Join Thistle's Culinary R&D team for a flavorful fall journey, fusing taste and nutrition in inventive dishes while celebrating the health benefits of seasonal ingredients.
The universal allure of autumn lies in its irresistible embrace of cozy comforts — from a symphony of vibrant colors to pumpkin-spiced treats and nostalgic warming meals. Among my personal favorite fall ingredients are figs, pomegranates, hard squashes, and pears. These ingredients, by themselves, are nutrient powerhouses packed with inflammation-fighting antioxidants, gut-healthy fiber, and a plethora of essential vitamins and minerals. With the resurgence of these ingredients, it also heralds the revival of hearty, warming herbs and spices that aid in promoting immunity as we step into the colder months.
When planning out a seasonal menu, Thistle’s Culinary R&D team decides which seasonal favorites we’re excited to bring back from last year, where we have room to innovate, and which new ingredients and food crafters we’d like to spotlight for the upcoming season. When considering this year's fall menu, we were certain that we wanted to craft decadent savory snacks, cheese plates, rich and creamy pastas, as well as experiment with new meal formats for both lunch and dinner.
Occasionally, our team is asked how we balance the line between flavor and nutrition. However, the truth is that due to our stringent ingredient standards and reliance on whole, minimally processed foods, the recipes we create are inherently nutrient-dense. This is because we exclusively use high-quality, nutrient-dense ingredients in their preparation. One of the partners we find an immense amount of inspiration from is Oaktown Spice Shop. Their high quality spice blends and single ingredient spices transform our meals into something truly craveable. You’ll see some new Oaktown Spice blends in our fall menu.
One essential part of our fall menu was to create some rich and decadent savory dips and “cheese” plates featuring fall flavors and spices. Briana, one of our R&D chefs drew on her family’s love of Tex-Mex cuisine to create a Smoky Pumpkin Queso using creamy raw cashews and Yukon Gold potatoes, seasoned with Oaktown’s Hot & Smoky Adobo seasoning for a bit of heat. We’re serving this dip with crisp radishes, carrot coins, and sea salt potato chips cooked in avocado oil. Introducing another new "cheese" plate arriving this fall: the Fig & "Goat Cheese" Snack Plate. This creation features a protein-packed, plant-based "cheese" made from cashews, white beans, and potatoes. It's paired with a sweet housemade fig and pear compote and served alongside seeded Cult Crackers, red grapes, and almonds roasted in Oaktown’s Pumpkin Pie Spice. Our inspiration was a classic cheese board, with an assortment of seasonal fruit, spiced nuts and a rich, tangy cheese.
Another goal the Culinary R&D team has pursued this year is to diversify the formats in which we present our meals, bringing you a range of new and distinctive dishes. You've probably already noticed the new lettuce wraps we've introduced to the menu, as well as the playful sandwich kits we experimented with earlier this year. As we approach fall, we thought it would be delightful to offer a comforting, warming soup on the menu. And what could be more nourishing than ramen?
Introducing our new creation: a Creamy Pumpkin Ramen. We've meticulously crafted a creamy pumpkin broth utilizing a blend of coconut milk, pureed pumpkin, coconut aminos, ginger, and Oaktown’s Shichimi Togarashi. This blend results in a decadently creamy broth with a subtle touch of spice. The dish is complemented by thick shirataki noodles, sesame-roasted mushrooms, roasted butternut squash, and fresh spinach. Perfecting this recipe took numerous iterations to capture the authentic essence of ramen. Contrary to my earlier mention about effortlessly meeting our nutritional standards due to our focus on nutrient-dense ingredients, this particular recipe posed a challenge. It demanded the development of intricate flavors—umami from the aminos and togarashi, and sweetness from the pumpkin—rather than relying solely on salt, a common expectation in ramen broths. This delicious dish will be presented in a generously sized, reusable 32 oz jar that is both microwave and dishwasher safe. Remember to hold onto it, as you can repurpose it to your heart's content.
