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Hello all!
As you may know, I'm currently a Zoology student here in lovely rainy England, and after this Sunday, I am officially cooking for myself until Christmas... the horror!!!
I've bought a few student cookbooks to try out, but I thought I'd ask you guys if you have any ultra cheap and tasty (and obviously slimming :P) recipes that you used at Uni, or indeed use now 
Seeing as everyone here is creative with bear making, there must be some creative chefs too! I just made an Oniony Soup, and I'm working on a mince pasta bake now... good ol' Quorn. I am veggie, but it's so easy to substitute in other stuff instead of meat it doesn't really matter now!
... I make a cracking brie and mushroom pasta sauce too 
Chaska, MinnesotaChloe: Recipes and cooking are my favorite things to talk about....but you through me for a loop about low fat....I use lots of butter and cream in most everything I make. But I do remember a wonder veggie dish I made that may do the trick. I don't know what you call it though:
2 baking potatoes
1/2 bag of carrots
1 can drained diced tomatoes
*could add some chopped celery and diced onions if you like. Though I have not done this yet.
1 tablespoon sugar
1 can of beef broth (though I suppose vegetable broth would do)
Mrs. Dash
salt and pepper
2 Tablespoon butter (really this is necessary)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a casserole dish.
Peel and quarter potatoes and put in buttered dish with carrots. Sprinkle with Mrs. Dash to your taste (you could add some diced onions too). Salt and peper it and toss to coat the veggies. drain tomatoes and pour on top. sprinkle with the sugar and a little more salt and pepper. pour in the beef broth. Dot with butter. Cover. Bake at least an hour, maybe an hour and a half or until the potatoes are done.
Of course I serve with additional butter it...
Well Chloe, that is about the healthiest thing I make. Now if you want my recipe for brownies, get out at least three sticks of butter (it is my most requested recipe)......let me know if you want the rest of the brownie recipe...
When I was in college the one thing I made all the time that was pretty much a hit with everyone and could easily qualify for your veggie lifestyle was pasta and mushrooms. Just cook up some pasta (we usually used plain ol' spaghetti but anything works) and while it's finishing, in a fry pan, cook up a huge bunch of sliced mushrooms in a dash of olive oil and lots of butter. Sprinkle garlic salt on top when the mushrooms are done and pour the cooked shrooms over the strained pasta. I usually added an extra chunk of butter for good measure, plus a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. Mix it all up and serve, maybe with a little extra fresh ground pepper. Takes all of about 20 minutes to make, start to finish, and is really easy on the budget, too.
You can also make really yummy pizza bread quickly and cheaply, with a fresh loaf of whatever you like best from your local baker, sliced and slathered with a prepared pizza sauce, and a good, fresh heaping of squishy mozzerella on top, with a sprinkling of Italian seasoning and a drizzle of olive oil. Pop it under the broiler for just a quick few minutes or you can even microwave it. Fast, cheap, easy, yummy, easy to make vegetarian.
Both of these are fast and inexpensive and go great with a quick green salad drizzled with viniagrette.... also fast to whip up and easy on the budget.
I'm getting hungry!
DoodlebearsNo recipes right now but thought you would love to hear about the four French guys that are sharing a house with my daughter Sarah at uni:
Sarah was in the kitchen last night cooking fish and fresh veg when the guys walked in and tried in their poor English to ask what she was cooking. They told Sarah that they hate English food and said it was disgusting. When Sarah asked what they had been eating she found out that they had cooked pasta and tipped cold chicken tikka masala sauce all over it. (Yuk!) They tried to wash down the nasty taste by drinking blackcurrant juice the only problem was is that they didn't realise that it should be diluted. No wonder they think English food is nasty. 
Hugs Jane. 
Lol, Jane! That's hilarious, silly French boys... English food ROCKS! yum yum yum.... you know, it costs £5.40 for fish and chips in Durham? I must stock up before I go back: fast food there is extortionate!
I'm only joking about the slimming bit I am a food appreciator through and through, sadly, so when I go back I'm throwing myself back into dance as well as studying and sewing... toooo much! I'll need all that butter, Michelle! Only one question... what's Mrs Dash? I'll have to google it!
Shelli, that pasta dish sounds great. I am not quite a fan of mushrooms, but I used to hate them. I have fond memories of a mad girl from my College proclaiming loudly to one and all that she couldn't eat mushrooms 'because of her eczema', and then tucking into a big bowl of mycoprotein-ous Quorn, absolutely fine. Ah, happy days XD
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)I discovered a slow but special way to cook the mushrooms that takes no butter or oil (I use Smart Balance & light olive oil for everything)
Like green peppers, I don't like to actually eat them but I like the flavor those 2 can add sometimes.
