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Residence hall-ready recipes

By Krissy Tripp

Published Sept. 3, 2010

Between the residence halls and cheap Columbia housing, it's likely many readers don't have the greatest kitchen access. Some landlords rent out terrible kitchens. Some housing has community kitchens. But even if you do wander to your nearest community kitchen, you don't have pots, pans, blenders or mixers lying around. Nor does the average two-liter refrigerator have room for enough food to create many recipes.

What's a residence hall dweller to do when the dining halls are closed and the thought of another night of Gumby's or Formosa seems almost sickening? Make a few of these recipes using nothing more than the microwave, and all these ingredients should fit in a mini-fridge.

For a quick lunch or late night snacks, try quesadillas. Two tortilla shells and shredded cheese for 30 seconds in the microwave and you're all set. Try wheat tortillas for a healthier version. Both the cheese and tortilla shells can be pushed to the side, so they don't take up much room. If plain cheese seems too bland but you don't want the extra veggies, try grabbing a few ranch or hot sauce packets next time you're at Emporium.

Salad shakers or steamers are another good snack for lunch. It might not hit that late-night-craving spot, but it does contain less calories than a pizza. Use a few points on salad dressing at Emporium and drizzle it in the bag. You won't even have to wash a bowl with these. If you choose the Asian vegetable steamers, drizzle two teriyaki or soy sauce packets in the bag before microwaving. It turns into a decent microwave Chinese food knock-off, and you won't have to tip the delivery guy.

If you have a sweet tooth but like to keep your calories in check, keep vanilla yogurt in your refrigerator at all times. You can mix it with cappuccino powder mix for a java-flavored dessert, use it as a fruit dip or eat it plain if you're in a huge hurry.

To eat more protein, keep peanut butter around. It makes a good dip for celery, apples or bananas, and it goes great with a variety of sandwiches. My favorite lunch is peanut butter and Cheerios on wheat toast -- it's super filling.

If you're a fan of pasta but tired of it coming in a can, you can make a quick and dirty version of Greek pasta by boiling ramen noodles without any seasoning. When the noodles are finished, drain them and add a couple spoonfuls of feta cheese and a tiny can of black olives. Since you're not likely to store Greek seasonings, and you're already cutting this recipe quite short of it's potential, buy feta with your favorite seasoning.

The pasta recipe can be recreated with spaghetti too -- just warm up some pasta sauce (buy small cans) and add it to the noodles. If you like your spaghetti with meatballs, or meatless balls, look in the frozen food section for microwavable spaghetti balls and weigh out how valuable your mini-freezer space is.