Vegetarian Fast Food at Sonic in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Vegetarian Fast Food at Sonic by Ruth Paget 

Soccer moms in Salinas, California value Sonic Drive-In for its extensive and reasonably priced menu of bacon cheeseburgers, chili hot dogs, and a myriad of shake flavors. 

Buried within the Sonic menu are also two vegetarian combo meals that you have to order separately, but they are lurking there to serve as a vegetarian meal even for the Mediterranean Diet with a once-a-month dessert of a vanilla shake with real whipped cream. 

These are the two menus I proposed for vegetarians at Sonic Drive-In: 

Vegetarian Menu 1 –  

-Grilled cheese sandwich with added mustard 

-fried onion rings 

-Diet Limeade 

-vanilla shake 

Vegetarian Menu 2 – 

-Large Pretzel 

-Fried Mozzarella Sticks with Marinara dipping sauce 

-Fried onion rings or French fries 

-Diet Limeade 

-Vanilla Shake 

Both of these menus are reasonably priced and delicious. If you want to avoid the expense of burgers for a crew, these vegetarian meals might be for you at Sonic Drive-In in Salinas, California. 

Bon Appétit! 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Citrus Chicken at El Pollo Loco by Ruth Paget

Citrus Chicken at El Pollo Loco by Ruth Paget  

El Pollo Loco, the chicken meal chain, is not a spicy, deep-fried version of Kentucky Fried Chicken. The chicken at El Pollo Loco is citrus-marinated and fire-grilled. The side dishes differ from Kentucky Fried Chicken for the most part, too. 

My family recently tried El Pollo Loco at one of their Salinas locations in Westridge Mall and ordered a 12-piece family meal. We had a choice of sides and ordered stewed pinto beans, Mexican rice made with chicken broth and tomato juice, and macaroni and cheese. Broccoli was an option, which we will order as an additional side next time for its high amount of vitamin C. 

I used the USDA.go, WebMD.com, and National Institutes of Health websites to find nutrition information for our El Pollo Loco meal that we ordered: 

Chicken 

-potassium 

-iron 

-vitamin B6 

-magnesium 

-protein 

Pinto Beans 

 -fiber 

-potassium 

-iron 

-vitamin B6 

-magnesium 

Mexican Rice 

-protein 

-vitamin C 

-vitamin A 

Macaroni and Cheese 

-fiber 

-calcium 

-magnesium 

-iron 

The nutrition information for broccoli shows why we should add it to our order next time: 

Broccoli 

-potassium 

-fiber 

-vitamin C 

-iron 

-vitamin B6 

-magnesium 

-calcium 

-protein 

I used the USDA.gov, medlineplus.gov, and National institutes of Health websites to identify what the nutrients in our El Pollo Loco meal do for the body in the order that they appear above: 

-potassium helps your nerves function and muscles contract -iron is used in the body for growth and development.

-Iron is used by the body to make hemoglobin, which carries oxygen to all parts of the body 

-vitamin B6 is important for normal brain development and for keeping the nervous system and immune system healthy 

-magnesium is important for protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, and blood pressure regulation 

-protein is used to repair and cells and make new cells in the body 

-fiber moves waste through the digestive tract 

-vitamin C protects cells against free radicals that cause cancer 

-vitamin A boosts helps fight against night blindness 

-calcium helps build strong bone 

In addition to all this good nutrition, El Pollo Loco offers an online loyalty program to its customers as well as catering based on its regular menu. 

El Pollo Loco is a nice option to have for weekend meals that taste like a parent grilled it in the backyard. 

Bon Appétit! 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Vegetable Omelets at Denny's by Ruth Paget

Vegetable Omelets at Denny’s by Ruth Paget 

The vegetable omelets at Denny’s rate as spa food in large portions with healthy side dishes at a reasonable price. 

On a recent visit to Denny’s I ordered the 3-egg vegetable omelet, which is filled with fresh spinach, sautéed mushrooms, fire-roasted red bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, and Swiss cheese. Instead of the hash browns that usually come with this dish, I ordered a fresh fruit cup. The large fruit cup had quartered strawberries, red grapes, and sliced bananas. I chose two slices of whole wheat toast as my bread option. Of course, I had coffee and cream to go with this yummy meal. 

