September 26, 2008

Dining Hall Decisions

So, I have decision-making problems: in life and at the cafeteria. Firstly, I couldn't decide whether I wanted to start a campaign to get hand dryers in all the campus bathrooms (as of now we must use paper...major waste of trees, energy, carbon) or start a Vegetarian Club. I did some ground work for both and finally, today settled on the Vegetarian Club since I think it will be funnest. I was thinking: Vegan potlucks, guest speakers, field trips to vegan restaurants, activism and education...more ideas are welcome! Now for the real decision problems...in the cafeteria. I just can never pick one thing! But that's why it's all you can eat!

This morning I got:

Tofu scramble (tofu, spices, peppers) but then I went over to the omelet station and borrowed some fresh veggies (bell peppers and tomatoes), salsa and Tabasco. Then I made oatmeal...my style. I like to call it Miso Style Oatmeal because it reminds me of miso soup. I put about 1/4 cup oats in a bowl with some sugar, raisins and whatever kind of nuts I can get (this morning was sunflower seeds) then I fill the bowl with hot water. It's like a mixture of my morning tea and oatmeal. Some say watery, I say perfect! I made half a slice of toast w/ crunchy peanut butter, banana and sugar sprinkled on top. I grabbed a slice of melon to top it off. What a nice way to start the day.



















And as the day progressed I ate even more yummy cafeteria food. For lunch I had to be creative, there were vegetarian tacos, but nothing vegan. Here's what I had:


Open faced Asian Burger...an invention by yours truly. I took a slice of bread and spread dijon mustard on it. Then I put a veggie burger on that. Next I layered tomatoes, sprouts, bean sprouts and baby corn. Lastly I drizzled the thing with soy sauce. It was bomb! I will definitely be trying this again. Next time I'm thinking some Asian burger with mandarin oranges? Just a thought. Then I made a green salad w/ mixed greens, bean sprouts, white beets, and italian dressing and a little soy sauce to keep the asian thing going. Then I made what I'm gonna call Italian Cauliflower Bowl. took steamed cauliflower, raw tofu from the salad bar and vegan marinara, olives and mixed it all together. Delicious and healthy, however not asian at all. Oh, well. Of course I finished it off with more PB and banana... once you start on the peanut butter you just can't stop. 


Also, I've been emailing the Dining Administrator to try and get hooked up with some vegan cheese at the sandwich bar and it looks like their gonna help me out! They said their going to purchase "Follow Your Heart Brand", which I've never tried. 

10 comments:

Bex said...

Wow, it looks like you are doing great in the dining halls. Way to go!

tofufreak said...

wow UC Santa Cruz is really veg friendly! your veg club idea sounds awesome! how nice of your cafeteria to get FYH cheese!

Maria Rose said...

The Follow Your Heart brand is really good. It actually melts too!

KP said...

Your dining halls sound pretty grand! I haven't been in mine since 2005, lol. But they didn't have any vegan options when I was there. No soymilk, and the salads had eggs! Although I could have went to the salad bar I guess.
Good luck with your veg club, it sounds like a great idea!

Bethany said...

your caf sounds so good. at my old job there was a salad bar (no vegan dressing), some gross sandwiches, and maybe something else. very boring after a while.

do you think that they would start a composting program for the paper towels in the bathrooms? doesn't eliminate the paper, but keeps them out of a landfill.

Anonymous said...

i'm stoked for you and your journey:) it looks like you're doing awesome, keep it up!

Anonymous said...

I became vegetarian shortly after starting college 4 years ago and a year ago committed to veganism. It looks like Santa Cruz has alot more vegan options than Wooster, Ohio!!! Keep up the good work. And good luck with the Veg club. I'm involved with a group of students who cook vegan meals every friday for about 50 students- it's been a really powerful way to spread a greater appreciation and understanding of veganism and get some practice cooking. I hope you can start a club like ours- it's so fun and meaningful.

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

A vegetarian club is a great idea! Santa Cruz is quite veg friendly, so I'm sure you'll find people to join. Come see us in San Francisco sometime!

Brandi said...

You are very creative at creating animal-free meals at college! I know that can be difficult. WHEN you end up creating your Vegetarian Club, you should have Colleen from Compassionate Cooks be your speaker (www.compassionatecooks.com). Listen to a few of her podcast (Vegetarian Food For Thought) episodes to see why I say this

jane said...

You are so lucky that your college dining hall has so much vegan meal potential. I went to a small liberal arts school and man there was nothing for vegans. Just a vegetarian line with cheese, cheese, and a side of cheese.

Good luck with the vegetarian club, that's a great idea!!