What’s going to be new on your restaurant menu this year? And what items are going to start popping up in the grocery aisles? Each year the National Restaurant Association surveys professional chefs to figure out what Americans will be craving in the coming year. They also say which food trends are waning. Quinoa? It’s out. And salt? It’s making a comeback. Vegetarian and vegan cuisines are also cooling off. Plus, if you haven’t caught on to the food truck craze, no worries, it’s on its way out anyway. Here are six trends that may be making the way into your family’s kitchen this year.
Street Food-Inspired Dishes
Two words: Street food. Dishes like Middle Eastern shawarma, Mexican chile con carne tacos, Vietnamese spring rolls, Indonesian beef satay, and other “grabbable” foods will be making their way onto menus – and maybe even your table. Start with some of these tempting street food-inspired dishes from Fine Cooking.
Healthy Meals for Kids
Good news? Nutritious meals for youngsters have been trending for the last couple years. The Food Network has several healthy meals for kids to help your family get hooked on nutritious eating. For example, try Alton Brown’s granola bars or green chips. Or bake up Rachael Ray’s crunchy chicken or Giada’s Italian quesadilla.
Ethnic-Inspired Breakfast Food
Forget cereal. Ethnic-inspired breakfast food like these ideas from The American Egg Board will have your kids getting up early for the most important meal of the day. Easy examples? Drizzle Sriracha, a spicy Thai sauce, over scrambled eggs. Or, make a brown rice bowl topped with kimchi, sautéed vegetables and sunny side up eggs.
African Flavors
African dishes include a variety of unexpected ingredients that come together to make decadent, spicy dishes. These 13 African recipes from Cooking Light include dried fruit, ginger, cinnamon, garlic and onions. Sample dishes like cape Malay curry, Pan-Fried Fish Balls, cucumber-mango salad, Ethiopian red lentil stew and West African beef, plantain and okra stew. No wonder African cuisine is expected to be all the rage this year.
Healthier Vending Machines
Convenience food is getting a nutritious makeover. The Food Network predicts that 2017 will welcome the advent of healthier vending machines. Be on the hunt for these better-for-you options like popcorn, hummus and granola bars.
Rethinking Pasta
Noodles aren’t just made of semolina flour anymore. In 2017, be on the hunt for pasta made of chickpeas, quinoa and lentils. Then again, you can also make them out of vegetables – yes, the increasingly popular zoodles, or zucchini noodles. That’s just one of the food trends that Whole Foods is predicting for 2017.
