Calling all Self Catered University students
- Thread starter Lopsided Weener
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Baked beans with Reggae Reggae Sauce. It is what I live on, except when I am made to cook by my lazy housemates.
I make enchiladas, spaghetti pesto, and cheesecake pretty well...
Not that there's any relation between those three recipes.
Anyway, I could write out the exact instructions for them, but as long as you can get on the internet, you can find some decent free recipes to follow, or at least give you an idea of what to do. Just get an idea of what you want to make, look up the recipe, and get cooking.
The one thing I would stress above all else is quality ingredients. They don't have to be super expensive- but (say) picking raw garlic and peeling it is always better than using garlic powder or jarred.
If you want something easy- go with the pesto
You just blend a few handfuls of basil with some olive oil and cashews, add a little butter to the still warm pasta (you should have prepared pasta) and then mix the sauce into the pot for an even spread.
Not that there's any relation between those three recipes.
Anyway, I could write out the exact instructions for them, but as long as you can get on the internet, you can find some decent free recipes to follow, or at least give you an idea of what to do. Just get an idea of what you want to make, look up the recipe, and get cooking.
The one thing I would stress above all else is quality ingredients. They don't have to be super expensive- but (say) picking raw garlic and peeling it is always better than using garlic powder or jarred.
If you want something easy- go with the pesto
You just blend a few handfuls of basil with some olive oil and cashews, add a little butter to the still warm pasta (you should have prepared pasta) and then mix the sauce into the pot for an even spread.
Here's a little one I like to call the poor man's chinese dinner. You can pick up these ingredients at any chinese supermarket (shouldn't be too hard if you live in any city)
This works best with a rice cooker since you'll always have leftovers. You can stretch rice for days, even a week (between 5-7 days) if you're not a heavy eater.
Steamed rice
soy sauce
fermented tofu
1 bowl (chinese size is good) of steamed rice. two cubes of fermented tofu, season with soy sauce, and eat.
accessorize with: chopped green onion X1. diced mushrooms X1-2
the above is only if you can afford it. With food prices going up this entire recipe might not be an option.
Good luck!!
This works best with a rice cooker since you'll always have leftovers. You can stretch rice for days, even a week (between 5-7 days) if you're not a heavy eater.
Steamed rice
soy sauce
fermented tofu
1 bowl (chinese size is good) of steamed rice. two cubes of fermented tofu, season with soy sauce, and eat.
accessorize with: chopped green onion X1. diced mushrooms X1-2
the above is only if you can afford it. With food prices going up this entire recipe might not be an option.
Good luck!!
dude get a slow cooker.It is the best and easiest. You can make roast beef. Get a nice roast, through in some beef broth, water, potatoes and other stuff (be creative you can't do this wrong garlic, onions, barley, whatever). You can also make spaghetti sauce, or chili. The beauty is that slow cookers are little effort to prep or cook, make delicious meals, and make plenty of servings.
Also check some cook books. They've got good ideas and you can experiment from there.
Also check some cook books. They've got good ideas and you can experiment from there.
Dried Noodles - (Buy in bulk they last forever, and you won't miss a couple of portions if stolen) 1 cake of noodles, 1 and a 1/2 cereal bowls of cold water - curry powder (Value and in bulk) - 1/2 teaspoon sugar and pinch salt = Curry Ramen soup. Add any cooked meats if you have any left over and greens - But fine on it's own. Make time: 10 mins (5 mins if you cheat and use kettle boiled water but make sure you're kettle isn't nasty) and costs less than 20p per portion, and surprisingly low fat. Can also add a cube of stock for flavour.
Love cheap salad - Buy a whole cheap lettuce and add 2 cheap salad veg and a little olive oil (cheap in bulk but definitely hide this as it's a favourite item to steal) 3 mins, about 70p, and you'll look and feel great even if its not exciting to eat.
