All posts tagged dinner

Ramen Noodle Stir-Fry

Want to make a side into a meal; just add noodles. I had a lot of coleslaw mix leftover from my veggie stir-fry and just really like cooking stuff in a pan in general. One short raid through the fridge and pantry later, and I have dinner. This is a really versatile recipe too, so you can add things as you please. If you don’t like vienna sausages you can easily leave them out, mix the ramen seasoning with about a cup of water, and add that during step 3. Makes 5 servings and costs about $2.00 in ingredients used.

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Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
4 cups coleslaw mix
1 cup broccoli
1 pack of ramen
3-6 vienna sausages  (Either way it’s not a whole can. I apologize for the inconvenience)
2 tsp each salt and pepper
3 tsp paprika

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  1. Cook the ramen without using the seasoning packet. Strain most of the water out, leaving a few centimeters at the bottom of the pot.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium to low heat and add the broccoli. (For this quantity of stuff, I used a pan 2 in. deep and 10 in. wide.) Let it cook for a couple of minutes and then add the coleslaw mix. Cook this for another 5-10 minutes, mixing occasionally.
  3. Slice the vienna sausages to a desired size and add, along with the ramen, salt, pepper and paprika. Mix the ingredients together well and serve. If you’ve been mixing for a while, turn off the burner; the ramen will start sticking to a hot pan if you’re not careful.
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by Berri on April 9, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Berri on April 9, 2013

https://starvingstudentblog.wordpress.com/2013/04/09/ramen-noodle-stir-fry/

Micro-Mac&Cheese

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Now who doesn’t love mac & cheese? It’s simple and delicious, not to mention a childhood staple.  And you can make it entirely in a microwave. Late night dorm macaroni parties are a go. This recipe makes about 6 servings and uses about $2.45 in ingredients.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups macaroni
3 cups water
4 oz. cubed cheese, 1/2 a block
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk

  1. Combine the macaroni, water and salt in a 2 quart dish. Microwave covered and on high for 8-10 minutes, or until the noodles are slightly squishy to the touch. Be careful of the steam whenever you uncover it. Drain the leftover water. It’s alright if there is still a little bit of water left on the bottom.
  2. Add in the milk and cheese. Stir well then microwave on high in 4 minute intervals, stirring in between, until all the cheese is melted. Let it stand for a couple of minutes to thicken up.
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by Berri on April 1, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Dinner, Lunch
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Posted by Berri on April 1, 2013

https://starvingstudentblog.wordpress.com/2013/04/01/micro-maccheese/

Broccoli Soup

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The weather is still being weird and gloomy. It’s supposed to be in the mid-70’s already but only gets as high as 60°. Earlier this week, I battled a particularly nasty day with this super simple soup. It made 6 servings and uses about $1.80 worth of ingredients.

Ingredients

1 can cream of celery soup
2 cups broccoli, cooked/steamed
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 1/2 cups water
1/3 cup shredded cheese
2/3 cup milk (optional)
black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a 2.5 quart dish. Microwave covered and on high for 15-20 minutes. Let stand for at least 5 minutes. Mind the steam when you take the cover off.

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by Berri on March 30, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Berri on March 30, 2013

https://starvingstudentblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/30/broccoli-soup/

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quesadillas

There has been just one lonely sweet potato in my fridge for the past week or two. I really wanted to use the little guy, particularly before he started sprouting roots, but no ideas would come other than just mashing it and mixing it with some cinnamon and brown sugar- which would require more than one potato. Then lo and behold- I came across this recipe. I’ve made a few minor adjustments but it is close to the original. That and there ended up being 5 quesadillas instead of the expected 4.

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Ingredients

1 large sweet potato
1/3 cup frozen corn
1 15 oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
10 8-inch tortillas, flour or corn
1/2 tsp brown sugar
sliced or shredded cheese

  1. Pierce the sweet potato, place it on a paper towel and microwave on high for 4-6 minutes. Be careful when taking it out because that thing will burn your fingers. Let it stay on the counter for around 5 minutes then put it in the freezer for around 3 minutes. Then peel it and place it in a bowl. Add the chili powder, salt, and brown sugar, and mash it all together.
  2. Microwave the frozen corn for 1-2 minutes in a small bowl or cup.
  3. Spread 1/4 cup of the sweet potato, 1/4 cup cup of black beans, and 1 tbsp of corn onto a tortilla. Add some cheese then top with the other tortilla. Cook each side in a pan for 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

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by Berri on March 27, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Dinner, Lunch, Snacks & Sides
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Posted by Berri on March 27, 2013

https://starvingstudentblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/27/black-bean-and-sweet-potato-quesadillas/

Veggie Stir-Fry

As much as I loathe them, I know vegetables are a necessary part of any sort of pleasant existence. As luck would have it, while talking with a family friend she gave me her recipe for quick and easy veggies. It takes hardly any time to make and is actually pretty good- well, as good as vegetables can get at least.

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Ingredients

3 cups coleslaw mix
1 cup broccoli (fresh works best)
1/2 tbsp oil
2 tsp each salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the broccoli first and let cook for 1 minute or so if you don’t want it to be too crunchy. Then add the coleslaw and seasoning. Let it cook for about 5 minutes and you’re done.

