We love True Food Kitchen. It’s one of our favorite places to eat. I always order the Ancient Grains Bowl. Sometimes I leave it vegetarian, other times I add shrimp or chicken, but one thing is for sure…I ALWAYS eat every last bite! I love it so much I wanted to enjoy this healthy meal at home, so I came up with a Copycat True Food Kitchen Ancient Grains Bowl of my own!
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The Grains:
I am sure True Food Kitchen makes their own combination of ancient grains but fortunately for us there are several ancient grain mixes to choose from in markets and online. For this bowl I used a quinoa, rice and chickpea blend I picked up at Whole Foods Market. They also carry a 7 grain lentil blend and Organic Super Grain Blend. Trader Joe’s has an ancient grain blend as well. Any and all work well, so pick your favorite! Just note that the cooking time for each ancient grain mix is different, so plan accordingly.
The Veggies:
This beautiful bowl is abundant with vegetables: sweet potatoes, red onion, snow peas, and mushrooms, all capped off with a gorgeous ripe avocado. So much good in one pretty little bowl.
The Sauce:
The original recipe uses a miso glaze on the veggies. I skip the soy in my ‘copycat’ version and use a simple mixture of Sambal Oelek (a Thai chili paste), dijon mustard and honey. Just whisk together and you have an amazing sweet and spicy sauce that works well with so many dishes…like my Spicy Shrimp and Cauliflower Rice Bowl. After assembling your bowl, generously drizzle over the veggies and your meal is complete.
Put It All Together:
Voila! The Ancient Grain bowl in all it’s healthful glory! Colorful, nutritious, easy to make and best of all, delicious!
Optional Ingredients:
True Food Kitchen serves this recipe with a dallop of fresh pesto! I love this addition but it’s not mandatory. If you choose to add it, you can use store bought pesto or make my vegetarian pesto recipe. If you’d like to add protein, add some sliced rotisserie chicken or shrimp sautéed in olive oil.
The Recipe: Copy Cat True Food Kitchen Ancient Grain Bowl!
Tips and what you need: ancient grains…my favorites are 7 grain lentil blend and Organic Super Grain Blend or Trader Joe’s ancient grain blend. A Thai Chili Paste called Sambal Oelek (<—Amazon link) provides the heat. You can also find Sambal Oelek in the Asian section of most markets. As always, you need a good knife and a great sea salt!
I love the Ancient Grains Bowl at True Food Kitchen so much that when I am not in California I have to make my own version! I love this one as is, but also sometimes add rotisserie chicken or sautéed shrimp.
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced 1/2"
- 1 small red onion, peeled and sliced
- 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- 2 servings ancient grains of your choice, cooked to package instructions (see notes above in blog post) You can also use straight up quinoa
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon Sambal Oelek (add more or less depending on how you like the heat!
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup snow peas
- 3/4 cup mushrooms, sliced
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced
- 1 tablespoon chives for garnish
- sliced rotisserie chicken or shrimp sautéed in olive oil, if you want to add protein
- pesto, the TFK version contains a dallop of pesto. I love it, but it's not a game changer, so with or without is fine. Use store bought or my recipe link in blog post above
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees, place oven rack in upper third position in oven. Cover a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside
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Prepare potatoes and onion, place on parchment covered cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper, toss. Be sure all veggies are glistening with oil
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Place in oven and set the timer for 35 minutes
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After potatoes and onions have been in the oven for 15 minutes or so, start cooking grains. The time it takes for the grains to cook will depend on which grains you buy, so be sure to check timing. Also, I find that many instructions on these grains are not spot on. My grains are almost always done before all the water is absorbed. If this happens to you, just drain the extra water using the pot lid rather than continuing to cook.
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While grains cook, slice mushrooms and chives. Whisk together honey, sambal oelek and dijon mustard, set aside
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When timer goes off, check potatoes. If they are almost done (crispy browned edges) add mushrooms and snow peas to pan and set timer for 5 more minutes. (If potatoes need a little more time, be patient, ovens vary, just add veggies when potatoes are almost done)
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Remove veggies from oven, divide cooked grains into two bowls, top with veggies, drizzle generously with sauce, leaving some in a small bowl to use as needed. Add avocado, chives and a dallop of pesto if using. Serve!
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