One of my absolute favorite hobbies is cooking, however living in a dorm has made it virtually impossible to keep up with it. So, I decided to try and be a little bit creative by trying to come up with recipes I can make in my dorm room with only a microwave and a fridge. Here are my 3 favorite recipes I’ve tried so far!
- Garlic Chicken and Broccolini Pasta
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This dish is super easy to make and reminds me of pasta with garlic and oil. I found all of these ingredients at Star Market and the total cost is around $12 with leftover ingredients to use if you choose to make it again.
You will need:
1 container of grilled chicken (I bought some at Star Market)
1 container of broccolini
1 bag of Barilla ready pasta
Olive oil (could be substituted with butter or avocado oil)
Garlic Powder
Optional: salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese
Steps:
1. Cook the ready pasta according to the instructions on the bag.
2. Chop the chicken and broccolini into small pieces and place in a small microwave safe bowl.
3. Mix olive oil, garlic powder, and optional seasoning into the bowl.
4. Once the pasta is done, add it to the bowl and mix until combined. Heat for another 60 seconds.
5. Top it off with some cheese and enjoy!
- Fried Rice
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I miss the taste of home cooked fried rice, and this microwavable recipe is just like the real thing. I bought the ingredients at the Super 88 market as well as Star Market and the total cost was around $15, with leftover ingredients to use if you make it again.
You will need:
1 container fully cooked rice (I bought a 3 pack of fully cooked microwavable rice at the Super 88 Market)
1 bag of frozen vegetables of choice
½ onion
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
Optional: protein, could be left over chicken or microwavable bacon!
Steps:
1. Chop the onion into small pieces and place into a bowl.
2. Heat the vegetables according to the instructions on the bag. Once heated, add to the bowl with the onions.
3. Cook the rice according to the package instructions.
4. Mix the rice into your bowl of vegetables until combined.
5. Add as much or as little soy sauce and sesame oil as you would like and mix until combined.
6. Mix in your protein of choice and enjoy!
- Turkey and Cheese Sandwich
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Making a sandwich might sound pretty typical, but condiments and your choice of cheese change everything. My favorite combination is chipotle aioli with pepper jack cheese, but try out some combinations of your own to find out some other tasty flavors! I bought all of the ingredients at Star Market and the total cost was around $8. You can make about 5 sandwiches with one bag of sliced bread.
You will need:
Sliced bread of choice
Cold cut turkey
Cheese (my favorite is pepper jack)
Condiment of choice (my favorite is chipotle aioli from Star Market)
Optional: add vegetables
Steps:
1. Spread your condiment on both slices of bread.
2. Add one to two slices of cheese on both slices of bread.
3. Add a generous amount of turkey on one slice of bread.
4. Add your favorite vegetables for some crunch.
5. Put the two slices of bread together and enjoy!
While it might not be like the kitchen at home, microwaves are much more versatile than I thought, and there is an array of foods you can make with one. These are my favorite recipes that I’ve tried so far and I hope you all enjoy them as much as I have!
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