High-Impact Veggies

Maximize the flavour of your vegetables with these easy techniques

Today’s vegetable-centric trend sees a lot of love given to vegetables, both in cooking techniques and flavour combinations. Roasting, charring, blistering, grilling—these all bring out the sweet, caramelized, smoky side of veggies. Flavour boosters—from marinades and glazes to dollops of luscious cheese or bits of crispy pork—help tell a signature story.

Menu Sightings

This new attention to vegetables speaks to a larger trend in foodservice, in which guests expect fresh food cooked with big flavour.

KFC—Korean Fried Cauliflower THE CARBON BAR, TORONTO
Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with
Shaved Parmesan and Smoked Bacon HY'S STEAKHOUSE AND COCKTAIL BAR, WINNIPEG
Grilled Husked Baby Corn
with Butter and Pequin Chile CUCHILLO, VANCOUVER

lean on Kraft Heinz

Execute this major trend without overextending your staff or ordering in too many new SKUs.

FOR MARINADES...
choose from our extensive portfolio of salad dressings, such as Renée’s Citrus Kiwi Dressing
FOR A LONG BRAISES...
on bitey greens, Heinz Tomato Sauce
FOR FINISHING CHEESES...
we can help with Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Kraft Habanero Heat Cheese Slices, Kraft Mozzarella Cheese and more

Ideas on how you can tap into the veg-centric trend, using ingredients and products you already have in your pantry.

1 cup Kraft Sundried Tomato and Oregano Dressing2 tsp. lemon zest
1 cup Pure Kraft Refrigerated Berry Balsamic Dressing1 tsp. minced jalapeño
1 cup Renée’s Creole Dijon Sauce1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 cup Diana Sauce Thai Sweet & Spicy1/4 cup Kraft Cilantro Lime Dressing
1 cup Renée’s Italian Dressing1 tsp. curry powder

1 cup Richardson Ultimate Sriracha Sauce2 tbsp. honey
1 cup Kraft Balsamic Vinaigrette2 tbsp. orange marmalade1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 cup Bull’s-Eye Original Barbecue Sauce3 tbsp. Richardson Blueberry Topping
1 cup Rickard’s Maple Chipotle BBQ Sauce3 tbsp. Forty Creek Whisky BBQ Sauce3 tbsp. Richardson Ultimate Korean BBQ Sauce1 tsp. sesame seeds
1 cup Richardson Balsamic Vinaigrette3 tbsp. Rickard’s Mesquite Apple BBQ Sauce

Braised in pork stock or tomato sauce
Grilled or charred
Roasted or blistered
Pan-seared
Wood-smoked
Pickled

Dollops of soft cheese, such as mozzarella, cream cheese or burrata
Crisp bacon chunks
Sausage crumbles
Melting cheeses, such as cheddar or Monterey Jack
Shaved ham or prosciutto

THE BIG THREE

Technomic’s 2015 Consumer Trend Report tells us that, in the vegetable category, carrots, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts show impressive menu mention growth.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS menu mentions are up 530% over the last four years, according to Datassential Canadian MenuTrends

Vegetable-Centric Technique

Cauliflower has grown on menus by 98% from 2011 to 2015, according to Datassential Canadian MenuMonitor.

Carrots have grown on menus by 78% from 2011-2015, according to Datassential.

Vegetable-Centric Technique

Note from our Chef

One challenge with cooking vegetables is the variance in a single type of veggie, depending on the supplier. Starch and sugar levels can change, so make sure you adjust cook time and flavour add-ins depending on what you get.