Recipes for Budding Nontrad Chefs!

[QofQuimica]

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This thread is inspired by Shy's constant mouth-watering descriptions of her cooking and Dr. Bagel's discussions of how to save money. Do any of you ever have pot lucks and/or take turns inviting classmates/friends to dinner? What do you make? We've probably all got a few classic favorites that we make on a regular basis, but it's not easy to find time to experiment with new recipes in the kitchen while you're in school. So I thought we could share some recipes. Bonus points if they're healthy, cheap, quick, and easy to make. 🙂

 

[QofQuimica]

Here's one of mine for Vegetarian Southwestern Pizza:

• 1 can refrigerated premade pizza dough (you can make your own from scratch if you want, but that's not quick and easy!)
• 1 can black beans (make sure to drain them first before using, or your pizza will be soggy)
• fresh cilantro (to taste; I love cilantro, so I use lots of it)
• 1 bag Mexican cheese mix (has four cheeses together-get the finely shredded kind, and don't get fat-free cheese or it won't melt well)
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped (I like to use Vidalias because they have a mild, slightly sweet flavor)
• 1 cup medium salsa (make sure it's thick, because again, the watery stuff is going to turn your pizza to mush)
• 2 tablespoons of minced garlic (you can buy pre-minced garlic in a jar to save time, but it will cost you more than buying fresh garlic and mincing it yourself)

Preheat the oven to 350 F while you spread out the dough and collect together the ingredients. Bake the dough for about 10 minutes first by itself and chop up the onion while you wait. Then add the salsa, onion, drained black beans, and garlic. Put the cheese on top to taste, and bake for another 10-15 min. or until it starts to brown. Take the pizza out and add cilantro while it's still hot so that the cheese will melt around it. (You can add cilantro before baking if you want, but baking really wilts it.)

The whole thing takes about 20-25 minutes if you're efficient and get the toppings ready while the crust is baking and the oven is warming. For a non-vegetarian version, you could add chicken or beef as well.

 

[montessori2md]

Quick and easy creamless carbonara:

Cook off some nice fettucini (we like spinach fett, but whatever)
saute about 1/2 lb of bacon, or if your budget allows, proscuitto. Remove from pan, chop it into small pieces.
Scramble an egg or 2 (depends on how much you like egg, and how large they are) in a little of the fat left from the meat.
Add a small bag of frozen peas to the eggs.
Return the (now chopped) meat to the pan, add a little chopped garlic, stir.
Add in the (now cooked) fett, toss gently to mix everything. Season with salt and pepper as necessary. If you used very lean meat (turkey bacon or soy bacon) you may need a little olive oil.
Put it on the plate, throw some grated parmesean cheese on top (fresh tastes better than the predone stuff).

Eat it : ) This stuff is so good, it's good cold.

 

[montessori2md]

Also, get yourself some sweet chili sauce. It's sort of bright red colored, magic stuff that tastes good on almost anything. When we can't think of anything to cook, we just do stirfry and throw the sweet chili sauce on top.
It's also good as a veggie dip and salad dressing.

 

[ShyRem]

Linguine with cheese and spinach.

I use the Dreamfield's linguine, so it's low carb for folks like me that carbs make me gain about 3 pounds of water weight a day. 🙁
Anyway, cook 1 lb linguine. Penne works well, too.
3 cooked chicken breasts, sliced or diced
Diced onion
Diced garlic
Olive oil
Chopped fresh baby spinach
A total of 4 c freshly grated parmesan, romano, and asiago cheeses. More if you like.
1c freshly grated fontina cheese.

Take some finely diced onion and garlic (to your taste, a lot or a little), and saute' in olive oil until translucent or they just smell yummy. Add in your chicken if cold to reheat it. Add 1 pound chopped baby spinach and cook until just wilted. Add this whole mess to your cooked linguine. Stir to mix.
Now add your grated cheese. MUST BE FRESHLY GRATED. The pregrated/ground nasty stuff just doesn't melt right. Stir to mix - it should melt into a lovely heavenly casserole type thing.

You can also add some sundried tomatoes, or fresh tomatoes.

 

[ShyRem]

Pulled pork sandwiches.
Crockpot lovers, this one is for you.

3-5 pounds of pork shoulder roast. Fresh, not smoked. Stud with 6 whole cloves. Just 6.
Put it in a crockpot with 1 thinly sliced onion (half the onion on bottom, half on top).
cook on low for 8-10 hours. Overnight works quite well, or one long day of classes.
Remove pork and empty crockpot. The pork should just fall apart into hunks of meat -- remove the fat and bones with your hands. shred the pork and add your favorite BBQ sauce (if you make your own, just toss the ingredients into the crockpot with the shredded pork. I do). cook for another 2 hours. Place on whole wheat rolls with a slice of provolone cheese melted on top.