Another seasonal dinner with some new flavor profiles is the Sweet Rosemary Cauliflower Bowl. The bright rosemary flavor comes from simmering fresh rosemary bundles in a neutral oil, and then using that oil throughout the dish to build flavor on many levels. A creamy tahini date sauce provides a protein punch as well as a sweet, nutty flavor (without nuts!) and ties together the wild rice and rosemary roasted cauliflower. We love using tahini and dates together because the sweetness from the date syrup balances the bitterness of the tahini and the protein and fiber of the tahini helps slow the digestion of the date syrup, which reduces large spikes in blood sugar and promotes a longer feeling of fullness and satiety.
Our pasta dishes are incredibly popular, so we’re excited to bring a new one to the menu featuring brand new flavors: our Creamy Cajun Pasta.
We incorporate Oaktown Spice Shop's Hot Cajun Blackening Spice into a Creole tomato sauce, made creamy with protein-packed nutritional yeast and slow-roasted garlic, served with Banza chickpea pasta, sautéed onions, and sweet bell peppers. We love working with Banza’s chickpea pasta not only for the delicious taste and amazing texture (especially for a gluten-free pasta), but because just 4 oz of cooked pasta provides 11 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber, which help fill you up and keep you feeling full for longer.
We’re pleased to bring back two member favorite pumpkin-based meals as an ode to PSL season: our Pumpkin Chia Pudding and Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse Cup. Returning on our breakfast menu, our Pumpkin Chia Pudding is made with creamy vanilla chia pudding topped with a smooth spiced pumpkin smoothie, with a topping of crunchy gingerbread granola. Our Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse Cup snack starts with a creamy layer of coconut cheesecake mousse, then a dollop of spiced pumpkin, followed by a sprinkle of toasted pepitas and crunchy oats.
We're absolutely thrilled for you to savor every bite of these culinary creations–both new and returning. Your thoughts mean the world to us, so please don't hesitate to sprinkle your reviews and comments in the Thistle portal – we read them all!
Join Thistle's Culinary R&D team for a flavorful fall journey, fusing taste and nutrition in inventive dishes while celebrating the health benefits of seasonal ingredients.
The universal allure of autumn lies in its irresistible embrace of cozy comforts — from a symphony of vibrant colors to pumpkin-spiced treats and nostalgic warming meals. Among my personal favorite fall ingredients are figs, pomegranates, hard squashes, and pears. These ingredients, by themselves, are nutrient powerhouses packed with inflammation-fighting antioxidants, gut-healthy fiber, and a plethora of essential vitamins and minerals. With the resurgence of these ingredients, it also heralds the revival of hearty, warming herbs and spices that aid in promoting immunity as we step into the colder months.
When planning out a seasonal menu, Thistle’s Culinary R&D team decides which seasonal favorites we’re excited to bring back from last year, where we have room to innovate, and which new ingredients and food crafters we’d like to spotlight for the upcoming season. When considering this year's fall menu, we were certain that we wanted to craft decadent savory snacks, cheese plates, rich and creamy pastas, as well as experiment with new meal formats for both lunch and dinner.
Occasionally, our team is asked how we balance the line between flavor and nutrition. However, the truth is that due to our stringent ingredient standards and reliance on whole, minimally processed foods, the recipes we create are inherently nutrient-dense. This is because we exclusively use high-quality, nutrient-dense ingredients in their preparation. One of the partners we find an immense amount of inspiration from is Oaktown Spice Shop. Their high quality spice blends and single ingredient spices transform our meals into something truly craveable. You’ll see some new Oaktown Spice blends in our fall menu.
