My Love Affair with True Food Kitchen 

A few years back, my brother was living in the windy city of Chicago. Easter weekend was coming up, which meant our traditional Good Friday cooking of Abietz (a family recipe we've been making for years started by our Grandfather - you can read about that story here). We've always been together on this day for as long as I can remember, aside from our college years when sports got in the way. So when he asked me to come visit, I couldn't wait to spend this special weekend together. 

My brother showed me all the cool places in Chicago including Eataly (where we purchased all of our ingredients for the Italian bread we were going to make), the Chicago Riverwalk, Lake Michigan, Navy Pier, and a whole lot of awesome places to eat.

And being the super cool brother that he is, he scoped out places that he knew would align with the way I eat. One of those places was True Food Kitchen by Dr. Andrew Weil. He knew this place would knock my socks off and boy was he right. We actually visited this restaurant twice, once for dinner and once for brunch. 

When we first arrived, I saw this sign and knew it was love at first sight. A restaurant that values wellness?! This is my kind of place. Upon entering, I could already tell we were a match made in heaven with the rustic, farm to table-like setting and the amazing floor to ceiling windows (that just so happened to be wide open because it was an unusually beautiful day in Chi Town that weekend). How could you not love this place? 

The menu was the next thing that stole my heart. Real, whole food ingredients. Creative dishes. Labels to make finding gluten free and dairy free options a breeze. Killer cocktails made with clean juices. An extensive wine list with organic and biodynamic options. And gluten free desserts (although not sugar free). And staff that were super kind and knowledgable about food allergies/preferences.

Dinner that evening was fantastic. Brunch the next day was even more amazing. And I was so grateful to my brother for planning this evening. It really meant so much to me. 

But I Wanted the Affair with TFK to Continue . . .

So after the amazing weekend with my brother in Chicago, I returned home with my fingers crossed and searched for a location close by. To my surprise there was a True Food Kitchen in the Philadelphia area - not super close, but definitely doable driving distance. 

I now visit True Food Kitchen on the regular. And there is always one dish I get without fail. The Charred Caulilfower. Oh yes, this is my jam. And you need this in your life too.

But like I said, True Food Kitchen is still a good distance away so I can't always hop in the car and go when the craving hits. 

So what's a girl to do? Try to recreate the dish, of course. 

And that's exactly what I did. 

I have to say this re-creation is incredibly close to the real deal, but want to know what I love about my dish even more? I get to smother the roasted cauliflower in the tahini sauce, add as many dates as I want, as much mint as I want and eat as much as I want! Seriously tell me you don't want to do the same when you order it at TFK!

Oh and I make this dish as a meal! You can add some chickpeas or other protein to fully round it out but I find that it is extremely filling and satiating in and of itself! I make it at least once a week. And I encourage you to try this dish at home and/or whenever you get to visit True Food Kitchen. And please, let me know how you like it!

This recipe was created by Jessica Yeager, CNE  <–click the link and come hang out on FB with me!

Or tag me on the gram with #jessicayeagercne if you make this recipe! I LOVE seeing your creations <3