walnuts.
OMG these are FORKING CRAZY GOOD! When I made them my husband came running in and said what smells so Forking Good? Then he started gobbling them down. I almost didn’t get them to photo. You might want to double up on the recipe. These are going to be a great big hit in your house. I used a pound of mini potatoes that came to ten potatoes. It should be about 4 servings but these are so unusually tasty that it might only be two servings.
Ingredients for about 4 servings
1 lb of mini potatoes (about 10 mini potatoes)
2 oz unsalted butter – melted split in two portions
2 oz blue cheese – crumbled – split in two one ounce portions (one for sauce and one for topping)
2 Tablespoon canola oil – split in 2 portions
1 Tablespoon sriracha + plus around a teaspoon more for topping – preferably Shark Brand available at Lee Lee Market and Asiana Market….it’s much smoother than almost any other brand)
2 radish – sliced paper thin on a mandolin
Directions
Set the oven to 400 degrees F.
The potatoes get sliced across but not all the way threw about 3-4 cm apart on the slices.
Half the butter, 1/2 the blue cheese, sriracha and canola oil get heated up and melted together. This will take very little time. You can do in a pan on medium or do in the microwave for 30 seconds and just a few seconds more. Mix it up till it emulsifies. Set to the side. (this goes on potatoes after they come out of oven.
One oz butter and one tablespoon canola oil get melted together – I don’t Forking care if you do it in a pan or microwave. In a microwave this takes only 30 seconds. This gets brushed on the potatoes after you insert the radish slices.
Insert carefully about 5 thin radish slices into the cuts of each potato.
Put each potato on a backing sheet.
Brush each potato with the melted butter and oil mixture (NOT the mixture with sriracha and blue cheese) until the mixture is used up.
Place potatoes in pre-heated 400 degree oven until potatoes are lightly browned and tender. (timing will differ but in my oven this took 40 minutes)
Pull out and there will be extra melted butter in the bottom oof baking sheet. Brush potatoes with it.
Spoon the sriracha/blue cheese butter mixture over each potato and top each potato with crumbles of blue cheese.
Blue Cheese Sriracha Butter Hasselback Mini Potatoes with Radish
These Spicy Vegetarian Cauliflower Meatballs in Spicy Butternut Squash Indian Spiced Sauce are inspired by my trip to Meat The Ball in Scottsdale. Those meatballs were so FORKING DELICIOUS I tried to make my own and I did a pretty good job at a copy cat recipe. This recipe makes around 22 two ounce meatballs. So that means it will make around 11 servings. Adjust the recipe to what you need. I always make meatballs in large batches and freeze extra for latter. The sauce might thicken when it gets cold so you might need to thin it down some after chilling.
Ingredients for around 11 servings
1 cauliflower – break down into florets
1 lb peeled potato – dice
1/2 large sweet onion – small dice
non stick canola spray or a very small amount of sprayed canola oil (I went with spray because I thought the oil might make the cauliflower too wet but I think both will work)
5 garlic cloves – ground to paste or microplane
1 serrano pepper – microplane, mince or slice paper thin on a mandolin
1 Tablespoon + 2 teaspoon ginger-root – grated
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon gram masala
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons course sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup cashews – crushed
1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs
1 egg – slightly beaten
1 cup oats
1/4 cup fresh cilantro – leaves and only the tender stems
1 lb butternut squash – already cooked and cut into cubes
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 Tablespoon ginger root – fresh grated
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
4 garlic cloves – ground to paste or microplane
1/2 teaspoon course sea salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon gram masala
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 serrano pepper – either mince, microplane or slice paper thin on a mandolin
Directions
Set oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray with non stick spray or oil baking sheet(s).
The cauliflower goes on a baking sheet in a single layer and gets sprays with canola.
The potato goes on a baking sheet and also gets sprayed with canola.
The onions go on a baking sheet and get sprayed with canola.
Put the cauliflower on the middle rack and the onions and potato on the lower rack.
Timing will differ depending on cut, pan oven and other things but in my oven the onions were down in 40 minutes and the potato and cauliflower were down in 45 minutes. (the onions and cauliflower did turn nicely browned). Put to the side and start the sauce if you want them down at the same time or continue and skip a paragraph.
In a sauce pot add the butternut squash cubes and vegetable stock. Turn the heat up to medium high and use a stick blender and blend everything up till smooth. Add the coconut milk, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, 4 cloves garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, chili powder, 1 teaspoon gram marsala, paprika and one serrano pepper. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Let it go around 10 minutes and occasionally stir.
In a large container add the cauliflower, onion and potato and use a stick blender to mix up a little but not a lot. You want it chunky. Add the remaining – garlic, serrano pepper, ginger, gram masala, coriander, salt, black pepper, garbanzo bean flour, cashews, baking powder, panko, egg, oats and cilantro. MIX WELL.
Use a Tablespoon and make balls that are around 2 ounces each and place on baking sheet(s). They go in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 15 minutes and then shut oven off and leave in another 5 minutes. Serve with sauce.
You and yours will be surprised! They really are flavorful and delicious with a good texture!
Spicy Vegetarian Cauliflower Meatballs in Spicy Butternut Squash Indian Spiced Sauce
I found some beautiful leeks and wanted to do something special with them so I searched the web and found an interesting video from The French Cooking Academy called Leeks two ways and one was in Apple Cider Veloute. I watched the video and I thought it seemed pretty easy and it also sounded tasty. The French Chef would be mad at me for changing up his recipe a bit but he did give me the idea for this dish so I have to give a special THANK YOU to The French Cooking Academy. I do note that the sauce will thicken when cold so for a reheat you will have to thin it down some with more apple cider and or heavy cream if you prefer.
Ingredients for around three servings
2 Leeks – greens removed, root removed, tough layer removed, split but not all the threw and cleaned – Bundle up with string so they don’t fall apart.
1 Tablespoon salt
This is the bundle after cooking
1 lb carrots – peeled if not organic or if desired. Cut them to a similar shape as the leeks.
2 Tablespoons canola oil
small red onion – sliced paper thin
1 apple – slice paper thin
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (plus more for re-heats)
2 Tablespoons cream cheese (must be a better brand like Arla that doesn’t have stabilizers or preservatives) (of course the real recipe uses heavy cream to your liking. I don’t usually have heavy cream in the house and that is why I used cream cheese for the creamy factor. (plus the 2 Tablespoons is much less fattening than a cup of heavy cream).
1 lemon (just the fresh squeezed juice)
pinch ground white pepper
fresh nutmeg – just a few grates
Directions
Slow boil the bundle of leeks with a good amount of salt till they are soft. At least 5 minutes. Remove leeks and let them cool to room temperature and set to the side.
Add apples and onions to pan and cook till onions have a slight brown color and set to side.
Clean fry pan and on medium high add the butter. Add the flour and whisk till smooth and bubbles. You want to cook the flour. Slowly add the apple cider and whisk. Let sauce cook till bubbles and reduce to simmer. Add white pepper and nutmeg.
Squeeze fresh lemon juice on all the vegetables and serve with sauce right away. You can stuff the leek with the onions and apple if you like.
Leeks with Onions Appleand Carrots in Apple Cider Veloute
A Special THANKS to The French Cooking Academy for inspiring me.
