Beetles for Breakfast?

When I was in college I travelled to South Korea to stay with a good friend and her family who lived in Seoul.  During my visit they introduced me to many of the local traditions, including many cuisine and food-related customs. Imagine my never-been-out-of-the-U.S.-before surprise when one of their favorite delicacies was silk worms! What!? I marveled at the women cooking these worms in pots on fire pits outside at a traditional Korean festival.

Although exotic to me, many cultures regularly consume "insects" as protein sources.  An estimated 2.5 billion people regularly consume insects. The United Kingdom is considering adding insect protein to its food supply. The basic reason to include insects in the diet is to provide a non-animal protein source. Read more about it in Insect and food pyramids could help reduce meat consumption , which sourced info from a new article in the journal Appetite called, "Can we cut out the meat of the dish? Constructing consumer-oriented pathways towards meat substitution."

Are you trying to reduce your meat consumption? If so, here are ways that Dining can help you with that goal:

• try Meatless Monday dishes at the grill every Monday at all 5 residential restaurants
• visit Roots, the all-vegan restaurant on Muir College
• choose the vegetarian or vegan options available daily; check Dining's site for the green VT label (vegetarian) or blue VG label (vegan)
• utilize the salad bar
• order a vegetarian sandwich at the deli
• who says you have to have an entree? try a meal of 3 vegetarian "sides" such as the vegetarian soup, a spinach leaf salad with garbanzo beans and tomatoes, and a yogurt
• choose veggie options at a Place & Market
• no, Dining is NOT serving bugs!

Happy Meatless Monday!

El Capitan at Roots

My lunch - El Capitan from Roots

I LOVE Roots, the all-vegan restaurant on Muir College and I have a new favorite menu item since my old favorite, the Grant Grove, was not popular among students last quarter and has been switched out for some new ones.  My new favorite, El Capitan, is a sun-dried tomato Italian Tofurky sausage with sauteed peppers and onions and vegan "mozzarella."  I love the flavor of the tofurky combined with the peppers and onions.

You definitely don't have to be vegan to enjoy the deliciousness that is Roots.  It's also a really nice, serene, and extremely close-by alternative to the nearly always busy Pines restaurant. Check it out and try a vegan meal. Here is Roots menu. 

Are you looking for some vegan/vegetarian info?
Then check out this cool Vegan MyPlate from the Vegetarian Resource Group, which is a vegetarian advocacy group that hails from one of the most awesome places ever: Baltimore. (GO RAVENS!)

Are You Keen on Quinoa?

I've heard the word quinoa pronounced many different ways but here's the deal, it's KEEN-wah.  I like it when people say kwah-NO-ah, though; that's just fun.

Anyway, quinoa is healthy and really getting popular in the U.S. these days, which is neat because it's been used in South America for thousands of years.  Dining's executive chef Vaughn Vargus likes quinoa so much that he even included it in a culinary competition he was in last year. Here's Chef Vaughn providing a cooking demo at the Zone.

UC San Diego Dining's executive chef Vaughn Vargus, CEC, CCA

Why eat quinoa?

• it's yummy
• it's higher in protein than most grains**
• it can be eaten all sorts of ways
• it's vegan
• it's gluten-free for those who need gluten-free options
• it's filling

**Technically quinoa is not actually a grain. The Whole Grains Council says that, "Botanically, quinoa is related to beets, chard and spinach, and in fact the leaves can be eaten as well as the grains." Read more about it here.

Where can you get some quinoa on campus right now? At Roots! Check out the Half Dome, a
multi grain burger made of red quinoa, barley & cornmeal on a vegan roll.

New Vegan Items at Roots

The all-vegan Roots restaurant on Muir College has new menu items this quarter.  Come by to check out these new tasty delights:

• Hetch Hetchy - Potato gnocchi, fresh edamame and sauteed spinach with a drizzle of balsamic glaze
• Wawona - thinly sliced and rolled eggplant filled with soy ricotta, and housemade tomato sauce
• El Capitan - sun-dried tomato Italian tofurkey sausage with sauteed pepper and onions, vegan mozzarella (this dietitian's current favorite!)
• Half Dome - multigrain burger made of red quinoa, barley and cornmeal on a vegan roll
• 3 All New Smoothies

Or try one of your favorites from winter quarter like the Root (pictured below)

The Root, vegan "berger" and portobello mushrooms





Real Deal Today in Roots

Come by Roots restaurant on Muir College (lower level of Stewart Commons below Pines restaurant).  Roots is UC San Diego's first ever vegan restaurant and it's REALLY GOOD!  Come by to say hello to me, ask nutrition questions and have a tasty, vegan meal.  If you think you wouldn't like vegan food, come try it out - you'll be delighted. This food is good, people, whether you're an omnivore or strict vegan.

See you at Roots for lunch!

Roots Restaurant on Muir - Vegan Deliciousness

I had lunch at Roots Restaurant on Muir College - the picture above is my lunch, the Grant Grove, a mixed legume salad with artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, carrots, bermuda onions and tofu "feta" on a bed of organic spinach. D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!

Roots is an all-vegan restaurant that Dining opened this quarter - the vision is to provide tasty, healthy, vegan dishes to all who are interested.  You certainly don't have to be vegan to eat a vegan meal...and the Grant Grove satisfied my large appetite for lunch!

My colleague had the butternut squash soup - I tasted this soup as well. If you're a fan of butternut squash like I am, you'll love it.  I like having scallions added onto soups and chilis as well but those are optional if they're not your preference.

Check out Roots restaurant.  It's my new favorite spot to eat on campus.