Gluten Free at Synapsis

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A couple days ago, I got the chance to eat at Synapsis… but what can a person with a gluten intolerance eat here?  I took the advice of my fellow teammates from their experience the day before and went with the pasta bake prepared with pasta lacking gluten.  I must say that I was impressed with the quality of the penne!  Food science has come a long way over the years in improving on the textural experience with gluten free pasta.  In the past, I have experienced lesser products- ranging from grainy to rubbery, but I can honestly say that I didn’t miss the wheat this time.

 

This Vegans last meal…or is it?

trillium wrapmatt Trillium

I decided to get back to Trillium this morning to try that breakfast burrito with tofu scramble instead of eggs. Matt helped me navigate the options to have in addition to my tofu…I added potatoes, roasted peppers & onions, salsa, and some vegan cheese. This breakfast burrito is one that will satisfy! Additionally there was a fresh cut fruit bar, hot cereal station, as well as some whole fresh fruit and cold cereal options to be had…Nice job Chef Jacob and Jill! Trillium has plenty of options for a vegan breakfast and the entire staff was very friendly and helpful!

Vegan vegetable Soup at Synapsis.

Vegan vegetable Soup at Synapsis.

So on campus we serve a lot of fish on Friday and did you know almost everyone has Clam Chowder? But wheres the vegan minestrone? Well Synapsis delivered this afternoon and with the help of Sarah and her team I was able to find lots of options when I originally thought there wasn’t much to be had.

But seriously was I wrong. Sarah pointed out that there were lots of options for a vegan lunch. She directed me towards the soup crocks and told me they were serving a vegan vegetable soup jam packed with veggies which smelled and tasted great. She told me that they can make vegan versions of almost all of the pizzas and pastas as well as with the magic of some vegan cheese they make a vegan grilled cheese sandwich as well. A nice selection of salads were available for additional choices along with fresh cut fruit, vegan snacks, and some veggies and hummus from the grab and go area.

Tuscan Vegan Pizza from Synapsis. Lots of veggies, tomato sauce, and vegan cheese on a crispy thin crust.

Tuscan Vegan Pizza from Synapsis. Lots of veggies, tomato sauce, and vegan cheese on a crispy thin crust.

I ended up deciding on the Tuscan flat bread pizza with fresh tomatoes, red peppers, onions, & artichoke hearts and some melted vegan cheese. I have to say it was good combination of veggies on the wood fired thin crust, but I would probably save the vegan cheese for the grilled cheese sandwich as it had more the texture for that application. I do want to go back at some point for the grilled “cheese” and try with a cup of tomato soup.

cookie monsterWell in closing on our last day I wanted to say thanks to Cornell Dining for allowing me to participate in this experiment. I loved this experience! It has opened my eyes to how great of a job Cornell Dining is doing already and also made me aware of those areas of where we can improve to help our dining community! I look forward to hearing everyone’s feedback and experiences. I do have to admit I am OK its day 5, and while I enjoyed my entire experience and will continue to eat certain vegan meals…I will also be enjoying a big juicy burger that I will be grillin’ up tonight…along with some chocolate chip cookies and a big glass of milk!

 

Vegan Day 3

I am at Synapsis with Rhiana and we both wanted flatbreads for lunch. Anna was helpful in suggesting two flatbreads I could eat as a vegan. I chose the 2 (cheese) one.  I think that w the pizza needs to be perked up with either vegetables or herbs.

 

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Gluten Free Day 1 & 2 Posts

Yesterday (Monday), I enjoyed lunch with our Gluten Free team at Northstar and  I was happy to see there were several options available to choose from.  My favorite area at NS is their salad bar and was delighted to see there were many items to choose from, including their dressings.  The house made chicken & rice soup was delicious and I was happy when a FOH dining worker confirmed that indeed it was GF.  I also tried a smidgeon of a GF brownie which was so good… worth every calorie!  I’m happy to see the all to care to eat facilities offer a wide variety of items for our students to choose from.

Today (Tuesday), my team members Brandon, Matthew Stockton and I dined at Synapsis, which Kristin Beierle recommended.  I chose their GF pasta with a variety of vegetables and garlic herb sauce.  The texture of the pasta was firmer than my liking but the sauce & vegetables were very tasty.  I also had a couple of Matthew’s sweet potato fries which were very good.  I’m looking forward to another dining adventure tomorrow to see what other GF offerings are available to our students on campus.

 

Gluten-free pasta bake

I tried Gluten-Free pasta for the first time today, and it was delicious!  Try the Pasta Bake at Synapsis with the Garlic Herb sauce, and added mushrooms, spinach, olives and cheese.  This was a treat I didn’t expect to get this week:

Pasta Bake at Synapsis with GF Pasta

Pasta Bake at Synapsis with GF Pasta

Gluten Free – Day 1 & 2

Good Afternoon!

Yesterday, our gluten free team had a group lunch at North Star.  It was a big culture shock at first!  Thankfully North Star has a section designated for gluten free products that are avalible to the public.

On my first day of being gluten free … I had a salad! Okay, I know it is not the most exciting gluten free meal that you can think of.  But it was delicious!  To make lunch even better, North Star had gluten free FUDGE BROWNIES!!!!  You would have never known that they were gluten free.WP_20140303_12_36_32_Pro[1]

Today, we went to lunch at Synapsis Cafe.  They have the most amazing gluten free baked pasta.  I added grilled chicken, mushrooms, and gluten free marinara sauce.  The pasta, being gluten free, did have a more al dente texture.  Hey, I love al dente pasta!  And get this … they sell the gluten free FUDGE BROWNIES too!

So far this whole gluten free diet is going great, but with all these brownies I’m going to have to watch my waistline!

Gluten Free Day1

Breakfast at Synapsis: western omelette wrap (sans wrap) and GF bread. The protein helped me stay satiated until…

Lunch at North Star with the whole GF team.  There is a GF cooler and area by the salad bar with a GF toaster and yummy brownies (also found in retail units).  We all had a variety of salad bar, taco bar, kosher and hot line items. The Chicken and Rice soup was delicious!

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