Escabeche was so essential to banquets in the Spanish Middle Ages that it was known as “the father of hospitality.” Introduced to the Iberian Peninsula by the Muslim Moors after their conquest of the region, this dish of vinegar-pickled meat was later reimagined as a seafood supper to accommodate the dietary restrictions of Spanish Catholics during Lent. The wild-caught salmon in our version is marinated in champagne vinegar, olive oil, and salt prior to cooking, for a dinner that’s rich in protein, omega-3s, polyphenols, and probiotics. A colorful harmony of vegetables including asparagus, gold-bar squash, and baby carrots provides gut-healthy fiber and antioxidant carotenoids.

Dating back to 14th-century Ukraine, borscht was originally prepared with hogweed, with beetroot versions first appearing in the late 17th century. This nutritious soup—at once sweet, tangy, earthy, and savory—is traditionally associated with unity, family, and, in the case of Ukraine, national pride. To make our interpretation, we stew grated organic beetroot—a superfood rich in magnesium, folate, and phytochemical compounds—with potatoes and red cabbage in a smoky, garlic-infused beef broth. We suggest garnishing the borscht with a dollop of our sour cream blended with dill and sumac, an astringent Levantine spice packed with tannins, anthocyanins, and flavonoids.

Traditional meals in Ethiopia, one of the most arable countries in Africa, center around a selection of spicy meat stews and vegetable sides, served over a crepelike flatbread called injera. One of those vegetable dishes is gomen wat, or braised collard greens and kale seasoned with aromatics like berbere. Laroot’s version of gomen, named in homage to the Ethiopian capital, keeps these traditional ingredients while incorporating teff, a supergrain native to Ethiopia which rivals quinoa in its protein, calcium, and iron content. Local tomatoes add lycopene, roasted squash lends vitamin C, and farmer’s cheese provides a tangy hit of creaminess.

This hearty Native American stew is based on a sacred trio of crops—squash, corn, and beans—known as the Three Sisters, which certain tribes traditionally planted side by side so that they could grow in symbiosis. Our vegan and gluten-free interpretation of the dish includes locally grown acorn squash, providing beta-carotene and potassium; white hominy, lending B vitamins and fiber; and creamy tiger-eye beans, for protein and essential minerals. Turmeric and Aleppo flakes, two of Laroot’s cornerstone spices, are added for antibacterial and immune-boosting properties.

Developed in the 17th century by African and Taino Jamaicans, “jerk” traditionally refers to slow-smoked meat that has been seasoned with a marinade including, but not limited to, Scotch bonnet peppers, allspice, garlic, and vinegar. Prior to smoking our Kingston Chicken, named after the Jamaican capital city, we rub local free-range chicken breast in a proprietary jerk sauce of molasses, for sweetness; traditional Scotch bonnet peppers, for capsaicin-rich heat; and cinnamon, ginger, and the classic allspice, for antioxidant and antibacterial compounds. We complete the meal with turmeric-seasoned braised cabbage, coconut rice, callaloo-style collard greens, and sweet plantains sauteed in olive oil. 

The locally grown jumbo Korean carrots (“KC”) in this sweet-spicy-umami soup are roasted prior to pureeing so that their cell walls are compromised for optimal release of carotenoids, which include beta-carotene, long known to improve memory and cognitive function. (This roasting step also eliminates the need for added sugars in the recipe.) Our ochre-hued soup includes coconut oil for dairy-free creaminess, turmeric for anti-inflammatory compounds, orange juice for vitamin C, and a dash of Aleppo pepper for immunity-boosting. We serve it alongside a gluten-free kelp-noodle japchae (a Korean stir-fry) with bok choy, chili oil, and nigella seeds.

Though their precise origins remain unclear—some food historians suggest an origin as far east as Persia—one thing is certain: golabki, or mincemeat-stuffed cabbage rolls, are a staple of Polish family life, particularly at Christmastime. Our vegetarian interpretation sources protein from green lentils, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin seeds. Antioxidants, vitamin C, and lycopene are provided by locally grown shallots, carrots, and tomatoes. And thanks to a carefully balanced spice blend including paprika, thyme, and caraway seeds, our golabki also feature the six Ayurvedic rasas.

