Tag Archives: True Food Kitchen

Halibut with Umami Sauce

I’ve been on a seafood kick recently.  Mostly I’ve wanted to eat ALL THE SALMON, but I’m also dreaming about the fresh fish case at Santa Monica Seafood (totally normal, I promise).  So for this week’s 2015 cookbook challenge, I consulted my trusty True Food Kitchen cookbook once again and made Halibut with Umami Sauce.

halibut with umami sauce plate

Can we talk about umami sauce for a second?  It’s the signature ingredient at Umami Burger and it also happens to include tamari, which doesn’t work for someone who’s allergic to soy.  But thankfully there’s a great soy-free alternative in the form of coconut aminos, which I swapped in instead and the sauce still came out wonderful.  Plus, by using the coconut aminos, the umami sauce is paleo friendly if you are into that sort of thing.

This recipe required minimal ingredients since the fish and the sauce were supposed to shine.  We didn’t have fingerling potatoes so we used a combo of red potatoes and sweet potatoes, and aside from the sauce update, followed the rest of the recipe.  Side note: how awesome do these potatoes look?

halibut with umami sauce potatoes

Halibut with Umami Sauce (adapted from the True Food Kitchen Cookbook)

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1/2 pound sweet potatoes + red potatoes

1/2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 pound brussels sprouts cut in quarters

2 halibut steaks (4-5 oz)

1 1/2 tsp salt

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp olive oil (for pan)

1  1/2 cups roasted mushrooms

1/4 cup umami sauce

Umami Sauce Ingredients (makes 1 1/2 cups):

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons coconut aminos

1 cup nutritional yeast flakes

8 mashed garlic gloves

1/2 cup olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F.  Line a baking sheet with foil (we used a cast iron skillet instead).

Chop up your sweet potatoes and red potatoes and toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast for 35-40 minutes or until tender.

Wash and dice your brussels sprouts and season with salt and pepper.

Heat an ovenproof skillet over medium heat.  Add your olive oil and put the fish in the hot pan and place under the broiler.  Cook until golden brown (roughly 10 minutes).

Heat another skillet over medium heat and coat with olive oil.  Place your mushrooms and brussels sprouts in the skillet and cook until crisp.

Serve your halibut over your brussels sprouts + mushroom mixture and your roasted potatoes.  Drizzle your umami sauce on top and enjoy!

truefoodkitchen halibut plates  This also pairs quite well with a glass of rose.  Just saying.

What’s your favorite fish dish?  Is anyone else on a seafood kick as much as I am?

Carrot Parsnip Zucchini Bread

After all of the chocolate action that happened over the long weekend, I decided to go with something a little bit lighter this week for the 2015 cookbook challenge.  So I consulted my favorite True Food Kitchen cookbook and whipped up some Carrot Parsnip Zucchini Bread.

carrot parsnip zucchini breadThe name is a bit of a mouthful and I was quite skeptical of putting parsnips in bread, but you know what?  It worked and was delicious.  This bread is packed with veggies, has minimal sugar, and I even lightened it up by swapping non-fat plain Chobani Greek yogurt in place of the apple butter.

I haven’t gone wrong with a True Food Kitchen recipe yet and this one did not disappoint.  The yogurt gave the bread a nice moist (I know) texture and it became the perfect afternoon snack to enjoy with a cup of tea.

carrot parsnip zucchini bread and teaThe original recipe called for the bread to be divided into two loaf pans, but I decided to roll with just one large loaf and it worked out great – just be sure to allow a little extra baking time.

Carrot Parsnip Zucchini Bread (makes 1 large loaf or 2 smaller loaves)

Adapted from the True Food Kitchen Cookbook

Ingredients:

1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup brown sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 medium parsnip, shredded
1 small zucchini, shredded
3 large eggs
¾ cup non-fat plain greek yogurt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons slivered almonds

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350F.  Line a loaf pan with cooking spray or parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl add your dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Mix until well blended.

In a smaller bowl add your carrot, parsnip, zucchini, eggs, greek yogurt, olive oil and vanilla and blend together.  Gently fold your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients and continue to mix until the dough is nice and wet.

Scoop your batter into your loaf pan and top with silvered almonds (the original recipe called for pumpkin seeds).

Bake in the oven for 50-55 minutes if you are doing one large loaf; 35-40 minutes if you are doing two smaller loaves.

carrot parsnip zucchini bread slicesRemove from the oven and let the bread cool for 10 minutes.  Slice and enjoy!

Any other True Food Kitchen fans out there?  What’s your favorite recipe?

