Recipe Card

hmm let me compile some stew recipes for you!

roasted delicata squash soup

vegan chicken cacciatore

lentil stew

butternut squash soup

hearty winter stew

vegan hot italian sausage stew

instant ramen peanut broth

vegan italian wedding soup

vegan italian chili mac

hearty bean stew

Vegan Shoyu Ramen Vegan Shoyu Ramen has a rich soy-sauce-based broth accented by sesame oil and black pepper. It’s easy to make and versatile with different toppings.

it’s like ice cream in a soft skin!

Here’s @dduane​’s first take on it and the finished product. We’ve made even more photogenic batches since.

Kneading is easy as well; either let your machine do it, or if you don’t want to or don’t have one, get hands-on. It’s like mixing two colours of Plasticine to make a third. Flatten, stretch, fold, half-turn, repeat - it takes about 10 minutes - until the gloopy conglomeration of flour, yeast, salt and water that clings to your hands at the beginning, becomes a compact ball that doesn’t stick to things and feels silky-smooth.

Here’s what before and after look like.

My Mum used to say that if you were feeling out of sorts with someone, it was good to make bread because you could transfer your annoyance into kneading the dough REALLY WELL, and both you and the bread would be better for it.

Then you put it into a bowl, cover it with cling-film and let it rise until it doubles in size, turn it out and “knock it back” (more kneading, until it’s getting back to the size it started, this means there won’t be huge “is something living in here?” holes in the bread), put it into your loaf-tin or whatever - we’ve used a regular oblong tin, a rectangular Pullman tin with a lid, a small glass casserole, an earthenware chicken roaster…

You can even use a clean terracotta flowerpot.

Let the dough rise again until it’s high enough to look like an unbaked but otherwise real loaf, then pop it in the preheated oven. On average we give ours 180°C / 355°F for 45-50 minutes. YM (and oven) MV.

Here’s some of our bread…

Here’s our default bread recipe - it takes about 3-4 hours from flour jar to cutting board depending on climate (warmer is faster) most of which is rise time and baking; hands-on mixing, kneading and knocking-back is about 20 minutes, tops, and less if using a mixer.

Here ( or indeed any of the other pics) is the finished product. This one was given an egg-wash to make it look glossy and keep the poppy-seeds in place; mostly we don’t bother with that or the slash down the middle, but all the extras were intentional as a “ready for my close-up” glamour shot.

I think any shop would be happy to have something this good-looking on their shelf. We’re happy to have it on our table.

Even if your first attempts don’t work out quite as well as you hope, you can always make something like this…

plain rice goes a long way for meals, and so do dried beans! they usually go for $1/lb at the store

huge bags of potatoes usually go for <$5 at grocery stores, and, when stored properly, they last a long time!

spending a little bit more up front for spices and/or sauces REALLY helps when you’re eating the same plain rice and vegetables every day!

look up ways to make your vegetables last by regrowing or freezing!

plain rice goes a long way for meals, and so do dried beans! they usually go for $1/lb at the store

huge bags of potatoes usually go for <$5 at grocery stores, and, when stored properly, they last a long time!

spending a little bit more up front for spices and/or sauces REALLY helps when you’re eating the same plain rice and vegetables every day!

look up ways to make your vegetables last by regrowing or freezing!

another masterpost!! i hope this gives everyone some tips. pleeeeease message me if you wanna ask for specific recipes or for more detail as i’m more than happy to talk about it more! had to be brief so this post wouldn’t chunk up everybody’s feed

Whoops, sorry I didn’t understand. I don’t have any resources for that, so I threw one together for you! My boyfriend has been a line cook for about seven years now, and he’s taught me so much about food. There are lots of simple things you can do to make food taste better- but let’s start with the basics.

College Cooking 101

Materials

Here is a list of materials that I believe are absolutely necessary to creating a quality product. Feel free to substitute anything based on your own personal preferences.

Cooking supplies:

Non-stick frying pan (cast iron pans are much more difficult to clean)

Pot (I would recommend a small pot that you can use to cook for just yourself, and a larger pot for cooking portions or for company)

Lid for said pot

Rubber spatula (much better than wooden spoons)

Tongs

Sheet tray

Strainer

Scissors (kitchen scissors)

A cutting board (I recommend plastic because they’re easier to wash)

Cutting knife

Bread knife (both knives should be sharpened every six months at least, you can take them to your local kitchen supplies shop)

Spices:

Salt

Pepper

Dried chives (or real chives if you can swing them. Throw them in your ramen, your tuna salad, sprinkle them on top of pasta, etc)

Thyme (dried or fresh… dried is 3x as potent, use to season soups or pastas)

