As students, most of us don’t have the time or willpower to cook a more complicated meal. While the internet provides us with its usual wisdom that can help us get around these obstacles at the tip of our finger, many online recipes expect us to have fairly niche ingredients hiding in our cupboards and freezers. (Apologies if you do have a ribeye steak and squid-ink spaghetti laying around). For the average student’s household, this would require a trip to the shops, so unfortunately the internet isn’t always the best bet. Should you ever want something to accompany your speedy pesto pasta using more normal ingredients, however, look no further than this article. While I admit that not every student will consider the following foods as standard, I’m pretty sure their ingredients can be found in most households!
The easiest hummus you will ever make: 1. Grab a can or jar of pre-cooked chickpeas 2. Empty the container into the blender/food processor (or, should you ever find yourself without one, I can confirm that the back of any large spoon also works pretty well!) 3. Once puréed, add in some lemon juice (directly from the fruit or from a bottle), salt and herbs and spices of your choice (this could be parsley, paprika, cayenne pepper or whatever you fancy) 4. Vary the quantities and taste test as you go 5. Serve with carrots or pita or side of your choice
This is a really simple recipe which takes about 10 minutes or less when using a blender. Normally, hummus calls for tahini and various exotic spices, but this recipe captures the essence of hummus almost perfectly.
Banana and peanut butter ice cream 1. Peel some bananas (maybe 3 or 4), put them in a freezer bag, and then in the freezer (it’s important to peel them, because once frozen it is impossible to remove the skin, even after dropping them and jumping on them) 2. Leave the bananas in the freezer for at least an hour (it helps to have a constant supply of frozen bananas so you can make this recipe whenever) 3. When you’re ready for dessert, grab the bananas and put them in the blender (this one is slightly more difficult if you don’t have a blender…) 4. Once puréed, add in a table spoon of peanut butter and partially stir into the mix
5. Serve and enjoy ? (I recommend a topping of crumbled Oreos)
While this recipe does require forward planning (freezing the bananas) it’s so simple and perfect for vegans and omnivores to enjoy ice cream together.
Tortilla de patatas (Spanish omelette) Ingredients: – about 500g of potatoes, sliced – 1 white onion, diced or sliced – 6 or so eggs, slightly whisked – salt, herbs and spices of your choice 1. Oil a frying pan (preferably with olive oil) and cook the onion and potatoes until softened 2. Remove from the frying pan and place the potatoes and onions in a large bowl, then add the slightly whisked eggs, stirring until the eggs have covered the onion and potatoes. 3. Add in salt, herbs (e.g. parsley) and spices (e.g. paprika, cayenne pepper and sumac) 4. Re-oil the pan and pour in the mixture. Once the egg has hardened, turn over multiple times to brown. 5. Sprinkle some more herbs on top and serve. This recipe takes a little longer than the previous recipes but is still pretty quick and simple. And, as a bonus, it’s very filling!
So there you go, three fun and fast recipes to spice up easy cooking. Enjoy!