In 2007, we went to some of our favorite foodservice professionals and gathered 22 large-capacity recipes for our First Edition of Whole Grain Recipes for Foodservice. This was a great start, but we wanted more! We could think of no better way to boost our large-scale recipe collection than to ask entrants in the 2011 Whole Grains Challenge to submit their favorites to us. In they came – dozens of them – from commercial foodservice companies serving thousands of people a day, to school districts with ten schools, on down to neighborhood bistros serving three dozen diners a night. We pored through the list to create the Second Edition, in mid-2012, with 75 new foodservice recipes.
Whatever the size of your foodservice operation, we invite you to use your expertise and creativity to scale these recipes up or down to meet your needs for delicious whole grain dishes.
First Edition 2007 – 22 recipes (download 128K PDF)
Second Edition 2012 – 75 recipes (download 1.3MB PDF)
More recipe resources:
Smart Snack Recipes from the Home Baking Association
Each of the 13 recipes in this collection meet the Smart Snacks in Schools Standards, which requires that recipes must be whole grain rich, as well as meet other calorie, fat, sodium, and sugar requirements, among other rules. Click here to access the recipe collection.
The Lunch Box
This toolkit from the Chef Ann Foundation includes over 200 searchable, scaled recipes that have been analyzed for USDA meal components. These delicious recipes are kitchen- and kid-tested, and are used in the Boulder Valley School District in Colorado. The toolkit also includes menu cycles for lunch and breakfast. Click here to view the tools.
New School Cuisine: Nutritious and Seasonal Recipes for School Cooks by School Cooks
This beautifully produced online cookbook features over 70 farm-to-school recipes from throughout Vermont, many accompanied with inviting color photographs. Each recipe is in USDA format, yields school-sized quantities, includes a nutritional analysis and contains information on the specific food components that credit towards meeting the USDA meal pattern. It also includes helpful tips on introducing kids to new menu items and information on seasonality. Click here to download the cookbook.
Recipes for Healthy Kids Cookbooks: Cookbook for Schools
The recipes in this cookbook feature foods both children and adults should consume more of: dark green and orange vegetables, dry beans and peas, and whole grains. All of these healthy recipes are low in total fat, saturated fat, sugar, and sodium. This cookbook was produced by the USDA Food and Nutrition Services and Team Nutrition. Click here to access the recipes.
C.H.E.F. Cookbook and Promising Practices
This collection of recipes and best practices was developed by 9 CHEF teams in Maryland that received mini grants as part of a Team Nutrition Training Grant. The booklet contains over 50 recipes for school food service, and a section of best practice tips. Click here to download the cookbook.
Videos for Foodservice
We all know that cooking for hundreds of diners in a foodservice setting is very different from putting dinner on the table at home for a family of four. These videos offer tips and inspiration for serving more whole grains in restaurants, schools and workplace cafeterias!
Whole Grain Tips and Tricks (InHarvest 4:14)
A variety of general tips for cooking any grain in a foodservice environment.
Whole Grains at Every Station (InHarvest 3:59)
Here’s inspiration for serving whole grains creatively in every day-part, from breakfast (oatmeal alternatives, parfaits and savory pancakes) through lunch (a farro and barley salad) and dinner (a quick paella).
Ancient Grains: Greenwheat Freekeh and Quinoa (InHarvest 4:04)
Health benefits of whole grains in general – with a special focus on the story of two very popular ancient grains.
Greenwheat Freekeh and Massaged Kale Salad (InHarvest 3:40)
Want a special dish to add to your grain bar? A delicious Caesar dressing ties together smoky Freekeh and brilliant-green kale that’s been made tender with a very useful massage technique.
Greenwheat Freekeh Vegetarian Meatballs (InHarvest 6:11)
How about “wheatballs” instead of meatballs? This basic recipe can be used for a range of dishes — anywhere you might use a standard meatball mix.