Using the coleslaw mix is a huge time saver, but you can just as easily use regular sliced cabbage and carrots- that’s all it is really. Also note that raw broccoli will turn bright green when it’s cooked enough, though you can still cook it a bit longer with no worry. It’s when it starts turning brown that you should start getting worried.

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by Berri on March 13, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Dinner, Snacks & Sides
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Posted by Berri on March 13, 2013

https://starvingstudentblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/veggie-stir-fry/

Mushroom Noodle Soup

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It’s been oddly cold here lately, rarely getting past 50° when it’s supposed to be at least 60° already. I’m really not much of a soup person, but my mom is. So I whipped this up quick for her. We ended up eating from that batch for 2 days. This recipe makes 4 servings and uses about $2.25 worth of ingredients.

Ingredients

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pack of ramen
1 cup mushrooms  or  a 4 oz can of mushroom pieces and stems
1/4 cup diced onion
1 tsp garlic powder (optional)

  1. Cook the ramen as normal, but don’t add the packet of seasoning. Strain and set aside.
  2. Make the mushroom soup according to the directions. When done add ramen, onion, garlic powder and mushrooms to the soup. Simmer for another 6-7 minutes.
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by Berri on March 8, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Berri on March 8, 2013

https://starvingstudentblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/mushroom-noodle-soup/

Chicken Burritos (somewhat)

Some leftover pieces of chicken have been sitting in the fridge for quite a while. So long in fact, that I couldn’t quite remember when we had it for dinner. It was definitely time to eat them. Since there were a lot of them, I decided to try out a recipe for chicken flautas. Then I found out that you can’t put as much filling in if you roll a tortilla flauta-style, which is a bit of a problem when you’re short two tortillas. That and the fact that flautas are usually fried are (correct me if I’m wrong) the only differences I can tell between them and burritos.

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Ingredients

3/4 lb. skinless and cooked chicken breast
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 tsp salt
paprika
12 tortillas

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  1. Preheat the oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with foil (easy clean up).
  2. Shred the chicken into easily eaten pieces (this can be done by hand) and put into a bowl. Add everything but the tortillas and mix together.
  3. Microwave the tortillas for about 30 seconds so they’re easier to fold. Spread the chicken mixture on each tortilla and fold. Place seam side down on the baking sheet, sprinkle with some extra cheese if you like, and bake 15-20 minutes.

If you’d rather do without baking the burritos, they will taste just fine. You will probably want to heat up the chicken and salsa though. Also, the recipe will work with 10 tortillas and the filling won’t all burst out when it’s baking.

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How to fold

 

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by Berri on March 2, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Berri on March 2, 2013

https://starvingstudentblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/02/chicken-burritossomewhat/

Express Potato au Gratin

Au Gratin [oh graht-n, oh grat-n, aw graht-n, aw grat-n; French oh gra-tan]

adjective

Cooked or baked with a topping of either browned bread crumbs and butter or grated cheese, or with both.

-Dictionary.com

Sounds fancy doesn’t it? I thought so, plus it’s covered with cheese. You can’t go wrong with that. There was a problem though: every recipe I could find required baking it for at least an hour and 30 minutes; Too much time using an oven that I might not have anyway. So with a bit of planning and some luck, I came up with recipe where you use a microwave. Sure it might not be the traditional golden brown, oh-so-creamy dish restaurants serve, but it’s pretty tasty and can be a whole meal. That and it does technically fall in the definition 🙂

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Ingredients

2 potatoes
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
1 1/2 cups milk or soymilk
1 cup steamed broccoli
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp flour

 

Instructions

1.  Rinse off the potatoes and peel them. Slice them thinly, then microwave for about 2 minutes.

2.  If you’re using some microwavable steam broccoli, just follow the package directions (this won’t use a full bag). If not, you can use frozen or raw broccoli, just cook it first. Slice the broccoli into smaller pieces if you want. I know I hate those random, chunky stems…

3.  Layer about half of the potato slices, overlapping a bit, on the bottom of a 8 in. x 8 in. x 2 1/2 in. dish. Sprinkle them with half of your salt, layer the broccoli on next, and top with 1 cup of the cheese. Cover it all with the rest of your potato slices and season with the rest of the salt.

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4.  Mix your flour and milk well in a separate bowl, then pour over everything in the dish. The milk should only fill up, at most, half of the dish. It will rise when it’s cooking and boil over. If you’re not careful, you will end up with hot milk and cheese mixture in your microwave and on the sides of the dish, and nobody wants that.

5.  Cover the dish with whatever microwave-safe material you have then stick it in the microwave for about 5 minutes. Let it sit for a bit since there will probably be some steam. Add the rest of your cheese on top and pop it back in the microwave for another 4 minutes. Let it sit for another couple of minutes before eating.

*Note: All microwave times may vary because of different wattage.*

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There’s a lot you can do to this recipe. Carrots, onions, any vegetables really, can be used with or instead of the broccoli. You could even add mushrooms or chicken to really make it an all-in-one dinner. Just remember, they have to be cooked beforehand, especially meat. Anywho, experiment to your heart’s content. Happy eating!

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by Berri on February 23, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Berri on February 23, 2013

https://starvingstudentblog.wordpress.com/2013/02/23/express-potato-au-gratin/