This year, I’m living in my first apartment and therefore cooking for myself for the first time. Unlike many of my friends, ramen and pizza can’t be go-to meals for me, as I’m gluten-free; so, this summer, my mom taught me how to cook healthy and easy dinners for busy college students.
1. Chicken Stir Fry
This meal has been a go-to for me lately and it’s super easy to mix it up just by changing the seasoning you mix in. Sometimes, I’ll also swap the chicken out for shrimp to shake things up!
I usually start defrosting the chicken a couple hours before I plan on starting dinner just by putting them in a bowl in the sink. Once I’m ready, I put avocado oil in a frying pan, put the chicken in, and sprinkle my seasoning of choice over it (my favorite lately has been McCormick Montreal Chicken Seasoning). After the chicken is about 80% cooked, I set it aside on a paper plate and start focusing on my veggies. I take my cut-up broccoli, red peppers, onions and garlic and put them in the same pan, adding a little more garlic and avocado oil. While the veggies are cooking, I cut up the chicken and add it back into the pan of veggies. I let the chicken and veggies cook together for about 4 minutes, or until they are the level of crispiness that I like.
2. Pick-Your-Protein Fried Rice
I love this meal because I can start it while I’m working on homework and then it only takes 10 minutes to wrap up. I usually start by putting rice in my rice maker and letting it cook while I work on other things. When I’m ready for dinner I put avocado oil, carrots, onions, scallions, peas, whatever protein I’m craving and the rice in a frying pan and cook until it’s perfectly fried.
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup peas, frozen
- 1/2 cup carrots, chopped
- 2 green onion, chopped
- 3 cups cooked rice
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 eggs
- Heat the avocado oil in a pan over high heat until smoking. Add garlic and saute for 15 seconds
- Add the peas, carrots, and green onions to the pan and cook until tender
- Add rice and soy sauce and toss everything together (5 minutes)
- Push the rice to the side of the pan and crack your eggs in the open space. Scramble them up then mix them in
3. Shrimp Scampi
This is a meal my mom taught me over the summer, and I now love making it. I usually pour this over a bowl of pasta, or cooked vegetables like broccoli, zucchini, peppers and onions.
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium shallot, minced
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 lbs medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 3 tbsp parsley
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Add white wine to taste
- Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add garlic, shallots, red pepper flakes and wine. Stir for about 2 minutes
- Add shrimp, season with salt and pepper. Stirring occasionally, cook until pink throughout (roughly 3-4 minutes).
- Stir in parsley and lemon juice
4. Summer Salad
I’ve always loved salads, but there’s something about fresh fruits that makes a salad so appetizing to me. This dish is super easy to mix up based on what fruits are in season, so you’ll never get sick of it.
My favorite ingredients to add are chicken, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, avocados, walnuts, gorgonzola cheese, onions and a raspberry vinaigrette. Mix these ingredients together and you’re ready to go!
5. Breakfast for dinner
Some nights, I’m really just not in the mood for dinner! Instead of eating something boring like cereal or yogurt, I tend to make this dish to satisfy my craving and fill me up.
Eggs: Using avocado oil in a frying pan, you can make your eggs in whatever way you love. Personally, I love scrambled eggs- so I’ll mix 2 eggs in a small bowl with a splash of coconut milk and then add this into your pan. Feel free to add in any veggies or seasonings to really make this dish your own!
Breakfast Potatoes: To whip up some breakfast potatoes you’ll need 2 baking potatoes (peeled, rinsed, and chopped), 2 tablespoons canola oil, Large pinch of salt, Large pinch of parsley (optional), 1/2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese (optional). Add chopped potatoes to the frying pan. Pan fry the potatoes in the oil for a handful of minutes, or until the potatoes start to brown. Flip the potatoes around to all sides for as even of a browning as you can get. Patience is key with this!
Toast: To finish this dish off, I butter two pieces of gluten free toast and combine to make a breakfast sandwich! If you like hot stuff, add siracha for a nice flavor kick.