Rosemary (dried or fresh, use to season meats and starches)

Cumin (use this spice to rub meat)

Cinnamon

Sugar

Garlic powder or onion powder (used for meat rubs and seasoning soups or sauces)

Paprika (I would recommend avoiding smoked paprika, it’s got a super aggressive flavor… use this in small amounts sprinkled over things like you would the chives)

Basic produce:

Parmesan cheese (for sprinkling over pastas, you can get it pre-grated)

Cheddar cheese (for making sandwiches and mac and cheese)

Tomatoes (whole, crushed, paste, whatever… just have some sort of tomato product in your pantry at all times)

Potatoes (you can’t buy them pre-cut because the oxidize and turn gray if not used immediately… you can still eat them, but they don’t look pretty)

Onions (you can get them pre-cut)

Garlic (use to make sauce or soup bases)

Romaine hearts (lettuce has a short shelf life, but romaine hearts literally last forever and are healthier than eating iceberg lettuce)

Protein of some sort (whatever you like- steak, chicken, tofu, etc)

Something salty (like pickles, black olives, anchovies, etc)

Your favorite veggies (I like carrots and squashes the best)

Pasta (whatever is cheapest or on sale at your store)

Bread (freeze half a loaf and leave the rest in your fridge)

Eggs (egg beaters or whole eggs, whatever you like)

Butter (or a butter substitute)

Oil (olive oil is the most expensive)

Chicken stock (or vegetable stock, in a carton or cubed)

Techniques

Basic (super duper duper basic) instructions on how to cook various items. I am not a trained professional- the information I’m providing is based off of personal experience only.

Meat

Steak (skirt steak or cube steak are easiest)

Cooking: Cook with oil. Outside of the steak should be grey. The inside should be light pink.

Seasoning: Create a simple spice blend and rub it all over the meat. Spice rubs always include salt and pepper, add whatever other spices you want.

Pair with: Starches or veggies.

Chicken (skinless and precut are easiest)

Cooking: Cook with oil. Outside should be starting to crisp, inside should be white and dry.

Seasoning: Salt and pepper work best. You can also coat chicken in panko bread crumbs.

Pair with: Starches, veggies, fruits, or pasta.

Pork (pork chops are easiest)

Cooking: Cook with butter or oil. Outside should be starting to crisp. Inside should be the same color as the outside, and should feel very dry and hard.

Seasoning: Create a simple spice blend and rub it all over the meat. Spice rubs always include salt and pepper, add whatever other spices you want. Meat should be completely coated in the spice rub, or it won’t taste like anything but the oil.

Pair with: Starches, veggies, or fruits.

Starches

Potatoes (little potatoes are easiest)

Cooking: Cook with oil. Outside should be starting to crisp, inside fork tender.

Seasoning: Rub (literally rub the potatoes with your hands) salt, pepper, oil and rosemary all over the potatoes.

Pasta (shapes are easiest)

Cooking: Boil water with a teaspoon of salt. Wait until the water is visibly boiling to add your pasta. I like my pasta al dente, so I always cook it for the shortest amount of time listed on the box.

Seasoning: Thoroughly coat pasta with whatever sauce you’re using, or it will taste dry. Good prepared sauce brands: Newman’s Own, Classico, and Barilla.

Orzo/Cous Cous/Pastina

Cooking: Cook in chicken or vegetable stock following package instructions. Stir every so often, and add additional stock as it is absorbed into the pasta.

Seasoning: I like to add dried herbs to the sauce as it reduces to add flavor. You can also add veggies early on and let them cook in the sauce.

Veggies

Carrots/parsnips/beets (chopped are easiest)

Cooking: These can be pan fried in oil, boiled, cooked in a sauce/stew, or put on a sheet tray to roast in the oven. The easiest way to cook them is to add them to a sauce that you are heating up, and allow them to soften until they can be pierced by a fork.

Seasoning: Rub the veggies with salt before cooking, unless you are adding them to a sauce or stew.

Green beans/asparagus/brussels sprouts

Cooking: These are best pan fried with butter. Cook them until they are slightly crisped and fork tender. If you want to be fancy you can blanch them before hand. How to blanch: Boil water, and throw the veggies in for literally thirty seconds. Pour them into a strainer and douse them immediately with cold water from your sink tap until they are cool to the touch.

Seasoning: Salt works best before cooking. Butter after cooking.

Squash/eggplant/sweet potato (chopped are easiest)

Yes I know that sweet potato is a starch, but it fits better here.

Cooking: These veggies are best roasted until fork tender. Time varies. These veggies should be cooked with their skin left on.

Seasoning: Rub these veggies with salt and cook in a little oil. Top with butter after they are cooked.

