Cooking in College: A Journey with Pinterest

Week 17: This “Chocolate Malt Superfood Smoothie” can work as either breakfast or dessert. It was super rich and chocolate-y, but supposedly had many health benefits as its two superfood ingredients were the maca powder, which was blended into the smoothie, and cacao nibs, which were sprinkled on top. The maca powder naturally boosts energy while the cacao nibs are a good source of antioxidants, iron, and magnesium.

Issues: Before I blended everything together, I was really excited for the outcome to look puffy like it did in the model picture on the left. In the directions, it said to add one tablespoon of the water at the time, and that’s what I thought was going to make it puff up, but my version didn’t. I’m attributing this slight fail to my lack of a food processor, which the recipe called for.

Week 16: When I first saw this recipe for “Roasted Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Puree” on my Pinterest board of recipes I wanted to try, I honestly wanted to unpin it. Even its model photo didn’t look appetizing in the slightest. I also thought it was really strange that sour cream was an ingredient, but it really worked for this dish. The first bite I took was so good, I immediately loved it... despite its looks!

Issues: So I have made a lot of pureed dishes that call for a food processor, and as I have mentioned before I don’t have one with me at school. Hopefully I’ll get around to buying one this summer, because many of the recipes that I make call for one. Instead, I have just been using my blender, but it is much less powerful and holds much less than a food processor. For this recipe, I had to evenly split up the ingredients into two batches so it would all fit in the blender.

Week 15: Another healthy variation of pizza? Yes please. The crust of this “Light BBQ Chicken Pizza” was made out of golden cornmeal, instead of conventional flour. It was difficult to stop eating, because its sweet barbecue sauce component contrasted with the chicken, onion, and cheese. The way in which the crust remained cohesive instead of falling apart was also an impressive surprise. 

Issues: As you can probably tell, my variation visually differs from the model picture. This is because I went grocery shopping for the ingredients a week before I made it, so when I went to search for the cilantro in my fridge, it has already gone bad. I also had half of a leftover white onion which I wanted to use up, so I substituted it in for the red onion. Despite its lack of color, the flavor of my pizza was still on point.

Week 14: Mint and chocolate is one of my all time favorite combinations, so I couldn’t pass up this “chocolate covered mint patty” recipe when I saw it in my Pinterest suggested feed. This dessert is the healthy version of the classic Peppermint Patty, but still satisfied my cravings for sugar. Every bite was insanely refreshing, bursting with peppermint flavor. I want to make another batch of these as soon as possible.

Issues: The mixture of ingredients did not make as many peppermint patties as the recipe and its picture advertised. Instead of resulting in twelve patties, it only made six, which was very disappointing, especially after I tasted one. I recommend doubling the recipe, especially if you are making them for more than one person.

Week 13: This week I did chose to make “Loaded Pizza Mushroom Caps” that had a meat/veggie/cheese combo to slightly balance my diet out... as if. I was also detoxing from the weekend during which I had three slices of actual pizza. These were so good that they could easily be substituted in for a slice any day of the week, and forget about the guilt, because portobello mushroom caps are only about 5-10 calories per cap!

Issues: After I ate one pizza cap I was definitely not full, but they were a little too intense to eat two in a row. You definitely need to eat something along with these, whether that be fruit, a small meat dish, or a salad. The mushroom caps themselves were also not salted enough. After they came out of the oven, I dusted the bottom of the caps with more sea salt before eating them.

Week 12: This week, I was lucky enough to return to my house in Texas after a spring break vacation. With a variety of kitchen utensils at hand, I could finally make “Zucchini Pasta with Lemon Garlic Shrimp.” I had two necessary tools at my disposable; a vegetable spiralizer and my mother. She couldn’t help herself from advising me on my cooking per usual. This dish was very light and fresh, which resulted in everyone at the table going back for thirds.

Issues: My mother was actually the one who informed me of the main problem with the recipe. The author calls for the shrimp to be very well-cooked until it gets a “little crispy”. I started to do this, but my mother instantly corrected me, lecturing that you should only cook shrimp for two minutes on each side or else it will get too rubbery. She claims she learned this years ago from her Italian chef friend, Gino.

