Food is more than just fuel – it connects us to tradition, culture, and our earth. And it should always be delicious!
As the newest member of the Thistle Culinary R&D team, I am thrilled to share some of the dishes I am excited about on our Summer menu.
Give Your Breakfast a Boost
Cherry season is something I start thinking about months ahead, and I am so glad it’s finally here. We are celebrating this delicious and fleeting season with a nutrition powerhouse, our Cherry-Chia Almond Steel Cut Oats. Oats are a fantastic source of soluble and insoluble fiber, which helps regulate blood sugar and keep you feeling fuller for longer. We pair ours with Omega-3 and potassium-rich Cherry-Chia Jam and sweet Cashew Cream for a super-seasonal breakfast.
Seasonal Salads, Same Nutrition Standards
One of my favorite comfort food go-to’s is a nicely roasted sweet potato. Our Baharat Sweet Potato Salad perfectly fits the bill, especially as the temperature begins to rise. Packed with vitamin A, a nutrient that supports healthy skin, vision, growth and development, sweet potatoes contribute to the whopping 600% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A present in this meal. We are roasting our sweet potatoes in Oaktown Spice’s Baharat spice blend, which rounds out the sweetness of the potato with a warm, flavorsome punch. Pickled red onions add a tart pop of flavor and crunch.
Returning: Your Top Rated Meal of All Time
As a new Thistler, I am especially excited about our Grilled Corn and Poblano Chile Salad. This is the salad I want to bring to every picnic and barbecue this season! Our sweet corn and poblano chiles are paired with garlic rice and crispy roasted pumpkin seeds for a salad with pops of color and texture, but the true standout of this meal is the Roasted Jalapeno Ranch Dressing. We roast then deseed whole jalapenos before blending them into our rich, tangy ranch dressing. The result is a zippy (but not too spicy) variation on our already delicious plant-based ranch. It came as no surprise that this is our top-rated dish of all time!
A Taste of Italy, at Your Table
Nothing says summer like a good pasta salad! As the weather gets warmer and warmer, I know I’ll be reaching for Thistle’s Balsamic Pasta Salad. I can’t think of a better salad to cool off with than this one. We are tossing our gluten-free Banza pasta with artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, and red bell peppers for a classic Italian combination that is as colorful as it is satisfying.
We use tahini and nutritional yeast to make the Creamy Italian dressing. Tahini and nutritional yeast are two of my favorite ingredients at Thistle and beyond, and both are absolute recipe MVPs. Tahini is rich in plant protein, packing about 2.5-3 grams of protein per tablespoon. Additionally, this sesame seed-based ingredient is rich in antioxidants and monounsaturated, or 'good,' fats. We like to use it because it lends a creamy texture to salad dressings that need a little boost of richness while supporting, but not overpowering, the main flavors of the dish. Nutritional yeast is also a great source of plant protein, contributing about 5 grams per tablespoon, as well as B vitamins. It also provides a powerful hit of umami, which boosts flavor without adding much sodium.
The Perfect Summer Snack
Finally, our Pink Lemonade Mousse Cup is making its return. Our strawberry lemonade-inspired snack is the perfect balance of sweet and tart, with a rich, silky texture that comes from a favorite ingredient of mine, Joi cashew butter. When we want to develop a recipe with a milky and creamy flavor profile, Joi is one of our go-to's. We love their oat milk powder and cashew milk concentrate, which you can find in many of our mousses and dips. This snack is completed with our Oat 'and Almond granola that adds a crisp, nutty texture to the decadent silkiness of the mousse. We make our delicious granola by baking it until we have a toasty, and fragrant granola that you'll want to eat by the handful. Our Pink Lemonade Mousse Cup snack rivals anything the ice cream truck brings to my street.
Food is more than just fuel – it connects us to tradition, culture, and our earth. And it should always be delicious!
As the newest member of the Thistle Culinary R&D team, I am thrilled to share some of the dishes I am excited about on our Summer menu.
Give Your Breakfast a Boost
Cherry season is something I start thinking about months ahead, and I am so glad it’s finally here. We are celebrating this delicious and fleeting season with a nutrition powerhouse, our Cherry-Chia Almond Steel Cut Oats. Oats are a fantastic source of soluble and insoluble fiber, which helps regulate blood sugar and keep you feeling fuller for longer. We pair ours with Omega-3 and potassium-rich Cherry-Chia Jam and sweet Cashew Cream for a super-seasonal breakfast.
Seasonal Salads, Same Nutrition Standards
One of my favorite comfort food go-to’s is a nicely roasted sweet potato. Our Baharat Sweet Potato Salad perfectly fits the bill, especially as the temperature begins to rise. Packed with vitamin A, a nutrient that supports healthy skin, vision, growth and development, sweet potatoes contribute to the whopping 600% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A present in this meal. We are roasting our sweet potatoes in Oaktown Spice’s Baharat spice blend, which rounds out the sweetness of the potato with a warm, flavorsome punch. Pickled red onions add a tart pop of flavor and crunch.
Returning: Your Top Rated Meal of All Time
As a new Thistler, I am especially excited about our Grilled Corn and Poblano Chile Salad. This is the salad I want to bring to every picnic and barbecue this season! Our sweet corn and poblano chiles are paired with garlic rice and crispy roasted pumpkin seeds for a salad with pops of color and texture, but the true standout of this meal is the Roasted Jalapeno Ranch Dressing. We roast then deseed whole jalapenos before blending them into our rich, tangy ranch dressing. The result is a zippy (but not too spicy) variation on our already delicious plant-based ranch. It came as no surprise that this is our top-rated dish of all time!
A Taste of Italy, at Your Table
Nothing says summer like a good pasta salad! As the weather gets warmer and warmer, I know I’ll be reaching for Thistle’s Balsamic Pasta Salad. I can’t think of a better salad to cool off with than this one. We are tossing our gluten-free Banza pasta with artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, and red bell peppers for a classic Italian combination that is as colorful as it is satisfying.
We use tahini and nutritional yeast to make the Creamy Italian dressing. Tahini and nutritional yeast are two of my favorite ingredients at Thistle and beyond, and both are absolute recipe MVPs. Tahini is rich in plant protein, packing about 2.5-3 grams of protein per tablespoon. Additionally, this sesame seed-based ingredient is rich in antioxidants and monounsaturated, or 'good,' fats. We like to use it because it lends a creamy texture to salad dressings that need a little boost of richness while supporting, but not overpowering, the main flavors of the dish. Nutritional yeast is also a great source of plant protein, contributing about 5 grams per tablespoon, as well as B vitamins. It also provides a powerful hit of umami, which boosts flavor without adding much sodium.
The Perfect Summer Snack
Finally, our Pink Lemonade Mousse Cup is making its return. Our strawberry lemonade-inspired snack is the perfect balance of sweet and tart, with a rich, silky texture that comes from a favorite ingredient of mine, Joi cashew butter. When we want to develop a recipe with a milky and creamy flavor profile, Joi is one of our go-to's. We love their oat milk powder and cashew milk concentrate, which you can find in many of our mousses and dips. This snack is completed with our Oat 'and Almond granola that adds a crisp, nutty texture to the decadent silkiness of the mousse. We make our delicious granola by baking it until we have a toasty, and fragrant granola that you'll want to eat by the handful. Our Pink Lemonade Mousse Cup snack rivals anything the ice cream truck brings to my street.
