Recipe: True Food Salad

True Food Salad

Our own recipe

5 stars

I ordered True Food's seasonal salad a month or so ago and thought to myself -- "This is delicious" and "I can make this!"

The ingredients basically are the following:

• Mixed greens
• Honey-roasted carrots (olive oil, honey, salt, pepper)
• Roasted cauliflower (olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper)
• Baked tofu (olive oil, cornstarch, garlic powder, fine sea salt, pepper)
• Feta cheese
• Dates
• Pistachios
• Tahini apple cider dressing (I found a Sriracha version - use less apple cider vinegar, though)

I found recipes for the different components linked above. We served this with falafel. DELISH!!!

Recipe: The Tostada That Wants to be a Memela

The Tostada That Wants to be a Memela

Bon Appetit Magazine, May 2017, p.118

4.7 stars

Really good weekday dish. We cut out a LOT of steps to make this easier on us as well as healthier. Served with a simple side salad

Main ingredients: white corn tortillas, black beans, white onion, garlic, queso fresco, epazote or oregano, bay leaf, vegetable oil, rendered pork fat or bacon grease, dried avocado leaves, Kosher salt, store bought salsa

Rajas variation: poblano chiles, white onion, garlic, vegetable oil, dried oregano, Kosher salt

Chorizo variation: chorizo, eggs, vegetable oil, Kosher salt

Tips/Notes:

• Used canned black beans
• Did NOT fry the beans
• Added some salsa macha we already have on top 
• Heated up some healthy Siete taco shells
• Roasted the poblanos in the oven
• Used plant-based chorizo

Recipe: Bean Bourguignon

Bean Bourguignon

America's Test Kitchen
4.8 stars

Wow - you would not miss the meat in this dish. Really great deep flavor from the mushrooms. Had this with toast.

Ingredients: Christmas lima beans, portobello mushrooms, dried porcini mushrooms, carrots, pearl onions, shallot, garlic, flour, thyme, dry red wine, white miso, soy sauce, tomato paste, bay leaves, parsley, extra-virgin olive oil, table salt, pepper

Tips/Notes:

• Used a can of butter beans and a can of cannellini beans since we couldn't find Christmas lima beans (next time, use 3 cans) -- and so skipped the first 2 steps in the recipe 
• Used baby bellas instead of portobellos
• Used chopped white onion instead of pearl onions
• Could add barley to it next time 

Recipe: Smoked Salmon Corn Chowder

Smoked Salmon Corn Chowder

Food & Wine Magazine, Nov 2025, p. 44
5 stars

I wasn't sure about this recipe and how it would turn out, but it was easy, flavorful, and delicious! Restaurant-worthy! I can't wait to eat the leftovers.

Ingredients: smoked salmon fillets, frozen corn, celery, small red potatoes, scallions, shallots, chicken stock, heavy cream, flour, olive oil, butter, Old Bay seasoning, red pepper, thyme, Kosher salt, black pepper

Tips/Notes:

• Used double the number of celery stalks -- could actually triple it next time
• Used vegetable stock instead of chicken stock
• Used 1 tsp of Chesapeake Bay seasoning instead of 1/2 tsp of Old Bay seasoning
• Next time, could add cannellini beans to the chowder for protein (if we don't want to add smoked salmon)

Recipe: Creamy Tuscan Chickpea Soup

Creamy Tuscan Chickpea Soup

Food & Wine Magazine, Sep 2025, p. 40
5 stars

This soup was DELICIOUS! We've made various soups like this, but this was different and extremely flavorful, I think due to the sun-dried tomatoes.

Ingredients: Italian sausage, chickpeas, lacinato kale, celery, yellow onion, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, chicken stock, heavy cream, extra-virgin olive oil, basil, Kosher salt

Tips/Notes:

• Used plant-based (Beyond) Sausage. Next time, cook and keep separately as it got gummy in the soup when we ate leftovers.
• Used more celery than called for
• Used vegetable stock instead of chicken stock and less than called for (used some water)
• Add Parmigiano-Reggiano on top next time so the cheese doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan
• Added a little more cream

Recipe: Cheesy Chickpea Salad Toast

Cheesy Chickpea Salad Toast

Bon Appetit Magazine, May 2023, p.18
4.7 stars

We'd made this before, but I'd forgotten to take a photo and blog about it. It seems like it would be an odd mix of ingredients, but it all really works together. You need EVERYTHING, though, we didn't use dill. Really good -- super flavorful. Great with chips and a salad.

Ingredients: bread, chickpeas, celery, extra sharp cheddar, cornichons, red onion, dill, butter, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, flaky sea salt, hot sauce

Recipe: Mushroom and Lentil Ragu

Mushroom and Lentil Ragu

Food & Wine Magazine, Sep 2025, p. 44

5 stars

I love this recipe so much! It was DELICIOUS!!! I can't wait to eat the leftovers. So flavorful!

One note: It was a little watery but thickens with time (next day - it was the perfect consistency).

Ingredients: cooked polenta, black lentils, crushed tomatoes, mixed mushrooms, yellow onion, carrots, tomato paste, dry red wine, vegetable broth, heavy ream, garlic, red pepper, oregano, Parmigiano-Reggiano, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt

Recipe: Salmon with New Potatoes, Spinach, and Cider Cream

Salmon with New Potatoes, Spinach, and Cider Cream

Food & Wine Magazine, Mar 2025, p 86
4.9 stars

Really nice dish! Restaurant-worthy, but lots of notes below.

Ingredients: salmon fillets, spinach, baby new potatoes, hard apple cider, heavy whipping cream, canola oil, unsalted butter, Kosher salt

Tips/Notes:

• Used apple lemon ginger juice instead of hard apple cider
• Made half of the heavy whipping cream/cider sauce since we didn't make 4 salmon fillets
• Spinach wilts! Used 5x and would probably make even more spinach next time
• Make sure to cook the spinach separately as the water from the spinach thins the sauce -- so cook separately and then add to the sauce
• Didn't bake the salmon -- cooked it on the stove

Recipe: Creamy Pistachio Pasta with Crispy Guanciale

Creamy Pistachio Pasta with Crispy Guanciale

Inside the Rustic Kitchen

5 stars

Delicious!!! A bit on the heavy side but this is definitely restaurant worthy even though it's a pretty basic pasta. We used some dry pistachio pasta that I had picked up in Hico, TX in a small cafe.

Pistachio pesto ingredients: unroasted pistachios, basil, garlic, Pecorino Romano, EVOO, salt, pepper

Ingredients: pasta, guanciale, heavy cream, Parmigiano Reggiano

Tips/Notes:

• Had made our own pesto prior to making this dish so it wasn't pistachio pesto
• Use bacon next time instead of guanciale as the latter is SO fatty

Recipe: Chicken Salad with Haricots Verts

Chicken Salad with Haricots Verts

Bon Appetit Magazine, May 2014, p. 102
4.9 stars

I love salads that have potatoes and green beans in them -- this hit the spot and is definitely a restaurant-worthy $28 salad. Note that we used salmon instead of chicken. I may not need to order this in a restaurant anymore!

Ingredients based on our recipe: salmon, mixed greens, potatoes, haricots verts, radish, shallot, garlic, Sherry vinegar, Dijon mustard, thyme, sugar, olive oil, black pepper