Malaysian cuisine is a flavorful interplay of contributions from the many ethnic groups, including Arabs, Indians, and Chinese, which call the country home.  The sweet and savory Malaysian fish-curries prepared today took shape from the 15th through 19th centuries, owing to spice importation from the Arab world and the arrival of Indian and Chinese workers under British rule. In our interpretation, we marinate locally caught haddock in a proprietary Malaysian curry mix long before it's cooked. The fish is served in an aromatic blend of coconut milk, lemongrass, cumin, galangal, curry leaves, mustard seeds, brimming with antioxidant and antibacterial properties. The dish is rounded out with local vegetables like sugar snap peas and graffiti eggplant for boosts of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, and potassium.

This eggplant-and-halloumi bake has roots in Ikaria, a North Aegean island with Blue Zone status. Ikarians are among the world's healthiest individuals, with one in three living well into their nineties. This satiating bake proceeds from their largely plant-based approach to nutrition, with eggplant—rich in vitamins, fiber, and polyphenols, which help the body metabolize sugar—as the star ingredient. Cubes of tangy halloumi cheese, made from grass-fed goat's milk, are added for calcium, potassium, and stress-relieving tryptophan. Halloumi, it should be noted, is hypoallergenic and can usually be enjoyed by lactose-intolerant individuals.

Āsh, which means "thick soup" in Persian, is an herb, bean, and noodle recipe traditionally prepared for Nowruz, the Persian New Year. Our noodle- and dairy-free take on this heart-healthy dish incorporates chickpeas, cannellini beans, and green lentils as ample sources of protein, fiber, and B vitamins. Local spinach and an herb mix of cilantro, parsley, dill, and mint further enhance this dish's mineral and phytochemical profiles, providing immunity-boosting and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Enchiladas were mentioned in Mexico's first cookbook in 1831, but the dish's Mayan history dates back at least 4,000 years. In Aztec times, it was common to roll tortillas, then called tlaxcalli, around beans, squash, eggs, fish, and game. In our recipe, two organic, gluten-free corn tortillas are filled with peppery free-range chicken, potassium-rich delicata squash, flavonoid-high black beans, and blend of cheddar and pepper Jack cheeses. The tortillas are then smothered in a traditional tomato sauce spiced with adobo-marinated chipotles, coriander, and cumin (Laroot’s go-to immunity booster).

As Vietnam’s national dish, pho (pronounced “fuh”) is one of the country’s most recognizable totems, having played a role in protest poems, government policies, and even espionage. Traditionally made with beef, its ingredients and preparation were influenced by French and Cantonese cooking; the word “pho” likely derives from the French pot-au-feu. Laroot presents a vegan interpretation with a complex broth fragrant of cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, star anise, and clove. Alongside gluten-free rice noodles, tofu cubes provide complete protein, while mushrooms and bok choy provide fiber and folate, a B vitamin that has been shown to reduce stroke risk..

The South Caucasian republic of Georgia has a wide-ranging biodiversity that makes for one of the most vitamin-rich diets on the planet. In tribute to this distinction, our Sunset in Tbilisi lunch—named after the country’s capital city, an ancient Silk Road stop—captures the plant-focused nutritiousness that goes hand in hand with Georgian cuisine. Zucchini rolls stuffed with tomatoes, onions, and kalamata olives provide antioxidants and promote healthy digestion and blood sugar, while a jalapeno-spiced version of pkhali, a spinach pate, is served with raw walnuts for optimal heart health and mood-boosting properties.

Approved by our Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) advisor, Naria Diaz Chi, this Qi-enhancing vegan soup harmonizes an array of ingredients that TCM has long considered nourishing, healing, and detoxifying. To an aromatic base of nutty Shaoxing wine spiced with ginger, garlic, and white pepper, we add antioxidant-rich beech and shiitake mushrooms, immunity-boosting goji berries, and blood-sugar-regulating Chinese yam. A helping of lily bulbs promotes lung health and a dash of ginseng improves concentration.

