Let’s face it: between school and a social life, we are busy, busy Collegiettes™ and when we trudge back to our apartments hungry and tired, the last thing we want to do is make a complicated dinner. But a girl can’t exactly live off of ramen and microwavable mac n’ cheese. So here are five simple dinners that anyone can whip up (courtesy of my obsession with Pinterest). Plus they’re healthy to boot!
1. Lemony Pesto Pasta with Edamame & Almonds
8 ounces spaghetti
1/2 cup pesto
8 ounces spinach
2 cups edamame (shelled and shucked, the peas, not entire pods)
juice from 2 lemons (plus fresh lemon wedges for serving)
3/4 cup almonds, crushed and lightly toasted
Heat a large pot of water to boiling, cook pasta until al dente.
Remove from water, strain and rinse with cold water.
In a large bowl, stir pasta, pesto and spinach until combined (some spinach will wilt, some will stay firm — this is a nice contrast of textures).
Finally, stir in the edamame and squirt the lemon all over the finished dish.
Reserve a few lemon slices for people to add more if they like.
On a low heat, toast crushed almonds until just fragrant.
Garnish pasta with the toasted almonds.
2. Blackberry and Walnut Salad
Vinaigrette
Juice and zest of 2 limes (approximately ½ cup juice and 2 tsp zest)
3 teaspoons finely chopped shallots
1½ tsp grated ginger
¼ cup olive oil
2 Tbs agave or raw honey
Salt and pepper
Whisk all ingredients together
Salad
1 cup blackberries
4 cups lettuce
½ cup walnuts
Toss all ingredients together.
Top with vinaigrette to taste
1 lb salmon, cut into 4 fillets
1–2 Tbs olive oil
2 limes, sliced in half
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp chipotle powder
Preheat oven to 500°
Rinse salmon, pat dry, and place on a metal baking sheet
Rub each fillet with olive oil
Squeeze the juice from ½ lime onto each fillet
Sprinkle fillets with salt and chipotle, then place a ½ lime on top of each fillet
Turn down oven temperature to 275°
Place salmon in oven and cook for 8–12 minutes
4. Maple-Cardamom Glazed Salmon
1 lb salmon filet
¼ cup maple syrup
2 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp smoked paprika
pinch cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
In a small bowl combine maple syrup, cardamom, paprika, cayenne, and pepper. Whisk until mixture is smooth.
Brush syrup mixture evenly over the salmon filets
Place the salmon in a preheated skillet (scale-side down) and cook for about 10 minutes
Brush more glaze onto the salmon and cook for an additional 3–5 minutes until the salmon is cooked
5. Strawberry Arugula Salad with Sweet Cilantro Honey Dressing
Dressing
1 cup cilantro
1 cup olive oil
2 Tbs honey (or agave nectar)
4 cloves garlic
Place all the ingredients in a mini food processor and blend until smooth
Salad
4 cup arugula
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 cup chopped cucumber
1 avocado, sliced
Place arugula in a bowl and layer strawberries and cucumbers on top
Fan the avocado slices on top of the salad
Drizzle entire salad with dressing