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.

Whole Grains Challenge Month

Dining Services is participating in the Whole Grains Challenge this month -- are you?

Dining is offering daily whole grain foods:

• Sundays - whole wheat pancakes


• Mondays - popcorn


• Tuesdays - whole wheat pastas


• Wednesdays - whole grain bread


• Thursdays - assorted whole grains (quinoa, wild rice, brown rice)


• Fridays - assorted corn choices


• Saturdays - oatmeal

In addition, the Places & Markets are featuring their daily whole grain choices as well. Look for whole grain displays and/or ask a manager for help finding the whole grain choices.

Why whole grains, you ask? Whole grains, like fruits and veggies, contain tiny but mighty antioxidants and phytochemicals. These antioxidants and phytochemicals fight disease. So many times we focus on what we shouldn't eat...it's far more effective and enjoyable to focus on what we should be eating. Whole grains? You should be eating them! For more info, check out the Whole Grains Council at http://wholegrainscouncil.org/

The WHOLE GRAINS CHALLENGE - are you in!?

Whole Grains Features in Dining All October

As part of Dining's Whole Grains Challenge, we will be serving fun, whole grain features everyday in October.








Here is what you can look forward to:

• Sundays: whole wheat pancakes


• Mondays: popcorn (yup, it's whole grain!)


• Tuesdays: whole wheat pastas


• Wednesdays: whole grain breads


• Thursdays: assorted whole grains such as quinoa, wild rice, brown rice


• Fridays: corn day - corn on cob, corn salad, corn salsa, corn chowder


• Saturdays: steel cut oatmeal with fun mix-ins (dried fruits, syrups, brown sugar)

Whole Grains Month - UC Eats Real

October is Whole Grains Month. In honor of whole grain goodness, Dining Services will be featuring daily whole grain choices in Residential Dining and in our Places & Markets. Look for the UC Eats Real logo above in Dining Services.

You can also find Whole Grain stamps (also pictured above) on packaged goods that contain whole grains.

Today's feature in Dining Services? POPCORN! Yes, popcorn is a whole grain and a really fun one if I may say so. Dining will be offering popcorn in two really yummy ways today: cracker-jack style and white cheddar cheese popcorn. Ok, ok, so plain popcorn is the healthier way to eat it but we're trying to have some fun with our whole grains.

Eat whole grains, eat well!

October: Whole Grains Month in Dining Services

Happy October!

For the month of October, Dining Services will be featuring WHOLE GRAIN foods everyday. We are participating in the Whole Grains Challenge http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org/get-involved/whole-grains-challenge and want to spark interest among the study body in incorporating more daily whole grain foods.

So, join Dining Services in eating more whole grains this month and from now on! Look for the whole grains feature everyday this month in your favorite Dining restaurant and Place & Market.