The Syrian Shrooms

Syria’s tradition of stuffed vegetables, or mahshi, goes back to its early days as a stronghold of the Ottoman Empire. Laroot’s recipe swaps out the usual container vegetables of zucchini and bell peppers with thick portobello-mushroom caps, rich in metabolism-boosting riboflavin and antioxidant selenium. They’re packed with a tangy, garlicky blend of shallot, leek, feta, and quinoa, a fiber-rich, grain-free alternative to rice.

The complex origins behind this vegan curry lie with the culinary traditions fostered by Cape Malays, South Africa’s largest Muslim ethnic group, who descend from slaves and political exiles with ancestry in South and Southeast Asia. Our take on their traditional curry recipes is built around braised tomatoes and potatoes—thickly sliced and generously peppered—both of which contain antioxidants to fight inflammation and may reduce the risk of heart disease. Spices like turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, and cardamom boast antimicrobial properties, while Fresno chili lends a smoky, fruity pungency.

Singapore street noodles originated in Hong Kong in the 1950s, when Cantonese chefs, incorporating spices imported from India by the British, attempted to develop a carb-dense lunch food that would appeal to day laborers of all backgrounds in the city-state. To give their curry-spiced noodles a compelling aura, the chefs named them after Singapore, an island about which little was known in Hong Kong at the time. For our curry-less version, we sear gluten-free soba noodles with micronutrient-rich vegetables like broccoli, carrots, bok choy, and mushrooms before suffusing the mixture with tamari, mirin, ginger, chili, and sesame oil—seasonings that strike a balance of the five flavors, or wuwei, recognized by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

A heritage dish in Colombia, Peru, and Colombia, ajiaco is a comforting chicken-and-potato soup with Tainan roots which the residents of Bogotá embrace as their signature cure-all. There, it’s typically prepared with three varieties of potatoes indigenous to the Andes—the birthplace of potato cultivation. Laroot’s cumin-spiced version, inspired by a friend from Bogotá who introduced us to the soup, is a medley of organic free-range chicken, potato medallions, spinach, corn, and guascas, a flowering Andean herb with a chardlike texture and a slightly minty taste. In true Bogotan style, we serve our ajiaco with crème fraiche and capers, as optional garnishes.

Sauce vierge (“virgin sauce”) is a staple of simple French cooking—simplicité being the paradoxical strength behind its robust flavor. Our “virgin” fish dish is an ode this culinary minimalism, with its sauce containing only the most delicious farm-fresh ingredients: cherry tomato, lemon juice, herbs, and olive oil. The first published recipe for sauce vierge appeared in 1976 in chef Michel Guérard’s Cuisine Minceur, which presented healthier recipes that contrasted with the heavier cuisine classique. Since sauce vierge is a match made in heaven for white fish, we serve our rendition with Long Island sole and hearty beluga lentils. This dish is packed with protein, vitamins, and phytonutrient support. Join us as we voyage to the Côte d’Azur with our irresistible iteration of a Gallic favorite!

Laroot’s Americana Salad is our ode to the California way of life, evoking warmer climes, fertile farmland, and an obsession with all things wellness. Based loosely on the Southern American seven-layer pea salad—which typically calls for bacon and mayonnaise amid layers of lettuce, tomato, and cucumber—our California-inspired version boasts an array of organic, seasonal produce including baby kale, baby spinach, beets, carrots, and Brussel sprouts, as well as the tomatoes and cucumbers that recall traditional recipes. The layer of smoked trout is packed with heart healthy omega-3s, while the alternative turkey bacon is high in protein, B vitamins, and zinc. The harmony of crunchy raw vegetables in our salad mix, seasoned with our house-made green-goddess dressing, provides all the micronutrients (iron, calcium, vitamin B6, vitamin K) you’ll need for a nutritious lunch. As per Ayurvedic and TCM principles, we advise that this dish be consumed during the day for optimal digestion of the uncooked vegetables.

Originally made with groundnuts, mafé is a traditional West African stew that was developed in Mali and spread to Senegal and Gambia during the colonial period. Laroot’s version fuses immunosupportive spices and herbs with French tomato, carrot, and cabbage. Its nutty creaminess derives from sunflower-seed butter—nonallergenic, and high in protein and omega-3s—instead of peanut. An herbaceous side of black-eyed peas seasoned with bay leaf, parsley, chive, cilantro, and shallot boosts the meal’s protein, vitamin, and antioxidant content.

