#all it needed was a lil butter salt and a dash of red wine vinegar

[shinyvibrava]

I just had the best bowl of swiss chard for dinner, my god

[starredforlife]

okay sick. also fair warning i'm not someone with strict dietary restrictions or texture sensitives, so these recipes might not work 100% for everyone but feel more than free to get creative or substitute whatever you like. the most important thing i learned about cooking tbh was that the freedom of adjustment to your liking (with what you have available) is essential to enjoying the food you eat, and to eating well when you don't have a lot of money

under the readmore

Another basic tenant is that you just need a good base to make something filling!! I most often fall back on toast and rice. you can make so many different things with a slice of bread or white rice and it's rare to not have those on hand at my house

i'm not going to go over things like stir fry, fried rice, ramen, or fajitas/tacos bc those are already very popular easy meals and i'm sure there's a million better recipes out there than the ones i could give you!! so:

-Rice and meatballs; my house always keeps frozen meatballs on stock. You can microwave them or put them in the oven, it doesn't matter. Add some cilantro and Thai chili sauce and it's a full meal, but you can adjust those toppings to your liking!

-Rice and spicy Thai pork/chicken. You just saute some garlic and thai chili pepper on medium heat until you cough, and add a dash of fish sauce along with the protein until cooked. Then you can eat it plain with rice or with cilantro + cucumber (highly recommend the latter tho)

-Egg (+ bacon, ham, hot dog, etc) and rice. this might seem v obvious to some people but i didn't realize i could use these things as toppings for a full meal for the longest time. slap some tomatoes/spinach and garlic or onion on a pan for a bit as a side topping if you'd like too. spring onions, seaweed, sesame, whatever you've got on hand is good to garnish

-on days i literally have nothing sometimes all you need is some caramelized onions (in butter + olive oil, with salt and some sugar) and rice. peasant meal but country girls make due. but if you've got italian sausage or bratwurst it's good to cook that with it too!

-on days i have less than nothing i fry tortillas in a little oil. it's tastes a little like homemade fried bread or naan.

-chicken nugget wraps. this one is just frozen nuggets + whatever green leaf you've got (iceberg lettuce, salad mix), tomato (optional), and your choice of sauce (sometimes we do mayo; sometimes we do thai chili sauce. it's good either way). stick it in a tortilla and you're golden

-brawt dogs!! these are like hot dogs if you don't want hot dogs. you make it with bratwurst, naan bread (grilled over a pan with butter), and coleslaw/bagged salad + mustard as toppings. sounds a little strange but v good

-bastard Spanish rice. i make this with white rice and i just cook ground beef (spiced with oregano, cumin, salt + pepper, garlic, etc to taste), add green olives (and raisins if you'd like), olive oil and lemon and parsley to the rice and eat it like that. if you don't have ground beef just make the rice with the other toppings and it's v good too!!

-garbanzo bean salad. if you've ever had garbanzo beans you know you can eat three of those guys and be full and yet never full enough. they're like elvish bread. i make it with the beans, tomatoes, and onions, and then olive oil, red wine/white vinegar, salt+pepper+parsley. you can also replace the garbanzo beans with lentils! and add beets, too, if you can. it's v good like that.

-biscuits. i know this includes kneading and baking but the recipe my partner and i used was actually incredibly easy. we'd eat the biscuits with chicken nuggets (frozen ones from a bag) and jam, or ham/bacon and eggs.

-PIZZA TOAST these are such treats to me. toast bread in a toaster or in the oven/on a pan; spread a lil olive oil on it. after seasoning with garlic powder, italian seasoning or oregano/basil, and red chili flakes, microwave some tomato sauce (can be pasta sauce literally who cares) and cheese of choice (would recommend mozz or provolone, or a blend). spread on the bread (it'll be melty) and then add toppings if you like (i like green olives/jalapenos/cherry tomatoes, or pepperoni if you've got it!). you can also make this by just putting a couple pieces of toast with the sauce, cheese, and toppings already on them in the oven until the cheese is melted. temperature doesn't matter, just keep an eye of them, but i think i do 375-400F for like 10 minutes max. alternatively you can also make these with bagels!

-Sheet pan kebabs!! i love this one lol. you do need a couple things, but it's super easy and has every nutrient. you need: chicken, bacon, honeycrisp or fuji apples, red/yellow/orange bell pepper, tomato, and onion. if you don't have one or two of the ingredients, it's all good! you can also adjust the flavor profile a bit; sausage with the bell peppers/onions/tomatoes works fine too, etc. cube all the ingredients, and spread on a sheet pan. season with pepper, olive oil, garlic powder, and salt (kosher or sea salt if you have it) stick in the oven at 450F for 35 mins. i eat this with rice (which i season with some chicken/beef broth, butter, and parsley).

