Conscious Choice Seattle: Culinary Campus

January 2005 | Local Food

Culinary Campus

Bastyr U’s cafeteria serves up vegetarian meals that satisfy — and are worth the trip

by Nora West

Now that the holiday season is a distant memory and many of us have made our annual list of resolutions, I have an excursion for you. Carve out some time for yourself and take a trip to Bastyr University for lunch.

The cafeteria is open to the public and absolutely worth the drive. The campus is located on 50 acres adjacent to St. Edward State Park in Kenmore. It is a lovely setting to get away from it all for a few hours.

In keeping with the Bastyr mission of an education in natural health sciences integrating mind, body, spirit and nature, the university cafeteria provides delicious vegetarian meals to students, faculty and visitors. On what was a dismal day, there was a wall of windows overlooking an expanse of green parkway and playing fields.

I landed at the Bastyr cafeteria for lunch right in the middle of finals week. Bastyr believes that a plant-based whole foods diet is the foundation of good health. It is evident in the menu planning.

On this dreary day, the soups du jour were miso and split pea, both delicious. A wonderful salad bar resplendent with fresh mixed greens, baby spinach, beets, carrots, broccoli, cucumbers, hearts of palm, peas, steamed kale, hard-boiled eggs, sunflower seeds, garbanzo beans, tofu and more was alone worth the trip. There were at least six dressing choices, including bleu cheese, all apparently made fresh on the premises. I tried the tahini and the miso. Both were excellent, the miso featuring a pleasant tang.

The hot item of the day was a very satisfying loaf made with millet, quinoa, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds and assorted vegetables, served with a drizzle of (what I think was) roasted red pepper sauce. Possible accompaniments were well-prepared Brussels sprouts that were not bland and tasteless but filled with flavor, a nice brown rice and diced potatoes with yogurt and mint.

The food is priced by the pound, which is such a smart, sensible way to eat (salad is $5.25, soup $3.45 and entrées $4.50, all per pound minus the weight of the container). The beauty of this ingenious setup allows you to take a bit of this and a dab of that, trying everything if you like. I saw one student take half a bowl of soup. You can mix and match yourself into one of the healthiest yet satisfying meals you’ve had in a long time.

All of the ingredients for each item are listed in the cafeteria line. Allergies, food preferences or any other concerns are addressed right there, before your buy or bite a thing. There are all the requisite condiments you might want, from soy butter to the real thing.

There is an assortment of to-go containers for the busy student or professor, but I ate my lunch right there among the buzz of anatomy, physiology and healing. It was a remarkable atmosphere for a college cafeteria during final exams week. Intense? To be sure. But was it the frenetic, frazzled place with walking zombies that is usually associated with college finals? No. The students seemed calmer than normal, pleasant and helpful.

Surely this type of fare, prepared lovingly and expertly by the experienced staff, helps. No greasy fast-food junk around here fueling this group!

Not to forget the desserts. Besides fresh-baked focaccia that day as the bread choice, the bakery offered a very good spelt-flour brownie; a rich, gooey date bar; and a delectable cheesecake with raspberries. I’m not a huge cheesecake connoisseur, but this was light, creamy and fabulous; I could have eaten two.

Beverage offerings include a coffee bar; a good selection of Numi teas; and bottled juices and smoothies such as Happy Planet, Odwalla, Nantucket Nectars and others. There was also fresh organic fruit, including apples, pears, oranges and bananas.

The cafeteria opens early (7:30 a.m.) and serves dinner until 6 p.m. If one feels like granola and toast at 2 p.m., it is available.

Needless to say, organic items and ingredients are offered whenever possible. All flours, grains, beans, lettuces, greens, tofu and oils are organic.

Bastyr has its own herb garden, where greens and herbs are picked during harvest. This would be a wonderful place to come in the spring or fall too. The grounds could be explored with one of those takeout containers in the cafeteria line.

Don’t let the winter stop you, though. After my midday feast, I wandered over to St. Edward State Park and took a walk, a light mist falling on my face. It was lovely, and I only tried one of a dozen trails.

Bastyr will be back in session after the holiday break. I noticed that on Jan. 15, Bastyr will be hosting an open house complete with faculty lectures, student panels, campus tours and more for candidates interested in becoming naturopathic physicians. It would certainly be a wonderful place to study. If one of your resolutions is to think about a new career path, it might be worth the trip. Bastyr also offers continuing education courses.

If you are looking for a serene place to have a meal, come check out the institution that is trying to improve the health and well-being of the human community, one person at a time.

Bastyr University Cafeteria, 14500 Juanita Dr. NE, Kenmore, 425-602-3018 (Visit www.bastyr.edu for directions)

Hours: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. when school is in session (winter term starts Jan. 3). Breakfast (including organic oatmeal and fresh-berry scones) is the main meal served until 11:30 a.m., when lunch is set up. The lunch hot entrée is served until about 2 to 2:30 p.m. Soups and salad available all day. New hot entrée for dinner is available from 4 to 6 p.m. Service: Self-serve with helpful staff. Noise: Conversation- and study-group-friendly. Payment: Cash or checks.

Nora West is Evergreen Monthly’s dining critic. She lives and eats with pleasure in the Puget Sound area.

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