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Tuesday, March 19
The Indiana Daily Student

arts student life food

COLUMN: 4 cheap and easy recipes for college students

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Chicken chili soup 

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon of butter or oil of choice 

  • ½ red onion, diced 

  • 2 bell peppers, diced or sliced 

  • 6 garlic cloves or 2 tablespoons of minced garlic
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes 
  • 1 carton of chicken, vegetable or beef broth 
  • 1 can of black beans 
  • 1 can of corn 
  • Half a rotisserie chicken 
  • 1 tablespoon of chili powder, or to taste 
  • Pinch of salt 

Optional Garnishes:

  • Fresh cilantro 

  • Fresh lime juice 
  • Sour cream 
  • Shredded cheese 
  • Crushed tortilla chips 

Directions:

Heat a large pot on medium heat and add oil or butter. Add garlic, onion, bell peppers and chili powder, and cook until soft — about seven minutes. Add cans of tomatoes, beans, corn along with broth, allowing mixture to simmer. While the soup simmers, shred up half of a rotisserie chicken and add it to the pot. Allow the soup to simmer an additional 15 minutes before serving with garnishes of choice.

Mediterranean bowl 

Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup quinoa, uncooked 

  • ½  cup water or broth of choice 

  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil 

  • ½ can chickpeas, drained and rinsed — remove skins if desired 

  • ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder, onion powder and paprika 

  • 1 cup chopped lettuce 
  • ½ cup diced tomato 
  • ½ a bell pepper of your choice, sliced 
  • ¼ cup corn 
  • ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese 
  • ¼ cup hummus 
  • Dressing of choice to top

Directions:

Rinse quinoa thoroughly before simmering with water or broth on the stovetop for 15 minutes. Let quinoa sit for five minutes off heat. Mix dry chickpeas with oil and seasonings on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Assemble a bowl with quinoa on the bottom, adding roasted chickpeas and other vegetables on top. Garnish with crumbled feta, hummus and dressing and serve. 

Fried rice

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups day-old cooked rice 

  • 1 tablespoon of minced garlic or 1 teaspoon of garlic powder 

  • Minced shallot or green onion 

  • 1 cup total veggie(s) of choice, such as: 
  • Frozen veggie medley 
  • Peas 
  • Corn 
  • Carrots 
  • Mushrooms 
  • Bean sprouts 
  • Baby corn 
  • Cabbage 
  • 2 eggs 
  • Soy sauce to taste 
  • Oyster sauce, teriyaki sauce and/or sesame oil to taste, optional 
  • Black pepper to taste 
  • 1 teaspoon of neutral flavored oil  

Directions: 

Heat oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add vegetables with garlic and onion. Allow the vegetables to soften for about five minutes. Crack eggs into a pan and stir with a spatula until cooked. Add rice and cook for another three minutes to heat through and combine ingredients. Add soy sauce and other sauces to taste, as well as black pepper, and serve.  

One-pot cheesy chicken pasta 

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni, or pasta of choice 

  • Generous pinch of salt 

  • 1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken 

  • ¼ cup cream cheese 

  • ¼ cup reserved pasta water 
  • ¼ cup parmesan or pecorino cheese 
  • ½ cup peas 
  • Black pepper to taste 
  • Garlic powder to taste 
  • Fresh parsley 

Directions: 

Heat a pot of water to boil and add a generous pinch of salt. Add pasta and cook until al dente, reserving some pasta water for sauce. Drain pasta, add it back into the pot on low heat and combine cream cheese and pasta water in the pot. Add peas and continue stirring for two to three minutes until heated through. Finish with cheese, black pepper and garlic powder. Serve with fresh parsley to garnish.

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