Also learn to love black coffee or fruit tea - milk is never safe in shared residences. Substitute your normal breakfast with value cereal bars (hidden) or an apple/banana. It should stop you impulse buying lunch out and about if you don't miss breakfast.
Eggs will be a big protein for you - omelette form (easy to remember how to make an omelette as it's beaten eggs with no milk and no water added) - add anything - Also pancakes and sugar will really help your sweet tooth cravings - also boiled eggs don't need toast, that's just a myth. Need bacon? Eggs and bacon and beans is all you need for a fry up diner. All under 10 mins, all under a pound, even if you go free range and love those chickens.
Pasta of course, but keep it simple (and value, pasta is more expensive these days). Either just olive oil and cheddar (the one up from value, cheese is more expensive than you imagine, but value is unbearable), or pasta sauce is made from a tin of tomatoes (30p) teaspoon tom puree (buy the jar) and fired garlic or garlic puree (teaspoon), and a tablespoon dried italian herbs (buy the refill boxes, value) buying jar pasta sauce is a bit of a false economy once you've bought the puree-s you have enough for 20 portions. 15mins - 80p per portion. Also think of frying onions and a leek and adding it to a tablespoon of cheap cream cheese for a sort of carbonara-y sauce. Real carbonara just uses the eggs you have, but as it can be done wrong and make you ill and that isn't cool, just stick with cream cheese for now
Also anything that is a root vegetable (not potato though) can be roasted into italian roasted veg with a little of your olive oil and salt and your herbs, to be added to any of the above dishes when you feel you need the vitamins etc. Stick with root like sweet potatoes, onions, swede etc and add one or 2 value peppers for taste. Takes the longest at 30 mins and the most at about a pound a portion, but it seriously is as simple as cut it up and chuck in the oven (highest temp) and lasts in the fridge for 3 days, so I loved it on lazy/healthy reasons.
Lastly, love tined soup. Try them all and you'll find one. Add a cheese sandwich to the side and it doesn't look as depressing. Condensed mushroom is super value. Or if you get bored of that, fry a whole pack of onions (yes about 8 of them) with butter slowly and add another dried stock cube and water. Enough french onion soup for 3 days.
7 days - 7 dishes - rinse and repeat
Love cheap salad - Buy a whole cheap lettuce and add 2 cheap salad veg and a little olive oil (cheap in bulk but definitely hide this as it's a favourite item to steal) 3 mins, about 70p, and you'll look and feel great even if its not exciting to eat.
Also learn to love black coffee or fruit tea - milk is never safe in shared residences. Substitute your normal breakfast with value cereal bars (hidden) or an apple/banana. It should stop you impulse buying lunch out and about if you don't miss breakfast.
Eggs will be a big protein for you - omelette form (easy to remember how to make an omelette as it's beaten eggs with no milk and no water added) - add anything - Also pancakes and sugar will really help your sweet tooth cravings - also boiled eggs don't need toast, that's just a myth. Need bacon? Eggs and bacon and beans is all you need for a fry up diner. All under 10 mins, all under a pound, even if you go free range and love those chickens.
Pasta of course, but keep it simple (and value, pasta is more expensive these days). Either just olive oil and cheddar (the one up from value, cheese is more expensive than you imagine, but value is unbearable), or pasta sauce is made from a tin of tomatoes (30p) teaspoon tom puree (buy the jar) and fired garlic or garlic puree (teaspoon), and a tablespoon dried italian herbs (buy the refill boxes, value) buying jar pasta sauce is a bit of a false economy once you've bought the puree-s you have enough for 20 portions. 15mins - 80p per portion. Also think of frying onions and a leek and adding it to a tablespoon of cheap cream cheese for a sort of carbonara-y sauce. Real carbonara just uses the eggs you have, but as it can be done wrong and make you ill and that isn't cool, just stick with cream cheese for now
Also anything that is a root vegetable (not potato though) can be roasted into italian roasted veg with a little of your olive oil and salt and your herbs, to be added to any of the above dishes when you feel you need the vitamins etc. Stick with root like sweet potatoes, onions, swede etc and add one or 2 value peppers for taste. Takes the longest at 30 mins and the most at about a pound a portion, but it seriously is as simple as cut it up and chuck in the oven (highest temp) and lasts in the fridge for 3 days, so I loved it on lazy/healthy reasons.