 

[ShyRem]

Green chile takes a bit more time and effort, but worth every bit of it if you love green chile.

12 fresh anaheim peppers, roasted, skins and seeds removed. Dice.
12 fresh pablano peppers, roasted, skins and seeds removed. Dice.
6 fresh jalapeno peppers. roasted, skins and sees removed. Dice.
1-2 lbs fresh tomatillos, roasted, external paper skins removed. Dice.
1 fresh onion, diced.
2 pounds fresh pork. Or chicken.
2TB flour
2TB oil of your choice. I like grapeseed.
2c chicken stock. more if you need it.
Habanero sauce.
Pepper.
Chopped bunch of cilantro (Mexican oregano they call it up here in the north).

Roasting the peppers can be done in your oven or over your grill.
Cook your diced meat of choice above in a stockpot until browned. Remove from pot.
Place your oil in a stockpot. Add flour, making a roux. Brown lightly - not too dark. Add your chicken stock a bit at a time to avoid lumps and make a gravy. I added a bit more chicken stock at this point. Add peppers, tomatillos, and your cooked meat. A splash of habanero sauce and a dash or two of pepper. Let the whole thing cook until it's done. yummy over breakfast burritos, on tortillas, burgers, sausages... well, just about everything if you like green chile.

 

[ShyRem]

Apricot White chocolate scones

1 3/4 c flour
1/4 c sugar
2 tsp baking pwdr
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 c butter
1/3 c finely chopped dried apricots
1/3 c white baking chips
1 egg
1/3 c half and half (more or less)

Preheat oven to 425F. Mix flour, sugar, baking pwdr and salt in bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until it looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in apricots and baking chips. Stir in egg and just enough half and half until the dough leaves the side of a bowl and forms a ball.

Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead lightly 10 times - not too much or your scones won't be as flaky as you wish. Pat into an 8 inch circle on an ungreased 12 inch pizza pan or cookie sheet. Cut into 8 wedges while still uncooked - DO NOT SEPARATE the pieces -- just cut them. Sprinkle with a little additional sugar if desired.

Bake 16-18 minutes or until just golden brown. Carefully separate the wedges (I often use the knife again here) and cook on a wire rack.

 

[ShyRem]

Tomato salad

Fresh tomatoes. Sliced. Or grape tomatoes halved.
FRESH mozzarella. Sliced or diced as you wish.
Fresh basil, chopped. Must be fresh.
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper.

If you sliced your tomatoes and cheese, arrange in alternating pattern on a plate. Top with chopped fresh basil. Sprinkle some salt & pepper on top, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

If you halved your grape tomatoes and diced your cheese, just add everything in a bowl and mix.

 

[ShyRem]

Ok. Now back to studying for my neuro exam tomorrow. Cranberry-raspberry coffee cake recipe to come later. Yeah, I know, I hate cranberry sauce, but I just can't get enough of this coffee cake.
7-layer veggie mexican dip is yummy too.
And once you've had homemade guacamole you'll never eat canned again.

You really ought to live closer to me, Q. 🙂

 

[mshheaddoc]

I love allrecipes.com, some great recipes on there! I have this awesome crab dip recipe I'll post later. I have to finish studying now though!

But if you're looking for a quick smoothie, Orange Julius is 1/2 can of OJ concentrate (frozen), 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup of water, 1/2 tsp of vanilla and like 6 ice cubes (I usually just fill the thing up with it for thicker). Yummy. Throw some whey in there and not bad protein shake.

 

[QofQuimica]

Ok. Now back to studying for my neuro exam tomorrow. Cranberry-raspberry coffee cake recipe to come later. Yeah, I know, I hate cranberry sauce, but I just can't get enough of this coffee cake.
7-layer veggie mexican dip is yummy too.
And once you've had homemade guacamole you'll never eat canned again.

You really ought to live closer to me, Q. 🙂

You'll be sorry when I show up on your doorstep one day and just move in. 😛

Speaking of cranberry-raspberry, here's a really good and easy one. It's fantastic for pot luck parties if you need to make something that doesn't take much time, but you need to have a few hours for it to harden.

Cranberry-Raspberry Jello Mold:

• 1 can of jellied cranberry sauce (the kind with whole berries might work too, but I like mine smooth).
• 2 packages of raspberry jello mix (other flavors work too, but raspberry looks the prettiest)
• 1 16-oz tub of sour cream (I use low fat, but whatever you do, avoid fat-free b/c it's nasty)
• 1 cup boiling water

This one requires a blender and a bundt pan.