-Oven-baked pasta and meatballs. I use this recipe when I'm too busy or tired to make pasta the usual way. you just dump everything in casserole dish and bake until it's finished (you don't even have to thaw the meatballs, just cook the dish an extra 5 minutes). godsend.

-if you want tomato soup + grilled cheese, but slightly different, make some tomato florentine and ham and cheese paninis. just about easy (you just need some roasted garlic + spinach + pasta) and v good. saute the garlic first in some olive oil, then add tomato soup as a base and some chopped or diced tomatoes if you want. add the pasta and cook for like 5 minutes; spinach you can add last, cook another 5. season to taste :^) (and cook longer if needed)

-make smores in the microwave. buy ice pops or ice cream sandwiches in bulk. you will need a sweet treat and these are the quickest ways for it.

-if you buy watermelon but can't finish it, consider making slushies with it if you have a blender (if you've got mint and lime, add those), or freeze the chopped watermelon. you can freeze fruits (we do this with grapes), and herbs you don't finish (freeze them in water, use them in soups or sauces!)

-gnocchi are labor intensive, but if you want fresh pasta and have potatoes you need to get rid of, i cannot recommend these enough. boil them until they float to the top of the water! this recipe is what i use but i also add nutmeg or fine parmesan cheese in the dough, salt in the water of the boiled potatoes, and olive oil for taste and to make kneading easier. eat with any sauce you'd like, or plain with butter/cheese/salt

-if u have ground beef but no hamburger buns just make patty melts. mustard is crucial for making it taste good. you can cook some chopped onions with it if you'd like! here's an example recipe but as long as you cook the burger meat right you're fine to use whatever bread and toppings you want.

-homemade crunchwrap supremes are so so good. it's most of the steps for tacos, but you need either an extra bit of tortilla (flour or corn, fried or heated up). very filling too.

-beans and rice. how could i forget. just don't forget to season the beans!!! (i do chicken broth, bay leaves, oregano, s+p, coriander, onion and garlic powder or actual onions and garlic).

-okay last one. those croissants that come in a metal tube/sleeve. you can roll either ham and cheese, cooked meat, or jams in the croissants and bake them according to the directions. eat a couple of those and it's a good snack or dinner! diy empanadas lol

GENERAL HACKS

if you want a good sandwich i promise. the only things you need to do:

-season your tomatoes with salt (and optionally parsley flakes)

-spread mayo + mustard on the bread and then season that with salt, pepper, and oregano before adding any toppings.

if you're new at making scrambled eggs, this is the most helpful recipe i've used since i learned it

-find your favorite hot sauce and just keep it with you always. never underestimate the power of hot sauce to make a meal 10x more enjoyable

you can find almost any way to make toast. you have apples and bread? cut the apples up, put a little peanut butter on the toast, season with cinnamon. make garlic bread and eat it as is, you don't need to make pasta. it's a god's playground.

-add nutmeg to your italian dishes! (cream and tomato based). it doesn't have to be freshly ground but it's a great underscore to the taste of the sauces

-always season your jarred red pasta sauce with whatever you feel it needs (sometimes it's red wine; sometimes it's sugar; sometimes it's butter; most times it's always a good idea to saute some garlic/onion and bloom oregano, basil, nutmeg, red chili flakes in some olive oil).

-don't cook olive oil on high heat, on that note lol. also, don't let your garlic cook for too long alone or it will taste bad!

-always feel free to turn off the heat and move anything you might overcook into a bowl, until you're caught up in the recipe to where you need to use it.

-if you buy heavy cream, or plain yoghurt, plan at least two meals that will use these things so they don't go bad. this also applies to tubs of salad mix or spinach!

-unless you need the amount that comes in a can, buy the tube of tomato paste!! you'll very rarely need the amount that comes in the smallest cans, unless you're cooking for a lot of people

-if you can, toast your wrap or burrito with a little oil on a pan. the crunch is magnificent. it's so good. toast your sammies too, but do those with butter.

-and very common knowledge, but rotisserie chickens are good for sandwiches, salads, and on their own! if you get one of these and a bagged salad or two that's a meal for 1-3 days. or get the chicken and french bread and feast like a middle century king.

-replace celery with green bell pepper if you want something with a fun, slightly bitter kick (i do this for red meat sauces)

yeah anyways that's it!! if i think of more i'll add them. these are the buildings blocks that help me cook more advanced dishes so i thought i'd share :)

would anybody college aged and or in need of cheap but good food to make like a list of recipes/hacks that i use? (they are usually v low maintenance and also pretty yummy)