Resources

- My Pasta Sauce Post. Click here.

- College Student Cookbook. Click here.

- Broke College Kid Masterpost. Click here.

- Cooking on A Bootstrap. Click here.

- Good and Cheap. Click here.

- Budget Bytes. Click here.

- Meals On The Go. Click here. (Not a cookbook, but super helpful)

instant oatmeal packets with fruit in them - $3 probably and this can be breakfast all week and maybe even a lunch or dinner too since you usually get 10 packets

bag of rice - $2-3 depending on size. 1 cup dry rice makes enough for about two meals depending on what you add in. if you get cheap rice, rinse it before cooking

canned beans - usually under $1 per can - mix the can with your rice and you have a meal. chili-spiced beans will make bean tacos. Rinse non-spiced beans before adding to anything.

Tortilla - usually around $3 but you get like 8-10 of them. Tacos, wraps, and quesadillas are all fair game here

lettuce - $2 max around here, either a head of something or bagged precut depending on preference, use as a salad or on tacos

protein other than beans of some sort - probably $5-7 for meat, $2-3 for eggs. sometimes I can get bags of frozen chicken breasts in this price range and each is usually 2 meals if I add in a bunch of veggies. fry/scramble eggs and add to any of the options. 

your favorite stir fry sauce - $3ish

vegetables - $5ish. literally anything that you can 1. fry in a pan and 2. you’ll eat. fresh carrots are usually pretty cheap. get frozen if it’s cheaper and you’re strapped for cash/prep time on this part. 

alternative to stir fry:  pasta (~$2), fresh tomatoes (~$2), cheese (~$3). 

Adding also: the single most nutritious food on earth is potatoes in their peel. Potatoes + some milk and butter = everything you need. They don’t last all that long, but they’re fairly cheap and the quickest cheat to “How do I not fuck my body up.”

(Cooked potatoes’ll last a while in the fridge. Potatoes nearing the end of their useful lives? Cook them to half-done first, figure out what to do with them later.)

Easiest baked potatoes: slice thinly but not paper-like, spread like cards, brush with oil (a silicone baking brush is totes worth the little it costs), spread salt and pepper (a little less than you think you’d like), cover with foil, stick in oven or toaster-oven at 150C for 40min. (If you have the patience, at that point click up to 180C, remove the cover and add 10-20min.) Reheats well, lasts in the fridge longer than it’ll take you to nom.

Dead-Animal-Free Whole Protein: some legumes + some grain. AKA rice and lentils, or rice and beans. (Maybe some fried onion for flavor; onion’s cheap and stays good a descent while. Fried onion makes everything taste better and keeps forever in the freezer, so frying up a bunch and keeping portions is not a half-bad idea.) (If going for the beans option - lentils are cheaper around here but fuck if I know what it’s like in your area - dump some tomato sauce and oil in; canola or soy are best health-wise, and far cheaper than olive; avoid corn.) Oh, what does instant couscous go for in your area? It keeps for fucking ever, it’s usually cheap, and it takes well to any and all added taste.

If you get to choose, black lentils taste the best and need the least soak-time (0-20min), green lentils are best for cooked stuff and red lentils are best in soups. (Red lentils + potatoes + root vegetables of choice + spices; cut into small pieces, cook, run through the blender if you wanna [stick blender’s awesome], freeze in portions.)

When possible, get instant soup mix. Get the good instant soup mix. (The kind that’s not made primarily of sugar, yeast or both. The rest is optional.) Dump 1/2tsp (or more, but start on the low end) into couscous, or chicken, or sprinkle over potatoes being stuck in the oven. Whatever. It’ll make most cooked-food-type things taste better. And again, lasts forever on the shelf.

And speaking as someone who is also living off oatmeal, beans, and brown rice, if you need recipes, I have them! 

Today I made 16 bean soup with chicken sausage and it was crazy good and I got 8 servings out of the one batch (froze half). I usually get the cheapest beans I can find, and GOYA bags of beans are usually $1-2. I soaked them overnight,rinsed them, and threw them in a gallon lidded saucepan with 2 boxes of chicken stock (also on sale for $2), two bay leaves, sauteed green pepper, onion, and celery, some garlic from a jar, about two tablespoons of dried herbs de provence,and the “fancy” bit was adding $6 bourbon and apple chicken sausages. You can actually sub veg stock for chicken and skip the sausage and make it vegan and it would still taste great.

Oh and I’ve been doing steel-cut oats. I don’t buy the name brand ones, I just pick whatever store brand/generic I can get for less than $4. They take about ½ an hour to make, but they’re super tasty and I make 2 cups of dried oats at a time with dried cranberries and that’s breakfast for 4 days at least.