I used information from USDA.gov. the National Institutes of Health, and WebMD.com to identify nutrients in this vegetable omelet and the role these nutrients play in bodily functions: 

Spinach 

-Vitamin C 

-Vitamin B6 

-magnesium 

Mushrooms 

-selenium 

Bell Peppers 

-fiber 

-Vitamin C 

-Vitamin B6 

Onions 

-fiber 

-Vitamin C 

-Vitamin B6 

Tomatoes 

-lycopene antioxidant 

-Vitamin A 

-Vitamin C 

-Vitamin K 

Swiss Cheese 

-protein 

-calcium 

Strawberries 

-antioxidants 

-magnesium 

-phosphorous 

Red Grapes 

-phosphorous 

-potassium 

Bananas 

-potassium 

-fiber 

-Vitamin C 

-Vitamin B6 

-Magnesium 

Whole Wheat Toast 

-fiber 

-iron 

-magnesium 

-protein 

Coffee 

-potassium 

-magnesium 

I used WebMd.com, the National Institutes of Health, and the Mayo Clinic websites to describe the functions of the vitamins and minerals found in the meal I ate above (listed in order of appearance in the meal above): 

Vitamin C helps form blood vessels, cartilage, muscle, and collagen in bones. It is also vital healing and is an antioxidant that removes free radicals that can cause cancer from the body. 

Vitamin B6 helps with normal brain development and helps keep the nervous system and immune system healthy. 

Magnesium helps with protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, and blood pressure regulation. 

Selenium is an antioxidant that removes free radicals that can cause cancer due to environmental conditions like pollution. 

Fiber helps move waste through the intestinal tract. 

Lycopene found in tomatoes is an antioxidant that removes free radicals that can cause cancer in the body. 

Vitamin A boosts the immune system, helps prevent night blindness, and keeps the skin healthy. 

Vitamin K is used for blood coagulation that helps blood to stop flowing when injured. 

Protein serves as a building block of body tissues. 

Calcium helps build strong bones. 

Phosphorous is a component of bones and teeth. 

Potassium helps maintain normal levels of fluid inside our cells. 

Iron is a mineral needed for growth and development. 

Magnesium helps keep blood pressure normal, bones strong, and the heart rhythm steady. 

All these points about the health benefits of a vegetable omelet at Denny’s with a fresh fruit cup, whole wheat toast, and coffee with cream are sales copy to try and add a delicious vegetarian meal to everyone’s diet (with the exception of people of people who are allergic to these foods). The price may vary by location, but I thought the price of this meal at the Marina, California location was reasonable. 

Bon Appétit! 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Beet Salad at Woody's in Monterey, California by Ruth Paget

Beet Salad at Woody’s in Monterey, California by Ruth Paget 

Woody’s Restaurant and Bar at the Monterey-Carmel (California) Airport serves a delicious beet salad using a local Swank Farm recipe and organic produce that will bring a glow to your cheeks even before you head to the spa and/or golf courses. 

Swank Farms best known for its country store, photogenic pumpkin patch, and totally scary Halloween corn maze might become equally famous for its beet salad thanks to Woody’s. The beet salad comes with chunks of red and golden beets, sliced raw fennel, torn maroon radicchio leaves, torn Bibb lettuce, and thick slices of shaved Parmesan cheese with a rather sweet yogurt dressing served on the side. 

I used USDA.gov and WebMd.com to obtain nutrition information about nutrients in the Swank Farms beet salad and what those nutrients do for the body. Important amounts of the following vitamins and minerals are found in the Swank Farm beet salad: 

red and golden beets 

-potassium 

-Vitamin C 

-fiber – not a vitamin or mineral, but important for intestinal transit 

-iron 

fennel slices 

-potassium 

-Vitamin C 

-fiber 

-calcium 

dark red radicchio leaves 

-iron 

-Vitamin K 

-Vitamin C 

-potassium 

Bibb lettuce leaves 

-iron 

-potassium shaved Parmesan cheese 

-calcium 

-protein 

The following vitamins and minerals are in the Swank Farms beet salad and carry out vital functions in the body according to WebMD.com: 

Potassium helps the heart and kidneys function normally. 

Vitamin C repairs tissue, helps form collagen (the protein for connective tissue), helps with neurotransmitters in the brain, boosts the immune system, and is an antioxidant that removes free radicals that can create cancer. 

Fiber helps the digestive system remove waste from the body. Notably, it contains water and eases defecation. 

Iron is a mineral needed for growth and development. It is used to make hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells. Notably, it is important for healthy muscles, bone marrow, and organ function. 

Calcium is a mineral associated with healthy bones and teeth. 

Vitamin K is required for blood coagulation, the process that stops blood flow when you are cut. 

Protein is a building block of body tissue. 

I have brought in a lot of science to prove how good the Swank Farms beet salad at Woody’s at the Monterey Airport is for you, but it also tastes great and is reasonably priced. It comes with warm garlic bread. 

