Choosing Healthy Foods

Welcome back Huskies! After a summer of co-ops, internships, or just time relaxing at home - and a summer of event planning and new construction for us (but more on those shortly!) - we're happy to have you all back on campus. With a week and half officially on-campus, we hope that you've been finding your way back to all your favorite dining locations as well as trying something different to find some new favorites. Here's a look at what we've been up to all summer and what we have cooking for this semester. Tuesday, September 3 was the first anniversary for the renovated Curry Student Center and what would a birthday be without a present? Food Management Magazine recently named the Curry Student Center the Best Renovation in its 2013 Best Concepts Awards and we could not be prouder of this national recognition. Everyone involved this past year - from the architects to the cashiers - played an important role in receiving this distinction and we look forward to bringi...

HAPPY SUMMER HUSKIES! What an exciting year we had. From great events like a wild Mardi Gras celebration in February and a "Taste of Hawaii" at Educate Your Palate in April to the grand opening of the completely renovated dining area at the Curry Student Center this year has been unlike any other for us at Northeastern University. And speaking of renovations, this summer is packed with even more construction to bring you some exciting new changes for September. In case you haven't heard, International Village Dining is expanding. The area just inside the door leading down to the dining area, including the Cyber Café and entrance ramp, is being completely reimagined to bring you an expanded dining experience. Upon entering the new entrance area, guests will be greeted by a new checker station including two digital screens similar to the ones used at the Curry Student Center. One of these boards will show daily meal specials at International Village, retail promotions for ...

A college student's lifestyle can be extremely hectic, leaving little time to think about planning food options during the day. As a student it is important to have some healthy, low-cost food items on hand for snacking throughout the day especially when you have a busy schedule with very few real breaks. Choosing a snack that contains whole grains and some protein together can provide you with a feeling of fullness, which is helpful if you have long stretches between meals. Here are some examples of great snacks to have on hand: Apple or banana with peanut butter Pita chips and/or carrots and hummus Fruit and yogurt Almonds (or other nuts) and low-fat cheese or a piece of fruit Whole grain cereal with milk Tortilla chips and guacamole/salsa Whole grain crackers and cheddar cheese Granola/breakfast bar with milk or a yogurt Some of these snacks can also be great on-the-go breakfast items to fuel your body and brain as well as to ensure that you start your day off in the right direc...

Hi everyone! Chef Barton here with our weekly Cooking 101 recap. After a week off last Tuesday so everyone could enjoy Mardi Gras , we got back on schedule last night with session three of our Cooking 101 series. This week featured the " Garde Manger ," or cold section of the kitchen. We talked about strategies for putting together great looking contemporary cheese boards, crudité platters, fruit platters, and antipasto displays. We also prepared several dressings from scratch and everyone got to try their hand at making their own vinaigrette. The ranch dressing I made with homemade mayo came out a little thin but tasty - I think I got carried away with our housemade buttermilk! We also tasted many different salad greens to showcase the wide differences there are of greens there are to choose from. We saw some different salad presentations with "bowls" made from baked parmesan cheese, or frico , and also created a thinly sliced cucumber round just large enough to ho...

As I write this post, I am getting ready to send the truck back out on campus to roll out our winter offerings. In my last post on the history of food trucks , I said that in this post I would discuss the future of food trucks. However, there are more timely things to discuss and I would like to instead use this post to provide a peek into the exciting world of menu creation and what kind of factors we take into consideration throughout the menu planning process for the Hungry Hungry Husky. Now when one thinks of creating menus, they may think chefs spend hours in the kitchen experimenting with different ingredients and getting their creative juices flowing. This would be true, but before that there are other things we as chefs need to consider. One of the most important things to consider is convenience to the customer – lunch is a great example. During the busy school/work week, customers don't have time to sit down and enjoy a leisurely meal. This is especially true for food tru...