Slice the musdhrooms and trimmed stems (I dont wash miner -they contain enough moisture already!) but use my fingers or a paring knife in the underneath/gill area and peel off a layer all the way around towards the center top.
In a really heavy pan, put in the sliced mushrooms and a little chicken broth (or beef or veg. I think bouillion would be too salty but that's my taste)
Slowly cook them in the broth, which will evaporate as the mushrooms wilt down. On a low heat, in about 20 mins, you'll have carmelized mushrooms.
Absolutely the most flavorful essense of mushroom, w/no fat. I discovered this once when I was really busy and forgot them on the stovetop. They should be stirred every so often thou!
puca bearsHi chloe
something I "invented", using up bits and pieces after Xmas - I heated up a sachet of ready-made cheese fondue, chucked in some lightly cooked broccoli rosettes, and poured it over some pasta - it became quite a favourite here! Jeremy is a veggie too, and I eat very little meat......if I ever try, say, roasting a chicken, the four-legged beasties are convinced it's for them, so it's almost impossible to get to the oven!
huggies
maria
Might I suggest a humble Frittata Chloe ? It's a one pan meal , cheap and quick and highly nutritious
The beauty is you can just chuck anything in ; adjust the amount of beaten eggs for the no of people you're feeding . For just one I'd use
at least 2 eggs , beat with a drop of water and season (pepper / chilli and garlic sauce / whatever ) Microwave a small potato (prick all over) for 5+ mins
then when soft and cooked chop in chunks . Now round up anything else to add - could be odds and ends of vegs from earlier in the week
scatter of sweetcorn , half a diced onion , chopped broccoli , sliced courgette , if you eat fish how about some flaked up tinned salmon . As you're vegetarian
can I recommend the lovely frozen soy beans from Birds Eye , which are so good for you (although they're not dirt cheap you only need a handful to add to meals)
Give the onion and vegs a gentle fry to soften and part cook .
Bung it all in and stir round with the eggs . Heat a little butter in a pan - non-stick will make life easier 
- when sizzling , pour in your egg mix .
Let the frittata cook on the bottom ; you can lift an edge to check for golden brown , then you can finish off under a hot grill (be careful not to put the handle right under the heat !
I usually flip mine over (on a plate and turn over ) to make sure its cooked , back on the hob - but then I'm cooking for 5 of us in a great big pan !
Think of the endless permutations ; a surprise every time 
I think the egg/potato/onion constant means it's not just an omelette
Oh yes , I'd serve a slice in Summer with green salad , or with good old (nutritious) baked beans for winter warmth ... or fried tomatoes ...slurp
Mini Hugs , Ruth
Chaska, MinnesotaChloe wrote: Michelle! Only one question... what's Mrs Dash? I'll have to google it!
Chloe it is a spice blend that does not have salt but a lot of different spices. I'm sure you can find an equivalent in your country. Here in the USA you find it in any supermarket in the spice isle.
Posts: 1,836I LOVE potatoes! I'll bake a potato and top it with just about anything...from salsa, broccoli & Cheese, Chili (my hub loves baked beans on his!). Another easy potato recipe for breakfast, lunch or dinner is this one:
Cube the potatoes (1 inch cubes are good)
put them into a plastic bag with a zipper or ziplock seal (so nothing can leak out) you can put them into a container with a tight lid too.
add about 1-2 Tablespoon of olive oil, shake the bag/container to evenly coat the potatoes with the oil. Now sprinkle with your favorite seasonings. I use minced onion, garlic and an all purpose seasoning that's got the basics in it like black pepper, parsley, celery seed, basil, thyme, organic oregano, etc. Shake up the potatoes again to coat with the seasoning and then just dump them out onto a roasting pan or cookie sheet in a 350f/180c oven until they're golden brown. EASY! Great with eggs in the morning and as a side dish at dinner.
:hug:
~Chrissi
Oooh, now Ruth, frittatas I can do! Well, they're usually more like...egg fried vegetables (too much milk ) but they taste good! I've never used Salmon in on though: I'll have to try that... I'm a vegiquarian, so that's fine :D
Bobbie, that sounds really good... it seems like every recipe I've tried out these past few days has had a veggie stock cube in it: I must have consumed about 5 of the things! We don't cook with salt so I'm not used to it at all XD I think that recipe would be great as a risotto...
Oooh, Maria, sounds like a great twist on the old 'cauliflower cheese' recipe! We never really ate much meat but then it started to make me feel really bloated and ill after eating red meat so I cut it bout... I do miss the easiness of chicken though. And it's really hard to find a veggie pie too: I need pastry to live!!
Wow, everyone has great tips and tricks, I'll have to start creating and let you guys know some!
