Chillier weather means more substantial meals—including salads. Customers look for earthy flavors with sweet, sour, and salty accents using popular fall ingredients prepared in delicious ways.
- Hearty leaves. Fortify leafy greens like spinach, arugula, and kale with colorful, roasted vegetables and fruits such as beets, Butternut squash, grapes, potatoes, and carrots.
- Ancient grains. Give salads more heft by tossing with cooked quinoa, wild rice, bulgur wheat, farro, and fonio. These nutrient-rich starches add nutty notes and color contrast.
- Protein toppers. Turn a side or appetizer salad into an entrée with the addition of grilled chicken or salmon, charred steak, hard/soft boiled eggs, or stir-fried mushrooms.
- Caramelized produce. Autumn highlights should include fruits like apples, pears, quince, and persimmons and vegetables such as sweet potatoes, winter squashes, and x. Pair these sweet treats with bitter greens like frisée and arugula and offset with nuts and cheeses—especially blues!
SEASONAL PRODUCE CHECKLIST
- Hearty leaves: RSS Harvest Crisp Blend, RSS Heritage Blend, RSS Baby Spinach, RSS Chopped Collard Greens, RSS Shredded Kale, and radicchio.
- Ancient grains: Red quinoa, farro, amaranth, wild rice, fonio, bulgur wheat, couscous, buckwheat, and chia seeds.
- Protein toppers: Grilled chicken, blackened fish, fried garbanzo beans, seared ahi, shredded duck confit, and prosciutto bits.
- Caramelized produce: MFC Apples, MFC Pears, RSS Pineapple Chunks and Spears, MFC Fennel, RSS Carrot Coins, cranberries, pomegranate seeds, persimmons, quince, sweet potatoes, and winter squashes.
