Looking for a little inspiration to help boost your menu? Welcome to our column featuring bites of nutrition knowledge and insight for your team’s menu creation needs.
Listen 👂: Click HERE to listen to the article!
We’ve come a long way as most vegetarian options were uncommon on school lunch menus just a decade ago. Plant-forward options are a natural progression to help make the school cafeteria an inviting and inclusive experience for those who follow a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle. Move over COP (center of the plate) as we teach students that a vegetable can be more than just a side dish.
This month we are focusing on plant-forward recipes and tools for incorporating and helping you embrace these trending options on your menus. From new restaurant copycats to industry support with a greater effort marketing vegan and vegetarian fare -open your mind and inspire your menu creation in new plant-forward ways. Enjoy some food for thought curated and ready to serve up some quick and easy strategies for success!
Read 📖: What better way to introduce plant-based options into your school than by researching how other programs have done it successfully? Luckily school cafeterias are not competitive restaurants and willingly share best practices that can easily be incorporated into other school nutrition programs. Check out how New York City Public Schools feature a plant-powered dish every Friday.
Watch 👀: Meet our newest friends in menu innovation - Flavor Temptations! After stopping by this innovative company's booth at ANC, we knew we had a winner! These flavor-building tutorials help inspire your global on-trend flavors with authentic Indian cooking videos. We know flavor means business - inspire your meatless menu innovation with turnkey recipes and simple spice solutions.
Menu Pro Tip ✅: Think about the items already on your menu such as black beans, refried beans and chickpeas that can be meat alternative protein. Plant power up your next burger bar by upcycling taco bar ingredients (black beans, corn, salsa and rice) to create delicious made-from-scratch veggie burgers.
Create an on-trend deli option that includes both meat and non-meat eaters with this take on the viral Italian Grinder Sub that was made vegetarian with chickpeas in place of the Italian deli meats.
Entrée salads and grab-and-go options present an opportunity to let your veggies shine in a new light while boosting your meatless options. Try this showstopper -Southwest Shaker Salad. Don’t forget the sweet treats! Cookie Dough Hummus is a fan-favorite dip that gets high marks for nutritional value and can be enjoyed by everyone. Children even told their parents about this sweet treat they enjoyed for a snack at school, which led us to collaborate with a Head Start program to create an instructional video for families to make this in their own homes.
Ponder 🤔: Need some help inspiring your team? Check out this ICN STAR webinar on Incorporating Plant-based Options in Schools. This webinar covers topics from preparing plant-based options to marketing these items to students. Confused buyers don’t buy!
Think about how the plant-based options are being marketed to students who may not understand terms like “vegan” and “plant-based”. Consider focusing on the nutritional content of the meals - “protein-powered” and “filled with nutrients”.
Learn 📚: Want to better understand plant-based/vegan cooking techniques? Check out this resource that covers shopping, preparing and cooking plant-based - Vegan Cooking Guide.
Innovate 💡: Consider purchasing tofu for easy plant-based protein. Tofu can be used in salads, wraps and bowls. The easiest way to prepare tofu is to remove the tofu from the package and wrap the tofu in paper towels. Then place the wrapped tofu on a tray with a heavy object on top. This is called pressing which will remove moisture and results in a crispier final product. Press the tofu for at least 15 minutes. Then unwrap the tofu, cut into cubes and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and add desired seasonings. Roast in the oven at 400 F until golden brown. (Helpful Tip: Super firm tofu contains less moisture and more protein. This is the preference when utilizing tofu as a protein alternative.)
Try combining a whole grain soba or ramen noodle in this NY Times “unfussy tofu dish” recipe with all the flavors and textures of the season.
Tofu can also be crumbled and used to substitute for ground beef in common school lunches such as tacos, sloppy joes and pasta. Simply replace the ground beef in the recipe with crumbled tofu. This allows students to have a lunch that looks very similar to their friends.
Plant-based does not have to be just faux meat items or boring. As you curate plant-forward recipes, think about flavor and versatility. Everyone wants to eat delicious foods bursting with color and flavor. Looking for some inspiration? Check out our cookbook with easy recipes filled with fruits and vegetables!
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