Pass The Bean Salad Please

As American’s strive to eat healthier meals by the nutrition panel, restaurateurs and Food Retailers must find interesting ways to create meals that are tasty and healthy for their customers. People don’t have to be a vegetarian to enjoy new vegetarian food options, a meal without meat. Legume and grain salads are proving to be easy to prepare and serve, and absolutely in demand. Eating chicken, beef and pork does provide customers with heart healthy protein; but they each come with cholesterol, which some customers are mindful to avoid.

According to Restaurants and Institutions Magazine, “In a 2007 food and health survey conducted by the Washington, D.C.-based International Food Information Council, 71% of Americans said they were trying to eat more whole grains. Food companies have been quick to react to the rising demand. In the same year, manufacturers launched 15 times as many new whole-grain products as they did in 2000, according to Chicago-based market-research firm Mintel.”

food research and development show many chefs are finding success when using beans and grains in new types of salads as a main dish or a side dish. With minimal effort in the kitchen, chefs are finding that they can create amazing healthy salads using whole grains, beans, fresh herbs, and vegetables combined with a variety of vinaigrettes or even dairy products.

There are many great choices of beans to use. Navy, black, pinto, kidney, various types of peas, fava and the most popular cranberry bean, are typical choices you will see in salads today. Whole grains are always better to use than refined grain products. Grains include cornmeal, bulgur wheat, barley, oats and all varieties of rice. Nuts and seeds can also be added to dishes to add delicious flavors that your customers will love. Almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, sunflower, sesame and pumpkin seeds make great additions to these healthy dishes.

The mild taste of various beans and grains make an ideal canvas to showcase bold global flavors. An experienced food consultant will help you make your bean and grain dishes a hit.