Wild Thyme OriginalsHey there! I'm a vegetarian as well, and have been since about the age of 12! When I was in college I ate a lot of ramen noodles! Talk about cheap, and they have ones that are vegetarian. When I moved to a house in grad school and started to do more real cooking, i used to make (and STILL do) a good vegtarian onion soup. You just take about 5 good sized vidalia or spanish onion and cook them in butter (or olive oil) until they are nice and brown, then add in a couple cans of vegetable broth, a bay leaf, a bit of pepper and let it simmer. To serve you can slice up a bagette loaf and put the pieces under the broiler till they get lightly browned (the toaster works too!).... float one bread slice on each bowl of soup and cover with a slice of swiss cheese. If your bowls are oven safe you can brown the cheese under a broiler.. or just eat it as is.
Veggie tacos are pretty cheap and easy as well, just use red beans and rice with a packet of taco seasoning mixed in instead of beef. Mmmm... now I am starving! And I've not yet planned dinner for tonight! :doh:
Kim Basta
Hi Chloe,
We made similar pizzas to those Shelli makes using bagels or English muffins (or they the same thing in England as in the US?) as a base.
You can make eggs on garlic toast -- Toast Italian bread while you are scrambling eggs. Rub toast with smashed garlic clove and drizzle on a little olive oil. Top with a slice of radicchio (can leave this out or substitute other lettuce), put eggs on top, grate parmigiano reggiano (or other cheese you like) over eggs, then top with a little chopped Italian parsley.
A Greek put-together dinner: 8 tbls. olive oil, 1 c. fresh basil (we substitute cilantro for the basil), 1 cucumber, 8 oz. cherry tomatoes halved, 3/4 c. kalamata oolives pitted if desired, 1 jar pepperoncini (optional), domades 12 oz., 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, black pepper, 1 lemon cut into wedges
Put ready-made dolmades on plate with chunks of feta cheese, cubes of cucumber, tomatoes, olives, pepperoncini, Puree olive oil , basil (or cilantro if you use that) and salt. Drizzle mixture over plate and serve w/ lemon wedges on side.
Easy quesadillas: shred cheese (type you like best) over flour tortilla. Spoon on some salsa. Add olives and or chilis or jalapeno slices if you like. Top with another tortilla. Bake for about 5 min. in 400 degree (F) (204 C. ?) oven.
This topic is making me hungry too, time for dinner.
Kim - Ramen (or 2 minute noodles as they are called here 
) are pretty much what most students survive on here too. But they are apparantly quite expensive in the UK - my sister has just been home for a visit and ate them whilst she was here. Like nearly two pound each (that's $4US!!) I have to confess I haven't eaten them since I was a student - I think I overdosed on them and had my life's worth of preservatives in a few short years.
Czech pancakes are an excellent and cheapo veggie meal - I still eat them and the nice thing is they can be as healthy or as unhealthy as you want them to be and as plain or as fancy as you can afford. They're kind of fritata like but the proportion of egg to veggies is less.
I don't do measurements and I've been making versions of these since I was a kid so it's entirely a look and feel thing. Traditionally we made them with one big potato per person. But nowadays, I'll add in kumera (sweet potato), parsnip or even broccoslaw (grated broccoli stalks, red cabbage, carrot).
So....scrub your potato(s), leave the skin on and grate into a large bowl (or other veges). Grate a couple of tablespoons of cheese (or more if you like) over top. Sprinkle on salt and pepper and whatever herbs (fresh or dried) you fancy. Crack and egg into the bowl and add a small handful of flour - probably 2 T. Mix together until just combined.
Heat a little oil or butter in a large skillet and drop in your potato mixture - pressing down firmly until it forms a big pancake. Turn down the heat to just below medium and allow to cook slowly until golden brown on one side. About 7 or 8 minutes each side means the potato in the middle cooks and it crisps up really nicely on the outside. Slide out on a plate and flip over to cook the other side. Traditionally you would serve it with chopped lettuce salad and yogurt dressing (tzatziki style is good) on top but you can add whatever toppings you like.
They're also good cooked as mini fritters but be warned my flatmates could eat them hot out of the pan with ketchup faster than I could make them.
Flying Fur StudiosI love to see what everyone cooks!
I'm also a veggie and like Kim have been since I've been very young. I have a million recipes but one that is really healthy is a bean salad. No cooking even!
Open a can of chickpeas and a can of other beans. I like white kidney beans but anything you like. Just open 2 cans of rinsed beans.
To the beans, add lots of raw chopped veg. whatever you have. Celery, carrots, onions, corn, peppers, cauliflower etc.
Then add dressing. I make my own 'healthy' dressing buy juicing and zesting an orange, adding a small bit of honey and olive oil, cumin, garlic and salt and pepper.
BUT you can just add any bottled dressing as well. I have done that in a pinch and it's just fine.
IT's easy to make lots of this and makes a great lunch the next day as well.