Lastly, love tined soup. Try them all and you'll find one. Add a cheese sandwich to the side and it doesn't look as depressing. Condensed mushroom is super value. Or if you get bored of that, fry a whole pack of onions (yes about 8 of them) with butter slowly and add another dried stock cube and water. Enough french onion soup for 3 days.
7 days - 7 dishes - rinse and repeat
An elaboration of the mighty super noodle sandwich earlier... Use a pitta bread, and chuck in some salad and meat if you want 'to go fancy'
Minced beef is great too, highly versatile and is a great base to lots of dishes. Chilli, burgers, spag bol, etc...
Minced beef is great too, highly versatile and is a great base to lots of dishes. Chilli, burgers, spag bol, etc...
Here are two quick and easy recipes that have stood me in great stead during my student times.
*** Kedgeree ***
This is a delicious, fragrant dish. It stores well in the fridge, so I've often made a big batch and eaten it every day for a whole week without getting tired of it.
Ingredients: rice (average serving per person), smoked salmon (but you can really use any smoked fish; however much you want per person), butter (lots), eggs (one per person), an onion, curry powder, lemon juice, coriander/cilanto/parsley (optional).
Boil the eggs. When you get a moment in the middle of everything else you'll be doing, take the eggshells off and chop up the boiled eggs.
Start cooking the rice. While it's cooking, you can get on with the rest of the work.
Chop the onion.
Melt a good amount of butter. Use the biggest pan you have for this, because everything will be going into it eventually.
Cook the chopped onion in the butter until it's soft. Add some curry powder. Stir around for a minute.
Drain the rice, then add the rice to the pan.
Add a good amount of lemon juice and pepper to taste. Also add more butter if you feel it's getting dry.
Chop the smoked fish and add it to the pan. (If it's not smoked salmon, you may need to cook it a bit first.) Stir around for a good bit, until the fish is as cooked as you want.
Top with the pieces of boiled egg (and, if you like, chopped coriander - I mean, "cilantro" - or use parsley if you prefer).
*** Decadent Chocolate Cake ***
I cut this cake into brownie-like squares. It's really rich and moist, so small portions are advised! It's unbelievably quick and easy to make considering how good it is, and a tray will last a long time.
Ingredients: 500g really good dark chocolate, 500g butter, 500g sugar, 200ml water, 160g plain flour, 6 eggs.
Melt the butter.
Add the chocolate and stir until melted.
Make a syrup with the sugar and water.
When the syrup is boiling, stir it into the chocolate mix.
Mix the eggs and flour until they are well blended, then stir in the chocolate mixture.
Pour the mix into your tin (my tin measures 40cm x 25cm, or 16 inches x 10 inches).
Cook at 180 degrees Celsius for 30-40 minutes (depending on your oven; start checking how it's doing once you get to 30 minutes).
*** Kedgeree ***
This is a delicious, fragrant dish. It stores well in the fridge, so I've often made a big batch and eaten it every day for a whole week without getting tired of it.
Ingredients: rice (average serving per person), smoked salmon (but you can really use any smoked fish; however much you want per person), butter (lots), eggs (one per person), an onion, curry powder, lemon juice, coriander/cilanto/parsley (optional).
Boil the eggs. When you get a moment in the middle of everything else you'll be doing, take the eggshells off and chop up the boiled eggs.
Start cooking the rice. While it's cooking, you can get on with the rest of the work.
Chop the onion.
Melt a good amount of butter. Use the biggest pan you have for this, because everything will be going into it eventually.