Week 11: “Dry-Fried Green Beans” constituted my vegetable consumption this week. These green beans had a unique asian twist, added by the combination of sesame oil and soy sauce. I didn’t know what to expect when I saw soy sauce on the list of ingredients, but it surprisingly went well with these greens. I could easily eat this a few times a month. 

Issues: Instead of air-frying the green beans in an air-frier, I had to go with the alternative option of pan-frying them in a skillet, because my lack of an air-frier in my tiny apartment. They were still yummy, but when they were pan-frying, oil splashed everywhere. To avoid this problem, you can use a frying screen to place over the skillet, which greatly reduces splashing oil.

Week 10: Wanting to spice up my protein choice for the week, I prepared these mouth-watering “Buffalo Chicken Tenders”. This recipe definitely makes the list for my top 5 favorite Pinterest recipes of all time. There was a stark and satisfying contrast between the succulent chicken and its crunchy almond meal coating. Even though this recipe was paleo, I almost liked it better than regular chicken tenders. I 100% recommend this recipe, especially with a side of veggies for a weeknight dinner.

Issues: So the major problem with these chicken tenders is that they don’t make good leftovers because of their fried exterior. After being in the fridge for a night they get soggy, but they do fare a bit better if they are warmed up in a skillet with a little butter. This restores some crispiness to the tenders. I would recommend making this recipe for two or three so they can all be devoured right after they’re made.

Week 9: For this week, I chose another veggie hummus, “Roasted Red Pepper Hummus”. The roasted flavor of the red peppers really complimented the chickpeas, adding a bit of kick to the original hummus flavor. I also met my veggie quota for the week, cutting up fresh cucumbers and green bell peppers to dip in the hummus. 

Issues: The consistency was a bit watery, but this could easily be fixed by decreasing the amount of olive oil used by 1/2 a tablespoon. On my part, I botched the roasting of the red bell peppers, not letting them get charred enough in the oven. I thought they were ready after 7 minutes, but I would follow the recommended broiling of them, leaning more towards 15 minutes to get that intense roasted flavor. 

Week 8: I have grown so sick of cheesy scrambled eggs, so I searched for a breakfast recipe this week, which led me to “Breakfast Stuffed Peppers”. It was really good at first, but honestly, it’s really difficult to eat a whole bell pepper in one meal. I ended up cutting them in half for each breakfast and then supplementing is with a side of fresh fruit or toast with almond butter.

Issues: So the recipe called for frozen spinach, but I sautéed my own fresh spinach with olive oil, salt, and garlic. I hate frozen vegetables, because they aren’t nearly as fresh tasting, lacking essential flavor. They also are soggy...just no. This dish was good, but not good enough to eat for eight days in a row (I had to cut them in half).

Week 7: Seafood is something that is heavily lacking in my diet while at school, so I( was sold when I saw this simple recipe for “thai salmon”. It only called for a few ingredients including the salmon itself, scallions, and staple components for the thai sauce, such as maple syrup and corn starch. Ok, so this was my favorite recipe that I have made so far!! I could not stop eating it, and it went so well with a side of sautéed zucchini. Good thing it was so quick to make, because it’ll definitely be back in my oven again.

Issues: My main problem with this dish is that it wasn’t enough. Next time I’ll make twice s much! Another issue came up when i was making the “Thai sweet chile sauce” to go on top. I’m guessing that the recipe called for too much corn starch, because the sauce came out as super sticky globs that would refuse to spread easily across to salmon. If you make this, put a little less cornstarch than the directed 1 tablespoon.

Week 6: My sweet tooth directed me towards these simple “Paleo Almond Butter Cookies” this week. I can’t brag that this is the best picture or backdrop (please ignore my dirty stovetop!), but these were interesting to say the least. I already had most of the ingredients to bake these, so I decided to give them a try, especially because I am an almond butter fiend. I like my cookies on the hard side, so I loved the fact that the almond butter gave them satisfying texture to crunch in to. This morning I went to reach for the last few, but they were nowhere to be found. It’s safe to say that I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed these!

Issues: Commenting on the taste, it was noticeable that the healthier sugar substitute of coconut sugar was used in place of regular sugar. It caused the cookies to taste a little bit like caramel, but a healthy caramel. I wouldn’t recommend these if you don’t like desserts which are noticeably healthy. The main problem was that the directed time in the oven was not nearly enough. When I first took the cookies out they were very soft and didn’t set when cooled, so I popped them back into the oven for about 7 minutes, which ended up being a bit too long. Instead of baking for 9-10 minutes, I would recommend a solid fifteen minutes.

