January 21, 2008

Q: The food on the evening of Monday 1/28 was excellent, from the fish with rosemary butter to the turkey saute, to the vegetarian bar area. My compliments to the chef(s) on that particular evening.
A: Thank you for your kind comments. I will pass them on

Q: I asked this ques. before but got a response  that another another good ques. However, my ques. refers to mock meat vegan pizza toppings. Is this possible?
A: Yes it is possible, but not till I find one that is of the quality we are looking for and is available in institutional pack.

Q: those pancakes you had for dinner last night were UNREAL pancakes should be served for dinner once a week (minimum).
A: Glad you enjoyed them.

Q: Can we have hush puppies with the fisherman's platter? Thanks!
A: We can talk a look at including hush puppies in this offering.

January 29, 2008

Q: 100% whole wheat pasta please!!!!!!!!
A: We served this item just last night.

January 28, 2008

Q: The vegetable chowder is by far the best vegetarian soup offered in Commons. Please serve more often!
A: Glad that you like it.

Q: I had both wheat pilaf and swiss chard tonight at Commons, both dishes that I love to eat but almost never see! I also enjoyed having plain edamame beans and carrots for a change- they were excellent with just a bit of butter. Please serve all of these dishes more often, especially the wheat pilaf and the swiss chard!
A: Thanks for you kind words.

Q: I'm a second semester senior and the garlic bread at last night's dinner (Sunday, January 27, 2008) was probably the best I've had here.  It was nice and moist as opposed to bad and hard as a rock.  My compliments to the chef!
A: Thanks for your kind words, I will pass them on.

Q: cut lettuce to a normal size and change around the powerade
A: I will take a look at the lettuce and the powerade will not change till we move to the new facility where we will be adding gatorade as well.

Q: at is the name of the vegan dish served for dinner on 1/24? They looked like veggie burgers and I was wondering if they were cooked from a recipe or if they're pre-packaged burgers? it was yum.
A: The item you are referring to is a vegan riblet which is a pre-made produce.

Q: How did you judge the Thoughts of Home Contest?  I thought my recipe was much better than what we had, yet I did not win?  Did you make them all or just chose the ones that were easier to make?  O well :(  Maybe the new commons will be better prepared to take on a challenge.
A: I reviewed all the recipes and choose those whose ingredients meet cost standards and could be easily incorporated into the menu cycles should they be popular. Not knowing which recipe you are referring to I can not comment on specifically why yours was not chosen.

January 25, 2008

Q: It is essential to my survival that we have Marcia's Pasta and Zucchini Sauté more often. I see it listed on the website menu almost every Tuesday, but it only makes it's way to Commons on occasion. Thanks for your help. Oh and while I'm at it. The Auntie Em's Mac and Cheese too!
A: Can do.

Q: The egg beaters have been horrible this week.  They taste more dry and rubbery or something like that.  Have you changed brands?  Please improve this as I eat them every morning.  Thanks!
A: No we have not changed brands. I will check into the cooking technique used..

January 24, 2008

Q: The veg. pasta sauce is good, but the alfredo always tastes horrible, maybe a different brand could be used. 
A: We make our Alfredo sauce from scratch. I  will check the recipe.

Q: Is the orange juice calcium fortified? Also, I understand that you will not carry Quorn products because some users have had adverse reactions. However, I want to point out that many people cannot tolerate other products as well. Milk is a prime example yet this is not banned. My family and I have been eating Quorn for a few years and never had any problems. I understand your reluctance in  carrying a product that has been identified as being an allergic risk, but  just wanted to point out that there are other foods that are allergy risk comparable.
A: No our orange juice is not calcium fortified, We move away from the fortified because there were complaints about taste and consistency. You are right that we many products which are not compatible with everyones diets, but we options other ,  Quorn products, which can sustain vegan diets. . My concern with Quorn has nothing to do with allergy and all to do with food born illness issues.

January 22, 2008

Q: I was glad to see grits at brunch the other day! Do you think you could offer some cheesy grits at some point too?
A: Can do.

Q: Just looked at the January 21 construction update online.  My jaw actually dropped and I said "wow."  That looks really fancy and awesome.  I'm excited to see it in operation.  I hope lots of photos are taken shortly before it opens so we can capture the pristine condition before it gets used.
A: Many photos have been taken through out the process. Glad you like it

January 21, 2008

Q: Hi, I have an idea for a vegan pizza topping: mock pepperoni. For example,I think that Yves Meatless Pepperoni is great!   Any other comparable brand would be appreciated as well!
A: There are many people who are looking at incorporate whole wheats into their diet.

Q: what type of sweeteners are used for the sugar-free deserts? Thank you for your time.
A: For the most part natural sweeteners. Occasionally it is necessary to use a sugar substitute, but we try to minimize this alternative.