Cook the chopped onion in the butter until it's soft. Add some curry powder. Stir around for a minute.
Drain the rice, then add the rice to the pan.
Add a good amount of lemon juice and pepper to taste. Also add more butter if you feel it's getting dry.
Chop the smoked fish and add it to the pan. (If it's not smoked salmon, you may need to cook it a bit first.) Stir around for a good bit, until the fish is as cooked as you want.
Top with the pieces of boiled egg (and, if you like, chopped coriander - I mean, "cilantro" - or use parsley if you prefer).
*** Decadent Chocolate Cake ***
I cut this cake into brownie-like squares. It's really rich and moist, so small portions are advised! It's unbelievably quick and easy to make considering how good it is, and a tray will last a long time.
Ingredients: 500g really good dark chocolate, 500g butter, 500g sugar, 200ml water, 160g plain flour, 6 eggs.
Melt the butter.
Add the chocolate and stir until melted.
Make a syrup with the sugar and water.
When the syrup is boiling, stir it into the chocolate mix.
Mix the eggs and flour until they are well blended, then stir in the chocolate mixture.
Pour the mix into your tin (my tin measures 40cm x 25cm, or 16 inches x 10 inches).
Cook at 180 degrees Celsius for 30-40 minutes (depending on your oven; start checking how it's doing once you get to 30 minutes).
I must agree. While neither of the recipes I posted above were for the slow cooker, the devices are amazing. I got an inexpensive one from Tesco for ?20 and I've never had a problem with it. Half an hour's work one morning gives me a rich, delicious beef stew that evening (and for some evenings afterwards, as the quantities one uses in a slow cooker will last for days).Kaytastrophe said:
I find that you can spice up the boring old boxed macaroni and cheese by adding a tiny bit more butter than the instructions call for, a tiny bit less milk, and a small teaspoon of mayo. It makes the sauce really thick and tasty. I also top mine off with a handful of real shredded cheddar cheese (while it's still hot and will make the cheese melt) and a good amount of cajun seasoning (if you like spicy stuff, if not use salt-and-pepper).
I usually stay very simple in terms of my own involvement with what I cook. Things like refried beans, chili, noodles, etc. are fairly cheap and easy to fix up. My personal favorite is a can of refried beans with tons of cheese and crunched up tortilla chips; simple, but tasty. Also, if you can find an asian market in your area, try finding Mama noodles. They're from Thailand, and they're like Ramen, but immensely better. Whatever flavor you like; I personally like the pork.
Step 1: Buy a deep fryer.
Step 2: Deep-fry everything.
I know, I know, fat American, blah blah blah. Deep fryers are awesome.
Step 2: Deep-fry everything.
I know, I know, fat American, blah blah blah. Deep fryers are awesome.
You'd be surprised at what you can make with spaghetti/rice, a piece of meat, some vegetables and a few basic spices.
Experimentation is very much recommended
Experimentation is very much recommended
I'm a fan of home-made hot pocket type things. They're handy because they're a complete meal in one tasty container. They take a little time to prepare, but it's a good "batch food". I usually make 10 or so at a time. I use a soft pretzel recipe for the dough, roll it out until it's very thin, and then put veggies and such inside. Most recently I made them with broccoli, cheese, and sauteed chicken. You can put in anything that strikes your fancy.
The pretzel recipe I use is this one:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-soft-pretzels-recipe/index.html
The pretzel recipe I use is this one:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-soft-pretzels-recipe/index.html
3-4 slices of bread , 1 egg or 2 , some sugar . Mix the egg and the sugar , introduce the bread into it , then fry it , Delicious and cheap .
I am going to Uni tomorrow . All alone and got no idea how to make food ( and to add to that I'm on a keot diet which basically means no carbs )
I am going to Uni tomorrow . All alone and got no idea how to make food ( and to add to that I'm on a keot diet which basically means no carbs )