Week 5: For lunch and dinners this week, I prepared “Sweet Potato Cheeseburger Casserole”. This recipe is also paleo, so I could still eat large portions and be completely filled up with out feeling sluggish or weighed down after. The ground beef was my favorite part of this dish, and I wish there was a little more to even out the meat to sweet potato ratio. Overall, it was a dish that I didn’t get tired of over the course of the week, because it had so many different components, including sweet potatoes, beef, celery, carrots, tomatoes and the perfect mix of spices to tie all of the flavors together.

Issues: The main cause of difference in appearance to the Pinterest picture and mine is that I didn’t have access to a spiralizer, because it isn’t something I use very often in the kitchen. Instead, I used a vegetable peeler to whittle down the sweet potatoes until there was nothing left. The final amount of food was also way too much. I had to separate the ingredients into two skillets at a point, and only one is pictured here. My roommates were happy to help me finish it up so nothing was put to waste. I would recommend only using two medium sized sweet potatoes instead of the directed three. 

Try it yourself: 

Week 4: Even though we’re dead in the middle of winter, “Summer Fresh Corn and Zucchini Chowder” was on the menu for this week. The first serving was really good, but it soon got tiresome. It was really quick and easy to make, because all I had to do was chop up some fresh veggies and throw it in a pot with some water and cream. It was also very light and I felt proud of myself for eating so many vegetables in one seating.

Issues: This might just be my personal preference, but this was just way too much soup to eat in one week. I could barely eat this for two meals in a row. It made about 9 servings, and I hate wasting food, so I had to force myself to finish it all before it went bad. I couldn’t say that I was looking forward to eating this week like usual. 

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Week 3: “Creamy Avocado Hummus” was the pick of this week. The aesthetic of the Pinterest picture and mine aren’t exactly on the same level, but that didn’t stop me from constantly snacking on it. The color was questionable, proved by my roommates repeatedly asking what the hell I was eating. Avocado  pairs perfectly with the base chickpea flavor, and the olive oil on top was the perfect finish. I cut up some fresh veggies, including cucumber, green bell pepper, and red bell pepper (not pictured), and it was a healthy snack that filled me up. 

Issues: The color was iffy, but I can barely complain because the taste was so good. Also, I didn’t have a food processor because they are priceyyy! Instead I put all of the ingredients into a blender, which barely fit, but still worked.

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Week 2: This week I decided to make myself some guilt-free dessert, trying to ditch the habit of buying late-night candy at the bodegas. I planned in advance, buying already ripe bananas to make this “Paleo Banana Bread”. I was impressed with the final outcome, because it tasted like real banana bread, even though the paleo aspect of it called for almond flour. Usually, the use of flour substitutes results in baked goods being crumbly and having a bit less flavor, but the ripe bananas seemed to moisten it up. I suggest this recipe 10/10, but see the issues below to avoid spending more time on it than necessary. For breakfast, I spread a little bit of almond butter on the top and voila!

Issues: Despite the story the model picture tells, the directions said to pour the batter into three mini loaf pans. Being in college, naturally I didn’t have three of the same exact pans, so I settled for a single one which could contain all of the batter. I cooked it for the maximum time directed, 40 minutes, but when I took it out, the top half was still raw. A mess fell out when I turned the pan upside down, but all I had to do was pop it in the oven for another 10 minutes, and it still came out very tasty. The fact that I ate the whole loaf in three days says enough. 

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Week 1: This week, a “mozzarella & basil sandwich with no bread” or better known to the masses as a caprese salad caught my eye. The picture perfect Pinterest post is on the right side while my go at it poses on the left. Immediately I noticed that the picture on Pinterest did not match up with the ingredients listed in the recipe, which is a frequently occurring fault on Pinterest. My version lacked the pictured asparagus, but was still delicious!

Issues: Even though the recipes found on this platform are renowned to be both simple and yummy, the food often doesn’t turn out as perfectly as the nonprofessional authors of the recipes claim. With this recipe, my complaints were slight; I just couldn’t eat all of this cheese in one sitting! The simple solution was cutting it in half and saving it for later.

Try it yourself: