Image by Andy Chilton, unsplash.com
Healthy food is one of the most essential elements for our sustenance. But given today’s fast paced life, little time is left to cook. And for students who are studying abroad, cooking something fancy becomes a far-fetched dream. Between costly restaurants and different varieties of food, sometimes you don’t get what you’re used to eating.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. You may have never cooked a day in your life, but now you need to. It shouldn’t be a daunting experience – once your cooked food tastes good, you gain confidence and can be inspired to try new healthy recipes.
The most important thing to keep in mind while starting to cook is buying the right ingredients. Prepare a list of items you’ll require for the week to help you save money and effort. Try not to buy crisps, biscuits, wafers and ready to eat food items – take advantage of your time abroad to experiment with putting meals together. Here are a few easy, delicious recipes you can try:
• Pasta with Salmon – Buy packs of raw salmon and freeze them. Cook pasta based on the package instructions. In the meantime, add a bunch of chopped vegetables and pieces of salmon to preheated olive oil. Add whipping cream, some cheese, and chopped basil leaves to it. Drain the pasta, and mix everything together.
• Shepherd’s Pie with Mashed Potatoes – Have a craving for a home-cooked meal? Boil lamb or beef pieces, and mix them with a granular gravy (handy at any supermarket). Peel and 5-6 potatoes, then mash them evenly while adding butter. Add the meat mixture to your baking dish, with a subsequent layer of mashed potatoes. Grate some cheese on top and add a few basil leaves to finish it off. Preheat the oven, then bake your dish for 15-20 minutes.
• Rosemary Roast Chicken – Buy a small chicken and grease it nicely with olive oil. Chop up a few potatoes and onions. Preheat the oven and place the chicken in a casserole dish. Add the potatoes, onions and some rosemary to it. Feel free to chop up a few other vegetables like carrots and celery with it. Cover the entire dish with foil paper and cook for about 1 hour. Remove the foil and cook again for 30 minutes in order to make the outer surface brown.
• Grilled Beans on Toast – Just open the can, pour it into a baking dish and heat it in the oven with some cheese. Once grilled, serve it with toast or garlic bread.
• Omelette – Add any number and any variety of vegetable to beaten eggs along with onions, tomatoes, salt, pepper and a bit of milk. One the mixture is prepared, pour it into your buttered pan. Flip it over once the bottom is cooked, then add some cheese. Make some toast on the side for a robust breakfast.
• Fried Rice – Cook up some finely chopped vegetables and make some scrambled eggs. Once your rice is cooked, mix them together and fry it in a wok. Add some soya sauce to it for a nice flavor boost.
• Mexican Tacos – Supermarkets sell baked corn tacos or tortillas. Fry up some beef or chicken, and add vegetables and herbs. When you’re putting it together, top it with salsa and cheese.
This article was contributed by guest author Priyanka Chowdary.