Back to Basics
August 09, 2022 | By
School is back in session and we’re sharing tips & tricks for school food professionals as we enter the new year!
Bringing Back Salad Bars
As students return to school, many food programs are reintroducing salad bars. Here are some helpful tips for getting your salad bar back up and running:
Placement is key - we recommend placing the salad bar line/flow prior to the Point Of Service (POS).
No need to prepare a vegetable side or spend labor on pre-made salads - instead, use your salad bar as part of the reimbursable meal. Bonus: this reduces food waste!
Set up your salad bar in a bulk style - students serving themselves improves program sustainability and eliminates the need for single-use bags and cups at your salad bar.
Bringing Back Salad Bars
As students return to school, many food programs are reintroducing salad bars. Here are some helpful tips for getting your salad bar back up and running:
Placement is key - we recommend placing the salad bar line/flow prior to the Point Of Service (POS).
No need to prepare a vegetable side or spend labor on pre-made salads - instead, use your salad bar as part of the reimbursable meal. Bonus: this reduces food waste!
Set up your salad bar in a bulk style - students serving themselves improves program sustainability and eliminates the need for single-use bags and cups at your salad bar.
This simple hummus contains just 7 common ingredients and can be served plain or flavored with a variety of fresh ingredients. Possible flavors for this plant-forward protein: roasted garlic, red peppers, cilantro and lime, or roasted tomatoes and basil. You can use hummus as a base for vegetarian sandwiches and wraps, add it on the salad bar, feature it as a component in bento boxes, or serve it as a dip with carrots and celery sticks. Best of all, it’s a great way to use commodity garbanzo beans.
This simple hummus contains just 7 common ingredients and can be served plain or flavored with a variety of fresh ingredients. Possible flavors for this plant-forward protein: roasted garlic, red peppers, cilantro and lime, or roasted tomatoes and basil. You can use hummus as a base for vegetarian sandwiches and wraps, add it on the salad bar, feature it as a component in bento boxes, or serve it as a dip with carrots and celery sticks. Best of all, it’s a great way to use commodity garbanzo beans.
Ranch dressing is another popular cafeteria item that’s simple to make from scratch. Salad dressings are a great way to transition away from single-serve condiment packets, helping eliminate both food waste and trash. By making your own salad dressings, you can also control the ingredients and eliminate high fructose corn syrup, a common ingredient in premade salad dressings. Lastly, this house-made ranch has a two week shelf life under refrigeration, so it can be made in a large batch and keeps for a while. Kids love ranch dressing, and dare we say, they love it even more when it’s scratch-made! Like the idea of making your own dressings? Check out these other salad dressing recipes on The Lunch Box.
Ranch dressing is another popular cafeteria item that’s simple to make from scratch. Salad dressings are a great way to transition away from single-serve condiment packets, helping eliminate both food waste and trash. By making your own salad dressings, you can also control the ingredients and eliminate high fructose corn syrup, a common ingredient in premade salad dressings. Lastly, this house-made ranch has a two week shelf life under refrigeration, so it can be made in a large batch and keeps for a while. Kids love ranch dressing, and dare we say, they love it even more when it’s scratch-made! Like the idea of making your own dressings? Check out these other salad dressing recipes on The Lunch Box.