According to popular legend, King Charles XII of Sweden brought the protorecipe for these meatballs back to his native country following an exile in Istanbul. Our nutritious version of this classic comfort-food plate—which we’ve named after Akvavit, the Scandinavian herbal spirit—incorporates many of its traditional components, like egg, onion, allspice, salt, and pepper. However, we replace the usual ground beef and pork with locally raised turkey, for a leaner protein source rich in B vitamins. Similarly, our gravy hits the nostalgic notes—thyme, nutmeg, and Worcestershire sauce—of traditional versions, but we forgo the beef stock and swap out the plain flour with a gluten-free buckwheat variety, which provides plant-based protein, magnesium, copper, and heart-healthy compounds like rutin.

Hailing from southwest China, Kung Pao is a certified Sichuan classic. Also known as Gong Bao and Kung Po, it’s said to be named after the rescuer of the Qing-dynasty governor Ding Bhaozen, who fell into a body of water and was saved by a local named Gongbao Jiding. When the governor visited him years later to give thanks, he was served a delicious dish of diced chicken, peanuts, and spicy Sichuan peppercorns. He asked for the recipe and served it to many of his guests, allowing Kung Pao chicken to spread its wings far and wide. Laroot’s plant-based, sweet-potato version is high in beta-carotene, and marries sweet ground peanuts with zingy Sichuan peppercorns, Chinese five spice, fresh lime, and fermented black beans. Crunchy stir-fried celery and long beans carry an abundance of micronutrients, while a topping of black sesame seeds and roasted agave cashews ups the calcium content and provides low-GI sweetness.

Our Jetsetter’s mezze salad takes us on a trip through the diverse flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean. First, we arrive in Tunisia to experience an original Harissa sauce for a spicy dose of vitamin A. Next, crispy falafel inspired by Palestinian chef Joudie Kalla meets protein and fiber needs. And finally, we top it off with a staple of Lebanese cuisine, creamy tahini dressing.

Inspired by a flavonoid-rich lemongrass broth served to us in the home of a Japanese friend, this aromatic soup has potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties thanks to spices like turmeric, garlic, and ginger, which help neutralize environmental aggressors. Locally caught striped bass provides protein and heart-healthy omega-3s; daikon radishes add vitamin C; and pickled Fresno chili lends capsaicin and gut-friendly probiotics. 

With origins in first-century Rome as a vinegary cheese spread for the masses, pesto (from the Italian verb pestare, meaning “to pound”) was perfected in Liguria by local monks who sourced basil from the nearby hills and, using marble mortars and wooden pestles, mashed it with pine nuts, garlic, salt, grated cheese, and olive oil. The basil pesto in this lunch honors traditional versions while incorporating kale and spinach for boosts of vitamins K and C. Gluten-free brown-rice pasta provides fiber, and a sprinkling of hemp seeds adds complete plant-based protein.

Teeming with dosha-balancing flavors from the Ayurvedic kitchen, Laroot’s vegan kala chana masala, based on a traditional North Indian recipe, is a glocal take on a dish with 5,000 years of resetting power behind it. This daal features black chickpeas and split red lentils for protein, fiber, iron, and manganese; local acorn squash for an autumnal source of vitamin C; and a tactfully blended Muchi curry, which features all five Ayurvedic tastes, or rasas. Turmeric, cumin, ginger, and cayenne pepper are its standout spices, providing potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds.

Named after the conical earthenware vessel in which it’s cooked, a tagine is a satiating Moroccan stew typically prepared with lamb, legumes, dried fruit, almonds, herbs, and spices. Regional iterations abound, taking cues from the various ethnic groups that have populated Morocco since the 8th century. Laroot’s interpretation is composed of organic free-range chicken for protein, potassium, and vitamin B12; chickpeas for fiber and additional B vitamins; figs for blood-sugar regulation; and olives for vitamin E and healthy fats. The mixture is gently simmered in a sweet-and-sour liquid spiced with immunity-boosting turmeric, saffron, ginger, and sumac.