Stir both packages of jello mix into the boiling water, then pour into the blender. Add the sour cream and jellied cranberry sauce. Put the lid on (always important to remember to do this!) and blend together until smooth. Pour it into the bundt pan and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until hard.

Total time is about 5 minutes, not including the time it just sits there in your fridge. It's absolutely delicious. I only make it for parties though, because I don't want to weigh eight zillion pounds. 😛

 

[cheezer]

I am now hungry. Thanks for nothing everyone.

I'll be back to blame you all for my future fatness.

 

[pingouin]

You'll be sorry when I show up on your doorstep one day and just move in. 😛

Speaking of cranberry-raspberry, here's a really good and easy one. It's fantastic for pot luck parties if you need to make something that doesn't take much time, but you need to have a few hours for it to harden.

Cranberry-Raspberry Jello Mold:

• 1 can of jellied cranberry sauce (the kind with whole berries might work too, but I like mine smooth).
• 2 packages of raspberry jello mix (other flavors work too, but raspberry looks the prettiest)
• 1 16-oz tub of sour cream (I use low fat, but whatever you do, avoid fat-free b/c it's nasty)
• 1 cup boiling water

This one requires a blender and a bundt pan.

Stir both packages of jello mix into the boiling water, then pour into the blender. Add the sour cream and jellied cranberry sauce. Put the lid on (always important to remember to do this!) and blend together until smooth. Pour it into the bundt pan and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until hard.

Total time is about 5 minutes, not including the time it just sits there in your fridge. It's absolutely delicious. I only make it for parties though, because I don't want to weigh eight zillion pounds. 😛

oh my god- when did you turn into my mother?

 

[pingouin]

ok, my turn..

Super-Easy Pasta Salad

This travels really well to parties, or makes for a week's worth of lunches

1 16-oz box pasta- your choice, but I prefer bowties or rotini
1 bottle salad dressing- your choice, I prefer some version of Ranch or Italian
Chopped veggies- broccoli, tomatoes, cauliflower, red/yellow/orange peppers all work really well and make it nice and colorful 😀
Shredded cheese- as much/little as you desire, cheddar works well

1. Cook entire box of pasta as directed on box. Drain. Let pasta cool. Place in large bowl, preferably one with a lid.
2. Add in chopped veggies, stir everything together. (Heterogeneous mixture, if you will. 😛 )
3. Pour about 1/2 the bottle of salad dressing over the whole thing. Cover tightly, shake. Add more salad dressing as needed. The pasta tends to absorb some of the dressing, so you have to put on what looks like extra. Cover/shake again as needed.
4. Add shredded cheese, stir in. If you shake, all the cheese will stick to the lid. Learn from my mistakes.

Possible add-ins: chopped/diced ham, chicken, or turkey; chopped nuts- almonds, pecans, walnuts

 

[pingouin]

I love allrecipes.com, some great recipes on there!

second this ^^^ . I got a great white chicken chili recipe off of there which I adapted for the crockpot. I'll post it when I have time.

also will recommend Famous Brand Name Recipes- http://www.fbnr.com/Finder/RecipeFinderEasy.html

 

[Foghorn]

Here's a grilled steak salad with green beans and blue cheese I found a year ago & recently served as a dish as part of a friend's b-day dinner. It only takes 30-45 minutes to prepare, serving 4-6 people.

• salt

• 1 lb. selnder green beans, trimmed. French green beans called haricolt verts are the best ones for the salad, if you can't find them, look for the skinniest American green beans you can find.

• 6 cups baby arugula ~ 6 oz

• 4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1 & 1/4 cups pitted Kalmata olives, halved

• 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• Freshly ground pepper

• 3 (8-9 oz.) strip loin steaks. You can make the strips 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick & cook them accordingly to your preference.

• 1 cup crumble blue cheese ~4 oz

1. In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the green beans until crisp-tender ~4 min. Drain. Transfer the beans to a bowl of ice water & cool.

2. Prepare a grill (to medium high heat). Combine the green beans, arugula, tomatoes & olives in a large bowl. Whisk olive oil & vinegar in a small bowl to blend. Season the dressing to taste with salt & pepper.

3. Brush the steaks with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil; sprinkle them with salt & pepper. Grill the steaks to desired doneness, ~ 1 1/2 min on the 1st side & 1 min. for the 2nd side for medium rare. Transfer the steaks to a work surface; let stand 5 min. Cut the steaks crosswise into thin strips.

4. Toss the salad with enough dressing to coat. Divide the salad into 4-6 servings. Top with steak strips. Sprinkle cheese over.

Each serving: ~500 calories; ~33g protein; ~14g carb; ~5g fiber; ~36g fat; ~10g saturated fat; ~7mg cholesterol; ~624mg sodium.