One essential part of our fall menu was to create some rich and decadent savory dips and “cheese” plates featuring fall flavors and spices. Briana, one of our R&D chefs drew on her family’s love of Tex-Mex cuisine to create a Smoky Pumpkin Queso using creamy raw cashews and Yukon Gold potatoes, seasoned with Oaktown’s Hot & Smoky Adobo seasoning for a bit of heat. We’re serving this dip with crisp radishes, carrot coins, and sea salt potato chips cooked in avocado oil. Introducing another new "cheese" plate arriving this fall: the Fig & "Goat Cheese" Snack Plate. This creation features a protein-packed, plant-based "cheese" made from cashews, white beans, and potatoes. It's paired with a sweet housemade fig and pear compote and served alongside seeded Cult Crackers, red grapes, and almonds roasted in Oaktown’s Pumpkin Pie Spice. Our inspiration was a classic cheese board, with an assortment of seasonal fruit, spiced nuts and a rich, tangy cheese.
Another goal the Culinary R&D team has pursued this year is to diversify the formats in which we present our meals, bringing you a range of new and distinctive dishes. You've probably already noticed the new lettuce wraps we've introduced to the menu, as well as the playful sandwich kits we experimented with earlier this year. As we approach fall, we thought it would be delightful to offer a comforting, warming soup on the menu. And what could be more nourishing than ramen?
Introducing our new creation: a Creamy Pumpkin Ramen. We've meticulously crafted a creamy pumpkin broth utilizing a blend of coconut milk, pureed pumpkin, coconut aminos, ginger, and Oaktown’s Shichimi Togarashi. This blend results in a decadently creamy broth with a subtle touch of spice. The dish is complemented by thick shirataki noodles, sesame-roasted mushrooms, roasted butternut squash, and fresh spinach. Perfecting this recipe took numerous iterations to capture the authentic essence of ramen. Contrary to my earlier mention about effortlessly meeting our nutritional standards due to our focus on nutrient-dense ingredients, this particular recipe posed a challenge. It demanded the development of intricate flavors—umami from the aminos and togarashi, and sweetness from the pumpkin—rather than relying solely on salt, a common expectation in ramen broths. This delicious dish will be presented in a generously sized, reusable 32 oz jar that is both microwave and dishwasher safe. Remember to hold onto it, as you can repurpose it to your heart's content.
Another seasonal dinner with some new flavor profiles is the Sweet Rosemary Cauliflower Bowl. The bright rosemary flavor comes from simmering fresh rosemary bundles in a neutral oil, and then using that oil throughout the dish to build flavor on many levels. A creamy tahini date sauce provides a protein punch as well as a sweet, nutty flavor (without nuts!) and ties together the wild rice and rosemary roasted cauliflower. We love using tahini and dates together because the sweetness from the date syrup balances the bitterness of the tahini and the protein and fiber of the tahini helps slow the digestion of the date syrup, which reduces large spikes in blood sugar and promotes a longer feeling of fullness and satiety.
Our pasta dishes are incredibly popular, so we’re excited to bring a new one to the menu featuring brand new flavors: our Creamy Cajun Pasta.
We incorporate Oaktown Spice Shop's Hot Cajun Blackening Spice into a Creole tomato sauce, made creamy with protein-packed nutritional yeast and slow-roasted garlic, served with Banza chickpea pasta, sautéed onions, and sweet bell peppers. We love working with Banza’s chickpea pasta not only for the delicious taste and amazing texture (especially for a gluten-free pasta), but because just 4 oz of cooked pasta provides 11 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber, which help fill you up and keep you feeling full for longer.
We’re pleased to bring back two member favorite pumpkin-based meals as an ode to PSL season: our Pumpkin Chia Pudding and Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse Cup. Returning on our breakfast menu, our Pumpkin Chia Pudding is made with creamy vanilla chia pudding topped with a smooth spiced pumpkin smoothie, with a topping of crunchy gingerbread granola. Our Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse Cup snack starts with a creamy layer of coconut cheesecake mousse, then a dollop of spiced pumpkin, followed by a sprinkle of toasted pepitas and crunchy oats.
We're absolutely thrilled for you to savor every bite of these culinary creations–both new and returning. Your thoughts mean the world to us, so please don't hesitate to sprinkle your reviews and comments in the Thistle portal – we read them all!
