Recipe Friday: Low-Waste Menus

As an operator, it's always a priority to produce the best-tasting food with high-profit margins. Wasted food means money lost. By getting the most out of your ingredients, you can minimize waste, benefiting the planet and your bottom line.

By using as much of an ingredient as possible, it adds uniqueness to a dish, whether it's garnishing with candied squash seeds or a carrot top pesto. Ordering vegetables whole rather than purchasing expensive "cuts" allows you to do more with your ingredients for a fraction of the cost, an all-around win.

There’s a lot to learn from various cuisines around the world where the whole animal or the whole vegetable is used in a dish. It forces the chef to get creative and not just focus on the "premium" part of the ingredient. And, as every chef knows, it's often the lesser used parts that have the most flavor and potential.

Enter bowls, a perfect dish that allows you to use many seasonal ingredients in a multitude of ways, according to Unilever Food Solutions' Future Menus Report. Focusing on the versatility of bowls, this incredibly popular menu item is a great dish format to use a multitude of ingredients in varying flavors and textures. Think of using parts of veggies that might otherwise hit the waste bin, like beet greens densely packed with nutrients or delicately flavored celery leaves. Trimmings of ahi tuna can be minced into the ever-popular spicy tuna for the perfect premium protein add-on to bowls. When you minimize waste, you maximize flavor and creativity. Adding seasonality to the bowls on your menu keeps them fresh and exciting, and keeps repeat diners coming back to see what's new. 

Seasonality is key when it comes to crafting the perfect bowl, and minor ingredient swaps can easily align with other items on your menu, an even better way to get the most out of every ingredient.

Check out these recipes from the Future Menus Report. 

Farro and Roasted Vegetable Bowl

Recipe courtesy Cori Boudreaux

Yield: 10

Ingredients for Creamy Horseradish Dijon Sauce

2 cups Hellmann's® Real Mayonnaise
½ cup creamy horseradish, prepared
¾ cup Maille® Dijon Originale Mustard

Method

Ingredients for Salad

5 cups farro, cooked
1 ½ lbs Brussels sprouts, halved, roasted
1 ½ lbs butternut squash, small diced, roasted
1 ½ lbs parsnip, spears, roasted
5 cups baby spinach
Salt, to taste
Lemon juice, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Toasted coriander
2 lbs cauliflower steaks, grilled
1 ½ cups almonds, toasted
Creamy Horseradish Dijon Sauce, prepared (recipe above)

Method

Chef tip: To add a contrasting pop of sweetness and make this bowl seasonal, consider including diced apple, dried cranberries, or chopped dates.

Golden Beet Quinoa Bowl

Recipe courtesy Dana Cohen

Yield: 10

Ingredients for Pickled Cucumbers

1 T salt
½ cup sugar
1 T black peppercorns
½ tsp red pepper, crushed
2 ea. garlic cloves
1 ea. bay leaf
½ lb cucumber slices
24 oz vinegar, distilled white
8 oz water

Method

Ingredients for Salad

10 cups quinoa, cooked
5 cups beets, golden, raw, grated
½ cup mint, rough chopped
2 ½ cups micro greens
10 oz feta cheese crumbles
2 cups pickled cucumber, prepared
2 ½ cups pistachios, toasted
Lemon, rind on, shaved on a mandolin, quartered
15 oz Hellmann's® Classics Balsamic Vinaigrette (4 x 1 gal)

Method

Middle Eastern Roasted Vegetables

Recipe courtesy Kyle Jakobi

Yield: 10

Ingredients for Creamy Harissa Dressing

1 cup Hellmann’s® Real Mayonnaise
¼ cup tahini
1 T maple syrup
¼ cup lemon juice
1 ea. large clove garlic, minced
1 T harissa past
e2 to 3 T water, as desired for consistency
1 tsp fine sea salt

Method

Ingredients for Seasoned Carrots

2 T dukkha seasoning
¼ cup olive oil
1 ½ lb tri-colored carrots, peeled, small dice

Method

Ingredients for Salad

1 ea. large clove garlic, minced
2 ½ lbs kohlrabi, small dice, roasted
1 ½ lbs seasoned carrots, prepared (recipe above)
2 T garlic, minced
½ cup parsley, minced
1 ½ cup chickpeas, fried
15 oz creamy harissa dressing, prepared (recipe above)
3 T dukkha seasoning

Method

Chef tip: This is a great recipe to use up any excess vegetable trimmings in the kitchen, since roasting adds complexity in flavor and texture and holds up well with the creamy dressing.