CHICAGO, Oct. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- LYFE Kitchen Restaurant today invites customers to warm up to a taste of fall with new menu items that celebrate the freshness and flavor of the season. With produce like kale, snap peas and butternut squash now in abundance, LYFE Kitchen Executive Chefs Art Smith, Tal Ronnen and Jeremy Bringardner, updated the menu to offer a seasonal line-up of great tasting, good for you food meant to satisfy without slowing you down.

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The new Fall signature items are featured as new seasonal chalkboard specials in every restaurant.  LYFE Kitchen guests will now find a continually changing array of dishes based on the freshest ingredients available, new interesting flavors and regional favorites. 

"Variety is the spice of LYFE," explains Mike Roberts, co-founder and CEO of LYFE Kitchen. "Our new Fall menu and new chalkboard specials deliver both variety and spice: in abundance. More options and changing featured items mean that there is always something new to discover and enjoy at LYFE Kitchen. And our bold, bright flavors for Fall deliver the great taste and good for you ingredients that make it easy to love your food everyday."

New Season, New Markets Inspired Dishes

As LYFE Kitchen enters its second year of operation, the growing restaurant group is poised to open new locations in Tarzana and West Hollywood, Calif., as well as in Chicago, Ill. With these new markets in mind, and the change in seasons, LYFE Kitchen chefs found inspiration for the new dishes being featured this fall.

"The new growing season allows us to take advantage of a new crop of fresh, delicious ingredients," said LYFE Kitchen Corporate Executive Chef Jeremy Bringardner. "Our new menu items and our changing array of chalkboard specials allow us to take advantage of what's fresh today while delivering the flavorful, good-for-you food that our guests know and love."

Chefs Smith, Ronnen and Bringardner collaborated on developing and celebrating the bold flavors and diverse tastes of global cuisine: bringing new exotic spices to the table while taking advantage of the bounty of fall and winter produce. They also decided to pay homage to LYFE Kitchen's move to Chicago, home of Chef Smith's award-winning restaurant Table Fifty-Two with a new dish that is sure to make Chicagoans smile.

The Main Event

Chopped ChimichurriLater this Fall LYFE will sprout in Chicago's dynamic River North neighborhood.  To properly welcome Chicagoans to the family, LYFE Kitchen introduces a new Chopped Chimichurri salad as robust and bold as the Windy City itself. Three different types of beans: snap peas, edamame, and haricots-verts, are tossed with romaine for textural intrigue. LYFE Kitchen's own flatbread crust is baked until crispy and broken up into pieces to add a satisfying crunch.  The chimichurri that tops it off is anything but classical, with a punched up mix of freshly picked herbs, ranging from parsley and basil to chives, cilantro and everything in between.

Roasted SalmonDelicately Roasted Salmon is accompanied by melt-in-your-mouth roasted fennel, tomatoes and broccoli and a generous ribbon of re-imagined marinara in this soon-to-be Fall favorite. LYFE Kitchen uses Loch Duart salmon, a delicious, sustainable source of Omega 3s. The chefs created a light, fresh version of Grandma's homemade marinara sauce.  Rather than cooking for hours on a stovetop, and allowing the nutrient density decline, LYFE Kitchen's version is made fresh with a bright tomato coulis. Using sweet cherry tomatoes as the foundation, the vibrant coulis is first blended then simmered quickly.  

Thai Red Curry Bowl (V)The new LYFE Kitchen Thai Red Curry Bowl delivers exotic spice and complex flavors hued with a beautiful, understated reddish-orange, evoking a visual nod to Fall. A variety of roasted vegetables, including mini orange and red peppers for a hint of sweetness, are served on a hearty bed of whole grains. Wheatberries are the grain of choice, adding a subtle nuttiness to this warm, comforting dish. 

Roasted Beet SaladThe popular Roasted Beet Salad received a Fall makeover with the introduction of a maple-sherry vinaigrette and the addition of hearty wheatberries which replace the faro found in previous versions. Shaved fennel, oranges, red onion, mint, basil, and walnuts round out the ingredients and contribute pops of color and flavor throughout this feel-good salad.

Soup's On!

Chicken and Kale SoupPulling inspiration from the popular Latin American soup "caldo de pollo," LYFE Kitchen is ladling up a savory Chicken and Kale Soup. Seasoned with cumin and chili powder, this mildly spicy soup with satisfy, warm and nourish. Organic, free-range chicken, potatoes, carrots and celery, make this soup hearty, while lightly marinated kale and a pinch of fresh cilantro create a bright finish to every bowl.

Squash-Lemongrass Soup (V) With cooler weather on the horizon, LYFE Kitchen is offering a Squash-Lemongrass Soup to warm you up. The same vegan Thai curry foundation used in the Thai Red Curry Bowl is used as the base for this velvety-smooth soup. Butternut squash, lemongrass and coconut take center stage, brightened with a hint of lime juice.

Save Room for Dessert...

Banana Chia Budino with Nutmeg CrunchRiffing off of the success of its popular Chocolate Pomegranate Chia Budino (pictured), LYFE Kitchen is delighted to introduce the Banana Chia Budino with Nutmeg Crunch. This indulgent-tasting dessert is creamy and airy with an unexpected twist – a Nutmeg Crunch topping with oats, quinoa, flax, cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg.   

Drinks With Benefits

A new, lighter line-up of signature LYFE Waters use ginger, citrus and fresh herbs to provide refreshing flavors of the season, without adding extra calories. 

Spiced Apple Chia WaterOffering a true "taste of fall" in a glass, the Spiced Apple Chia Water will enable you to toast to the season. Made with organic apple juice, filtered water, lemon juice, cinnamon and chia seeds, the newest LYFE Water features an extra kick with raw ginger syrup and cayenne.

Orange Ginger Chia WaterOn the opposite end of the flavor spectrum, LYFE Kitchen is also introducing its Orange Ginger Chia Water. The rejuvenating scent of muddled lemon verbena permeates this beverage, which also includes fresh squeezed orange juice, filtered water, lime juice, raw ginger syrup, mint and chia seeds.  

Classic LemonadeLYFE Kitchen's Classic Lemonade will now be "spiked' with more minty, citrus notes thanks to the addition of muddled lemon verbena.  Lemon verbena accentuates the classic lemon flavor, without adding acidity. 

LYFE Kitchen is committed to the idea that great-tasting food can also be good for you, affordable and convenient. With choices to please anyone, from flexitarian to vegetarian, omnivore to vegan, our celebrated chefs have developed a menu that is as delicious as it is inspiring. Using locally sourced ingredients whenever possible with the highest standards of quality and adhering to the highest level of socially responsible practices, LYFE Kitchen is creating a new category of lifestyle restaurant. Visit www.lyfekitchen.com for more.

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SOURCE LYFE Kitchen

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