New Fall Menu at True Food Kitchen

It’s been far too long since I’ve dined at True Food Kitchen, and even longer since I have written about it.  I was recently invited to try the new fall menu at True Food Kitchen, and I invited my two favorite bloggers to join me for a girls night out.

We decided to order a bunch of different plates and share amongst the table which always makes it more fun.  The first item was the newest item to hit the fall menu: the Inside Out Quinoa Burger which has the quinoa patty as the “bun” and the “burger” part is filled with hummus, avocado, feta, tomato and onion.

New Fall Menu True Food Kitchen Quinoa BurgerI wasn’t sure what to expect with the quinoa burger but it was delicious!  I really liked the idea of using quinoa as the bun instead of a traditional roll.  And this burger is gluten-free and vegan which is great for those with dietary restrictions.  My favorite sweet potato hash and kale salad also came on the side.

New Fall Menu True Food Kitchen Butternut Squash PizzaNext up was the Butternut Squash Pizza which came with smoked Mozzarella, caramelized onion and arugula.  It also normally comes with walnuts but I asked for those to be omitted since I am allergic.

I love fall root vegetables and this pizza was divine.  There is just something amazing about the smoky cheese paired with the sweet squash and caramelized onion.  I could’ve eaten the entire pizza myself but I decided to be kind and share.

New Fall Menu True Food Kitchen Farm ChoppedTrue Food Kitchen also recently introduced a myriad of fall salads to their menu, so we decided to try the Farm Chopped which came with roasted broccoli, thinly sliced root vegetables, almonds, sultanas, coconut, goat cheese and kale with a herb vinaigrette on the side.

I personally liked this salad, but I can see how the coconut and the sultanas might make it a bit off-putting.  It was bordering on the line of too sweet, but overall the flavors complemented each other nicely.  This is definitely something I will try to recreate at home.

New Fall Menu True Food Kitchen Onion TartThe Caramelized Onion Tart is a year-round offering at True Food, but since it is so good I just knew we had to order one for the table.

Topped with caramelized onion, black figs and gorgonzola, this tart masters the art of sweet and savory perfectly.  There’s a reason this is on the menu year round.

New Fall Menu True Food Kitchen Squash PieNo trip to True Food Kitchen is complete without some of their delicious desserts, so we ordered two of my favorites: Squash Pie with Coconut Whipped Cream and Lemon-Ginger Frozen Yogurt.

I actually first tried the squash pie at the media dinner I attended last year and loved it.  It tastes almost exactly like pumpkin pie and is dairy-free and vegan.  True Food also sells whole squash pies for the holidays, so be sure to get your order in now.

New Fall Menu Lemon Ginger yogurtThe lemon ginger frozen yogurt was the perfect palette cleanser.  It was nice and light, and the lemon and ginger complemented each other perfectly.  I often drink lemon ginger herbal tea at home, so I knew this flavor combination would be good.

So that’s just a snippet of what you can expect from the new fall menu at True Food Kitchen.  I highly recommend checking out the inside out quinoa burger and the butternut squash pizza if you get a chance.  And of course, save room for some squash pie.

Thanks True Food for inviting me and thanks to Sam and Karla for being such fabulous dinner dates!

True Food Kitchen Chopped Salad

I recently had lunch at True Food Kitchen after a far too long hiatus, and I was once again reunited with my favorite Chicken Chopped Salad.  This salad is a staple at True Food, and is even included in the cookbook.  After enjoying the salad once again, I finally decided it was high time to recreate the True Food Kitchen chopped salad in my own home.

For the most part, this recipe is pretty similar to the one in the cookbook, only in my version I omitted the chicken and the farro because I didn’t have them on hand.  I also didn’t use the champagne vinaigrette, but I’m sure any salad dressing would do. Contact Royal Vending Darwin for more information regarding vending machine service.

If you get a chance, please recreate this True Food Kitchen chopped salad.  It’s delicious, nutritious and super easy to make.  Next time I will definitely add farro and chicken to mine to give it the real True Food experience.

True Food Kitchen Chopped Salad (adapted from the True Food Kitchen cookbook)

truefoodkitchenchoppedsalad

Ingredients:

9 cups mixed baby greens

1/3 cup unsweetened dried cranberries

2 ounces manchego cheese, shaved or diced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup chopped dates

1/4 cup chopped marcona almonds (I used silvered almonds)

Directions:

In a large salad bowl combine your baby greens, almonds, cranberries, dates, cheese and salt.  Toss well and serve with a dressing of your choice.