MSU’s Culinary Services has been awarded silver in the 2014 Nutrition Awards Best Vegan Recipe category by the National Association of College & University Food Services for its vegan mac and cheese.
The award, which is presented in even-numbered years, recognizes universities with a strong vegetarian program that incorporates healthy vegan recipes in its menus.
“We had an outstanding amount of entries for the Nutrition Awards this year,” said Nutrition Awards Chair Kathy Egan of College of the Holy Cross. “Colleges and universities are doing a variety of things to make nutrition a priority on campus. Recognizing these institutions on a national level helps share ideas and makes it easier for other colleges to implement new things on campus.”
MSU’s mac and cheese features a sauce primarily built around a blend of vegetables and also incorporates cashews, a source of protein and iron. Each serving equates to almost one cup of vegetables. Coconut milk and nutritional yeast are non-animal sources of iron, B vitamins and folic acid, which can be problematic nutrients for a vegan diet.
“Our vegan mac and cheese recipe is a low-sodium, cholesterol-free recipe that is an excellent source of protein,” said Gina Keilen, Culinary Services registered dietitian. “It provides an array of nutritional benefits in each serving, especially those normally inadequate in a vegan diet.”
The recipe was tested at Veg Out, a vegan- and vegetarian-only venue in the Brody Square dining hall on campus. Keilen and Brody Square team members sought feedback from diners.
“The response from our guests was positive,” Keilen said. “Feedback included, ‘I love it! I would love to eat this again!’ and ‘I’m sensitive to dairy, so to have this on the menu is great!’”
“Culinary Services elicits feedback from guests before putting new recipes on menus, especially for specialty items such as authentically ethnic and vegan dishes,” Keilen continued. “We feature a trial run of the new menu option at focus groups, special dinners or in one of our venues.”