Q: I am back, with a vengeance.  We should have an Adventures in Dining featuring me, in which my number is raised to the rafters of commons and my a picture of me is put up on the wall across from the napkin board.
A: Thanks for writing

Q: Where did all the splenda go? Oh, and I really liked the grape tomatos; can we have these instead of the cherry ones? Thanks :)
A: Splenda is under the counter where it has always been.

Q: PLEASE, someone fix the Sunday online menu. It's never updated on Sundays and I want to know what tasty delights will be served for brunch/dinner!
A: Apparently this is a problem with publisher and we were unable to update yesterday. Sorry to the inconvenience.

Q: On Jan 10th, a poster asked what the filling was in the vegan tortellini.That particular question was not answered and I for one, as well as the poster, I am sure, would like to know. Thank you!
A: The vegan tortellini is filled with potatoes and tofu.

Q: I love squash, but I wish the squash in commons was altered a bit. The only squash I eat is the mashed squash, but I find that it's really watery. Could you lessen up on the amount of liquid you mash in with it? I think a mashed potatoes consistency is best. Thanks
A: We do not add any liquid to the squash.

Q: Can we please get more bean burgers in commons? I find it a really satisfying vegetarian food, especially home made black/garbanzo bean burgers held together with egg, whole wheat flour, oat meal, and a little bit of cheese, then grilled in olive oil. It tastes awesome.
A: Thanks for your suggestion.

Q: I have a suggestion in response to the Dec 11th request asking for imitation chicken.Morningstar Farms makes soy chicken nuggets and patties. Also Quorn makes soy free mock chicken products from mycroprotein. These products are ovo or latcto ovo. There is another company that has  many vegan mock meat and seafood food products including chicken. May Wah Healthy Vegetarian Food Inc. Just some ideas.
A: Not sure if you are familiar with Quorn, but given the issues some have been having we will not be using this as an option. We are looking into the morningstar products, but at this time they do not pack them for institutional use.

January 18, 2008

Q: Any chance of having the whole wheat crust more often?  It was great last night.
A: You will be .

Q: I love really hearty soups, but I find that most of the soups offered in commons are really brothy. Could you try adding whole grain basmati rice to the vegetarian soups in commons? Or more beans, pastas, and potatoes? I think it would be awesome. Thanks.
A: Thanks for your suggestion and while I like you prefer a more hearty soup, many do not that is why we serve a combination of both.

Q: I think you guys should make the pasta sauce recipe found on the back of Hunt's tomato sauce cans, only vegetarian please. It's awesome with lots of peppers, mushrooms, and onions cooked in. My mom always makes it and it's my favorite. Thanks.
A: Thanks for the suggestion and I'm sure your mom makes a great sauce, but were not going to make a change.

Q: I was wondering where the salmon comes from.  Is it farmed/wild/Atlantic/Pacific? Also, a while ago there was banana soft serve and it was AMAZING.  Is there any way you could have that again?  The experimental flavors in general are fun, could we have them more often?
A: The salmon is wild the west coast. Glad you liked the banana. We will be experimenting with flavors on the weekend

 January 17, 2008

Q: The endamame hummus was absolutely fab. Can we have it more often?
A: Sure can.

January 16, 2007

Q: The spinach & artichoke hummus at the hummus bar was fantastic and yummy, please make it more often!
A: Thanks for writing

Q: Can we have a vegan dessert option every day? Those vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are amazing!
A: Once we move the the new facility there will be both a vegan and sugar free dessert option available at every meal.

January 15, 2008

Q: The vegetarian offerings have been awesome this week! I loved the honey dijon potatoes and the caramelized onion pizza today, and yesterday I loved the baked potato bar and the blueberry tofu and the lentil pilaf. Earlier this week it was a spicy tofu and string bean stir fry. Please keep it up!
A: Glad you are enjoying.

Q: The Whole Wheat Gorgonzola and Caramelized Onion Pizza was amazing.  Everyone was fighting over it at lunch!!  This raises the question, why not make more of these whole wheat delicacies?   
A: I'm that you are enjoying the whole wheat crust pizzas and you will be seeing them more often.

Q: Can vegan and sugar-free deserts be offered more frequently please?
A: Yes then can and once we move there will be a sugar-fee and vegan dessert option available at lunch and dinner.

January 8, 2008

Q: It would be nice to have an alphabet(pasta shape) soup or dish sometimes. Whole wheat if possible please.
A: Sorry, this is not a possibility.

Q: Thank god for real plain bagels and chocolate chip muffins.  I wish we could have chocolate chip muffins more often.  And real plain bagels everyday, course.  And the cookie ice cream on sunday was great, can that be a regular sundae bar thing?
A: Thanks for your comments. We will no longer be providing spelt plain bagels these will only be available in the everything.

January 10, 2008

Q: The Vegan Tortellini last night was great!  What is the filling?  Please serve it again soon!
A: Glad that you enjoyed it.

January 13, 2008

Q: Between now (January 12) and the opening of the new commons, will there be any tours in which students can participate?
A: Yes we will be a series of tours for the campus community.  Be sure and watch your e-mail for dates and times.