Super Simple Salad Selecting

my salad from Plaza Cafe's salad bar

One of the greatest things about dining at UC San Diego restaurants is that there is a salad bar available all day long with fresh produce, about half of which is organic and/or local.  I love salad so it never feels like a sacrifice to make it "a meal" - although these days I'm so hungry that I usually eat a salad and some protein and maybe even dessert...whoops, maybe I shouldn't disclose my sweet tooth!

Anyway, there are all sorts of ways to make a healthy salad. The picture above is my current favorite super simple salad selection - spinach, chickpeas, baby carrots, sunflower seeds and ranch dressing. Ok, so you might say, "why is the dietitian eating ranch?" I'M HUMAN, PEOPLE. Ranch is d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s and when eaten in moderation, all foods can fit into a healthy, active lifestyle. I try to alternate salad dressings to allow a little "room for ranch." What I mean by that is that I might have oil and vinegar on my salad on Monday, an undressed salad on Wednesday (yes it can be done - my strategy is to include one marinated veggie like artichoke hearts or something like cottage cheese), and ranch on my Friday salad.  Generally the oil-based salad dressings are healthier than the cream-based dressings so choose more oil & vinegar, Italian dressings and vinaigrettes while making ranch, bleu cheese, and caesar dressings more of a treat.

What are some healthy strategies for your Super Simple Salad Selections?

• fill your salad bowl with many different colors of veggies - the colors often correspond to different nutrient contents in the veggies
• get your dressing on the side and dip your fork into the dressing prior to each bite versus slathering on a bunch of dressing that you might not want
• eat your salad slowly - savor the different textures and flavors of the veggies
• use a salad bar to try new items - you can select just one beet, for example, to see if you like it (ok, so no one likes beets...that's why they're not on our salad bar...but I thought it was a good example for life)
• mix fruit with your veggies - my fave fruits to add to green salads are mandarin orange slices, dried cranberries and and strawberries.

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!)

Earth Week Specials This Week

In honor of Earth Week, Dining Services is featuring special organic and earth-friendly lunches this week. 

Monday, April 16th

Pines - Organic Eggplant Parmesan, Free Range ¼ Chicken Chipotle, Whole Wheat pasta with marinara sauce. Pizza made with organic marinara.

Tuesday, April 17th

Canyon Vista /FoodWorx– Free Range Chicken Florentine, Oven Roasted Acorn Squash filled with sweet and spicy organic lentil stew. Organic Twice Baked Yukon Gold Potatoes, Pizza made with organic marinara.

Wednesday, April 18th:

Café Ventanas – Organic Vegetarian Eggplant Parmesan, Whole Wheat pasta with organic marinara sauce, seasoned organic vegetables. Pizza made with organic marinara.

Thursday, April 19th

Plaza Cafe – Free Range Chicken Rotisserie, whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce, steamed organic vegetables. Pizza made with organic marinara.

Friday, April 20th:

OVT - Organic Roasted Red Potato Pizza , Fresh Mozzarella, Organic Baby Spinach and Shredded Parmesan Cheese. Baked Organic Butternut Squash Topped with Organic Quinoa pilaf garnished with a Parmesan Crusted Organic Tomato

What are you doing for Mother Earth? This week I've begun a concerted effort to save water.  I'm trying to save water by reducing my shower time (haha, I know there is a joke there but I promise I'll be nice & clean, just spending less time just standing there letting the hot water hit my face & trying to wake up), turning off the faucet while I'm brushing my teeth and only doing full loads of laundry (not a problem with a baby in the house!)

Happy Earth Week!

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.

Passover Style Meals Available All Week

Dining Services has the following options available for students celebrating Passover this week.

In our Places & Markets:

• sparking juices
• macaroons
• matzah
• matzo ball soup
• regularly stocked plethora of Kosher items

In our Residential Dining Restaurants:

• A Passover-style station each day
• Today's Passover-style meals are Rosemary Chicken for lunch and Herb Crusted Tilapia for dinner
• matzah
• matzo ball soup

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