Winter Wellness: Boost Your Immunity with Thistle’s Winter Menu

The transition from fall to winter may be subtle, but it brings with it a unique opportunity to indulge in flavors that not only warm your soul but also support your well-being. Thistle's Culinary R&D team has carefully crafted a winter menu that's not just delicious but also packed with immune-boosting, anti-inflammatory ingredients. As the days grow shorter and the temperature drops, our dishes are here to provide comfort and nourishment.

The Power of Plant-Based Ingredients

Thistle's winter menu is designed to help you embrace the upcoming season with open arms. With over 25 new and seasonal favorites, our dishes are rich in whole, plant-based ingredients that are loaded with immunity-boosting essential vitamins and minerals with anti-inflammatory benefits. These ingredients aren't just about great taste; they're about keeping you healthy this season.

Introducing: a Hearty Pesto Rosso Stew

When our culinary team embarked on the creative journey to curate a winter menu, our mission was twofold: to craft heartwarming, 'soul-satisfying' dishes while infusing a burst of brightness to counter the wintry gloom. Among the exciting new additions is our Pesto Rosso Stew. This warming meal features a medley of roasted fennel, carrots, and mushrooms, complemented by herb-infused navy beans atop a bed of tender baby kale, covered in a savory pesto rosso sauce. To elevate both flavor and nutrition, we've introduced toasted slivered almonds, providing a rich, nutty underpinning and a protein-packed punch to the sauce. Infused with the robust essence of sundried tomatoes and aromatic rosemary, this dish promises a comforting and nourishing experience, perfect for embracing the winter season.

Unlock the Anti-Inflammatory Benefits of Turmeric

Another exciting addition to our winter menu is the Sweet Potato Coconut Stew, showcasing Jamaican Curry Powder from one of our cherished partners, Oaktown Spice Shop. This unique blend features primary spices such as turmeric, coriander, and ginger, complemented by the warmth of cinnamon, cloves, and star anise, resulting in a bold, savory sauce that's enriched with the comforting essence of winter spices. Notably, the high concentration of the polyphenol curcumin in turmeric imparts anti-inflammatory properties. Curcumin has been proven to assist in managing conditions caused by oxidative stress, including arthritis, anxiety, and hypertension. Intriguingly, the bioavailability of curcumin increases by an astonishing 2000% when consumed with black pepper. As a result, you'll find black pepper incorporated into both the Jamaican Curry Powder blend and the Jamaican Coconut Curry Sauce recipe.

For those seeking to fully harness the anti-inflammatory benefits of turmeric, our Golden Milk Latte Chia Pudding is a must-try. This delectable creation features a layer of creamy latte chia pudding topped with a sweet and creamy golden milk smoothie, using Oaktown’s Golden Milk blend. This blend comprises turmeric, ginger, Vietnamese cinnamon, cardamom, and black pepper (enhancing bioavailability). Our inspiration for this recipe came from our team's monthly 'coffee chats,' a delightful perk offered by Thistle to its employees. During these chats, we often visit Thistle's Berkeley office location, conveniently close to the first ever Peet’s Coffee location. It was there that we fell in love with the spicy, sweet oat milk golden milk latte featured on their seasonal menu earlier this year. When the time came to design a new winter breakfast smoothie, Briana from our R&D team wanted to recreate this cozy beverage, infusing it with our distinct Thistle flair!"

A Burst of Brightness

We figured that in the dead of winter when everyone has had their fill of soups, stews and pumpkin everything, it might be nice to mix in a few bright and cheery dishes to break up the monotony.  Our new Cowboy Caviar Pasta Salad is tangy, crunchy and packed with fresh flavors. Protein-packed Banza chickpea pasta is tossed in a zesty cilantro lime vinaigrette and served on a bed of spring mix and arugula along with our housemade “Queso Fresco” that uses crumbled Hodo Foods organic tofu and Texas Caviar. Personally I had never heard of Texas Caviar before Briana joined our team, but growing up with Tex Mex roots meant that her mother and grandmother often made some version of Texas Caviar to be used in a number of different applications; sprinkled on queso, eaten as a salsa and sometimes even mixed into pasta!  Our Texas Caviar has black eyed peas, black beans, diced red bell peppers, corn, red onion, the tiniest amount of diced jalapeno and a splash of lime juice.  The best part of this salad is that all these bright, zippy flavors are coated with a creamy Chipotle Ranch dressing, which adds balance and smokiness and really helps tie all the flavors together. 

Versatile and Convenient

Our winter menu isn't just about the benefits it brings to your health; it's also about the convenience and versatility it offers amid the holiday busyness. Whether you're hosting at home or traveling, our menu provides you with an array of options. Select from meals, snacks, jarred salads, soups, and juices to serve as sides or starters while hosting. Moreover, it's perfect for bringing healthy and cost-effective meals inflight, ensuring you stay nourished even when on the move. And don't forget, fully prepared meals also make for a thoughtful arrival gift to express your gratitude to the host or hostess who does it all.

Our team is excited to share these new dishes with you, and we hope you find them as nourishing as they are delicious! Every week our team monitors the feedback you provide through the customer portal and we’re constantly making updates and improvements to our recipes based on what you all have to say.  Please keep the feedback coming, and we look forward to hearing what you think of our new winter recipes!