Note: I usually broil the steak to medium rare & remove the fat prior to making the strips. After broiling, I let the steak cool for a few minutes then cut strips as thinly as possible ~coldcuts thickness. I re-cook the strips on a wok or frying pan ~1-2 min, drain the fat & set the strips aside prior to adding on the salad. Making strips from fillet mignion works great too.

 

[QofQuimica]

oh my god- when did you turn into my mother?

Well, I hope your mother is a mad pathology whiz, that's all I have to say. What, does she like making jello mold too? 😀

 

[2008orbust]

Few ingredients, easy to make, leftovers taste great popped in the microwave. Healthy too (except for sodium)!

3-4 Chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2 can mushrooms
1-2 onions chopped
1 cup cooking sherry (if you don't have it, any dry wine or in a pinch, chicken broth)
Italian season blend.
(some butter and salt and pepper)
Chicken flavored instant rice. (little lipton bags work well)


1. Salt and pepper chicken and place in hot pan greased with a little butter. Brown each side 1-2 minutes and toss in crockpot (don't cook it, just brown it)

2. Dump onion and mushrooms in the same pan, saute for a few minutes in the sherry and a few teaspoons of italian seasoning. (don't cook onions completely) Drop onions and mushrooms into crockpot on top of chicken. Cook on low at least 4 hours.

3. Pull out chicken breasts, shred, and stir into mushroom mixture. Thicken with a pinch of flour if needed.

4. Spoon mixture over rice on each plate.


EVERYONE asks for the recipe when we make this for friends. SO easy, SO GOOD!!!

 

[kronickm]

Here is my frankenstein recipe for Jambalella (or is it Paellaya?) that I put together from numerous paella/jambalaya recipes and a little magic.

3 Packets Vigo Saffron Rice
Chicken Stock (whatever it calls for on the packets of rice)
1 Onion preferably Vidalia
1 clove of Garlic
Some Sausage preferably Andoullie
Some Shrimp
Some Chicken
Some green peppers
Butter
Paprika
Salt
Pepper


In one pan sautée the vidalia onion the butter and some garlic until it smells so good that you want to eat the pan its cooking in (or until the onion starts to get clear)

Add the rice mixtures and stir to coat rice

Add chicken stock and bring to boil then cover and simmer as per directions on the rice packets.



In frying pan or wok, sautee the chicken/shrimp/sausage/garlic/green peppers season with salt pepper and paprika. Cook until done (chicken usually takes the longest). Note that you can also sautee them 1 at a time, but since we are non-trads we have better things to do then spend 45 min sauteeing.

Combine the two things and eat.

 

[SpartanBlueJay2]

I'm more of a bakery/dessert person, and this recipe is super-easy and always a major hit at get-togethers. It is by no means healthy:

Heath Bar Trifle

You will need:
1 box devil's food cake mix
Eggs
Oil
Water
2 boxes instant chocolate pudding mix
milk
Kahlua or strong coffee
12 oz. tub cool whip
4 heath bars
Trifle bowl (if you have one), or just a medium/large mixing bowl (preferably glass so you can see the layers, but any large bowl will work fine)

1. Prepare 1 box of devil's food cake mix according to the box instructions, and bake in a 9x13 pan according to the box instructions
2. Prepare 2 boxes instant chocolate pudding mix according to the box instructions. Once set, add 2 T. Kahlua or strong cold coffee to the pudding.
3. Put 4 Heath bars (or other chocolate toffee bar of your choice) in a large ziploc bag and take out your agressions on the Heath bars with a hammer. You want to end up wth chunks no larger than 1/2" x 1/2"
4. Once the cake has cooled, cut it into 1" x 1" squares
5. Place 1/2 the cake squares in an even layer in the bottom of the bowl
6. Top the cake squares with 1/2 the pudding
7. Top the pudding with 1/2 the cool whip
8. Sprinkle 1/2 the heath bar pieces on the cool whip
9. Top the cool whip/heath bar layer with the remaining cake pieces
10. Repeat steps 6-8

Serve by scooping out a decent-sized helping into a dish, making sure to get all of the yummy layers!

 

[ScubaEMT]

I am all about making dishes that end up taking a bunch of time... Pumpkin ravioli is probably my favorite to make... but it entirely practical as it takes a whole bunch of time.

My favorite cheap, quick food to make is HUMMUS!! It is super cheap, everybody loves it, and you can make a bunch and store it in the fridge.

Take a can or 2 of garbonzo beans and toss those suckers in a food processor with a few small chopped cloves of garlic, some lemon juice, and a bit of tahini. Make the finishing touches with some Spike seasoning or salt.

The tahini and lemon juice should be added to taste, as most people I know have widely varying preferences.