Fresh eats
Healthy Recipes for College Students
by Anindita Rajesh
With the end of the semester quickly approaching, it can be easy to get caught up in studying and fall into a pattern of eating random food at crazy times of the day. Below are some ideas for fairly healthy and easily customizable recipes to make your apartment or at-home cooking endeavors more interesting.
Burrito Bowls
Burrito bowls are a weekly staple for me and my roommates, since they are quick to make and super filling. Here’s what we put in ours, but the possibilities are endless, and you can always add other ingredients you have on hand:
Ingredients:
-Rice (about ½ cup of rice per person)
-1 can of black beans
-1 bell pepper, sliced
-1 onion, sliced
-Red pepper flakes
-Cayenne
-Garlic Powder
-Salt
-Olive oil
-Optional toppings: cheese, salsa, guacamole, sour cream
Steps:
First, cook your rice as per the instructions on the packaging.
While the rice is cooking, put a small amount of oil in a pan and add in your peppers and onions. Cook them over medium heat.
Once the onions and peppers begin to brown slightly, add in the seasonings (red pepper flakes, salt, cayenne, garlic power) in whatever ratio you wish. Cook the vegetables for about five more minutes.
Drain the can of black beans; then, add them to the pan, along with the pepper and onions and add more seasoning, if desired. By this time, the rice should be done cooking.
Put rice in a bowl, followed by vegetables and beans. Top your bowl with any additional ingredients you may have, including salsa, cheese, guacamole or sour cream.
To make them extra special, stuff your burrito bowl ingredients in a bell pepper, bake the pepper for 30 minutes at 350 °F, top with some cheese and bake again for another five minutes.
Sushi Bowls
Along with burrito bowls, sushi bowls are a fan favorite in my apartment, especially during warmer weather.
Ingredients:
-Rice, sushi rice works best, but anything works!
-1 cucumber
-1 avocado
-1 block of tofu
-Sesame oil
-Soy sauce
-Teriyaki sauce
-Sriracha
-Optional: sesame seeds, wasabi sauce, ginger, kimchi
Steps:
First, press your tofu by wrapping it in paper towels, then placing a heavy object on top of it.
Then, cook your rice, following the instructions on the package.
While you’re waiting for the rice to cook, cut your cucumbers into thin slices and your avocados into cubes.
Once the tofu has been pressed for about 20 minutes, cut it into cubes and place it in a pan along with sesame oil.
Cook the tofu until it begins to brown and become crispy. Once the tofu starts crisping, add in soy sauce, sriracha and teriyaki sauce to your liking, and cook for about 10 more minutes.
Assemble your bowl! Start with the rice as a base, then top with some tofu, avocado and cucumber. Finish it off with additional seasonings, such as sesame seeds, wasabi or thinly sliced ginger.
Spicy Peanut Noodles This recipe is a super quick one and is a flavorful lunch to make in between Zoom classes.
Ingredients:
-Noodles of choice (I usually just use spaghetti)
-Peanut butter
-Red pepper flakes
-1 tsp. ginger
-1 garlic clove
-Sesame oil
-Soy sauce
-Chili garlic sauce or Sriracha
-Vegetables of choice (mushrooms, peppers, onions, broccoli, etc.)
Steps:
Boil water in a pot. Once it’s boiling, add in pasta and follow the instructions on the box for cook time.
In a separate pan, add sesame oil and begin to sauté your vegetables, ginger and garlic.
After your vegetables have begun to brown, add in about two spoonsful of peanut butter to the center of the pot, allowing it to melt. Also, add a small amount of sesame oil to the warm peanut butter to thin it out.
Once the peanut butter has melted, combine it with the vegetables; then, add a splash of soy sauce, about three spoonsful of chili garlic sauce and red pepper flakes, to taste.
Finally, add about ¼ cup of pasta water to your sauce, drain the noodles and combine them with the sauce.