The beet salad at Woody's at the Monterey-Carmel Airport (California) is a nice lunch item for all the health conscious executives along Highway 68 in addition to golfers and spa beauties. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Barely Bolzano (Italy) by Ruth Paget

Barely Bolzano (Italy) by Ruth Paget 

On the way to Vicenza (Italy) from Stuttgart (Germany) with my husband Laurent, we drove through Austria and made a sharp right turn at Innsbruck, site of the 1976 Olympic Games where Franz Klammar zoomed downhill in what seemed like 20 seconds to clinch the gold medal. 

The roads from Innsbruck into Italy were all hairpin 180 degree turns around and down through the Alps, which look like pyramids in the sky. 

The scenery is German in northeastern Italy and is still called the Sud Tyrol by Austria, which once occupied the area. Snow White architecture abounded.

I wanted to stop and get a good photo of myself to post with a coffee, gipfel (croissant), Alpine goat milk yogurt, and Alpine flower honey. I asked to stop for a snack. 

“It looks too expensive,” Laurent said. 

 “Where are we?” I asked. 

A German-language town sign came into view with a diagonal bar through it signaling exiting from town. The sign said Bozen. 

 “Do you know the Italian name of Bozen?” I asked Laurent. 

He told me to look up the translation at the hotel. Reception for the Internet was not great in the Alps, so I had to wait till we checked in at Vicenza. 

I saw that Bozen is Bolzano in Italian. 

At the time, Bolzano billed itself as “The real billionaires’ vacation land.” 

I wanted to check out Bolzano. 

“You have to make a billion dollars first and pay for the gipfels,” Laurent told me. 

I was Bolzano denied for the moment. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Trying Palak Paneer in Monterey, California by Ruth Paget

Trying Palak Paneer in Monterey, California by Ruth Paget 

On a recent visit to Ambrosia Bistro in downtown Monterey, California during the Pro-Am Golf Tournament at Pebble Beach, I tried the palak paneer, a spinach-tomato-onion curry that was mildly flavored for the first time. 

According to www.epicurious.com, palak paneer is an Indian dish made with cubes of fresh cheese and stewed spinach and vegetables and spices that becomes a mild curry. Spinach is full of iron, which is good for blood health and helps give you rosy cheeks. The calcium in the cheese is good for bone strength. The protein in cheese helps with muscle development. 

The epicurious.com recipe for palak paneer calls for turmeric (claimed to be a cancer fighter), garlic cloves, ginger, ghee (Indian clarified butter), pearl onions, coriander seeds, red chile powder, asafoetida powder (an Indian spice that tastes like mild onions), and chopped tomatoes (Vitamin C rich tomatoes are also anti-oxidants that remove free radicals that can cause cancer in the body.)

Those ingredients with chopped, stewed spinach, tomatoes, and onions create a mild curry that has further protein added to it when tomatoes combine with a grain product like bread or rice. 

I dunked vegetable fritters called pakora in the palak paneer curry, tofu masala curry, and butter chicken curry that I chose from the lunch buffet. I used naan flat bread for the remaining curry. 

As a final note, epicurious.com notes that if you cannot find paneer cheese, you can make this dish with firm tofu. The result would be vegan not vegetarian. 

Ambrosia has a spacious downtown location with an outdoor garden in downtown Monterey by the Casa Munras Hotel and one on historic Cannery Row. Both offer a bit of peace during hectic planned schedules.  

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Apple Lifestyle by Ruth Paget

Apple Lifestyle by Ruth Paget 

A Short Apple Lifestyle Memoir: 

I drank 

Freshly pressed apple cider 

With warm, plain donuts 

As a child on field trips 

In Detroit, Michigan. 

I ate 

Apple omelets 

As a teenager on field trips 

In Windsor, Canada 

I ate 

Apple slices 

For dessert 

As an exchange student 

In Osaka, Japan 

I drank 

Wassail 

Spiced with cloves and cinnamon 

As a college student 

At the University of Chicago 

I ate 

Tarte Tatin 

An upside-down apple tart with dollops of whipped cream 

As a DINK In Tours and Paris, France 

I drank 

Brut apple cider 

With galettes filled with ham, sunny side up eggs, and cheese 

As a BCBG 

In Nantes, France 

I ate 

Apple-chopped walnut coffee cake 

For kaffeklatsches 

As a young mom 

In Madison, Wisconsin 

I ate 

Sautéd apple slices With fried pork chops 

As a Navy mom 

In Norfolk, Virginia 

I ate 

Apfel strudel 

With raisins and chopped hazelnuts 

As an expatriate 

In Stuttgart, Germany 

I eat 

Organic applesauce 

As a writer 

In Monterey, California 

For all my apple reference needs 

I consult 

The Apple Cookbook: 

125 Freshly Picked Recipes 

By Olwen Woodier 

For savory and sweet dishes. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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