It’s almost time for spring cleaning and it’s time to dust off your lunch menu and create some new recipes to boost restaurant revenue. Developing your own take on traditional dishes such soup, salad and pizza can yield a significant increase in revenue if done properly. Here we’ve compiled some of our favorite recipes.
Chicken & Spinach Soup with Fresh Pesto
5 servings
INGREDIENTS:
2 teaspoons plus
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
½ cup carrot or diced red bell pepper
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 8 ounces), cut into quarters
1 large clove garlic, minced
5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1½ teaspoons dried marjoram6 ounces baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans or great northern beans, rinsed
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
⅓ cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
Freshly ground pepper to taste
¾ cup plain or herbed multigrain croutons for garnish (optional)
PREPARATION
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add carrot (or bell pepper) and chicken; cook, turning the chicken and stirring frequently, until the chicken begins to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Stir in broth and marjoram; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken pieces to a clean cutting board to cool. Add spinach and beans to the pot and bring to a gentle boil. Cook for 5 minutes to blend the flavors.
Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, Parmesan and basil in a food processor (a mini processor works well). Process until a coarse paste forms, adding a little water and scraping down the sides as necessary.
Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Stir the chicken and pesto into the pot. Season with pepper. Heat until hot. Garnish with croutons, if desired. (eatingwell.com)
Iceberg Wedge Salad With Lemon-Parsley Dressing
INGREDIENTS
For the gremolata dressing
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1⁄4 cup minced parsley
2 tbsp. freshly grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
1 garlic clove, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the salad
2 Roma tomatoes
4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1⁄2 tsp. sugar
1⁄4 tsp. salt
1⁄4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 small head iceberg lettuce (about 1 lb.)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp. minced chives
1⁄4 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 tbsp. whole, loosely packed parsley leaves
4 large whole basil leaves
1 tbsp. capers
PREPARATION
Make the gremolata: Combine the ingredients 4 hours or up to one day ahead of time; set it in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the salad.
Preheat the oven to 215°. Quarter and seed the tomatoes, then toss them with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the sugar, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes on a large sheet pan and dry them in the oven for 4 hours.
Halve the head of iceberg straight through its core. Shave a thin slice from the outside edge of each piece so that they lie flat, core facing up. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil; season to taste with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle the lettuce with chopped chives, and top each half with the dried tomatoes, sliced red onion, whole herbs, and capers. Immediately before serving, drizzle each half with a tablespoon of gremolata. Serve the salad with crusty bread and the remaining gremolata on the side.
Artichoke and Arugula Pizza with Prosciutto
INGREDIENTS
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 (13.8-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough
2 tablespoons commercial pesto
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 (9-ounce) package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and drained
1 ounce thinly sliced prosciutto
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups arugula leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
PREPARATION
Position oven rack to lowest setting. Preheat oven to 500°
Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray; sprinkle with cornmeal. Unroll dough onto prepared baking sheet, and pat into a 14 x 10-inch rectangle. Spread the pesto evenly over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over pesto. Place baking sheet on the bottom oven rack; bake at 500° for 5 minutes. Remove pizza from oven.
Coarsely chop artichokes. Arrange artichokes on pizza; top with sliced prosciutto. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Return pizza to the bottom oven rack; bake an additional 6 minutes or until crust is browned.
Place arugula in a bowl. Drizzle juice over arugula; toss gently. Top the pizza with arugula mixture. Cut the pizza into 4 (7 x 5-inch) rectangles; cut each rectangle diagonally into 2 wedges.(myrecipes.com)
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