More and more diners are eating their veggies! At least according to a recent report by food industry research firm Technomic, which found that diners want to see more healthful veggies on their plate.

In their research, Technomic attributes their findings to a number of factors as to why vegetables are taking center stage (or should we say center-of-the-plate?). The factors include:  an increase in prices of proteins, as well as the increase of Americans wanting to eat healthier, as part of an overall healthy lifestyle.

Other report findings on vegetables and their growing popularity on menus include:

• in the past three years, vegetable menu occurrence has increased over 11%
• a staggering 400% rise of kale being found on menus in the past five years
• 87% of consumers believe that garden-fresh foods are healthier and taste better
• nine out of 10 consumers agree that menu items containing a full serving of vegetables are more healthy

As foodies, we know that adding more innovative, tasty vegetable dishes to a menu is a great way of promoting healthier eating habits for our guests, but we’re also happy to know that a strong percentage of Americans are taking note of the benefits of eating healthily as well.

As inspiration, below are some interesting dishes to try that feature fresh vegetables. Just think of how much healthier you’ll feel serving dishes like these!

• salted cucumbers and snow peas
• grilled broccolini
• sautéed green beans with candied lemon
• hand-whipped red bliss potatoes or sweet potatoes
• sautéed zucchini, raisins and pine nuts served over pearl pasta
• maple-glazed carrots
• creamed brussels sprouts
• purple and black kale chopped salad (as seen below)