Easy mac, ramen noodles and frozen meals are no strangers to most college students. Whether you need a late night snack or a quick meal between classes, microwavable meals are an easy solution. Midway through the year, after you’ve tried the assortment of ramen flavors, you’ll be begging for anything but beef-flavored noodles. “Homemade” microwave meals can keep you out of the boring college food rut and give you a little piece of the home cooking we all long for so dearly. Residence hall rooms leave little room to breathe and have little access to kitchens, while students moving into apartments or houses may have bare cupboards. With these recipes, all you need is a microwave, an appetite and a little determination. It is easy to be a college chef in less than 10 minutes.
OMELET IN A MUG:
Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 tablespoon shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon diced green bell pepper
1 tablespoon diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking spray
Optional:
Mushrooms, ham, spinach, bacon bits
Directions:
Combine eggs, cheese, pepper, tomatoes, salt and pepper (and any other optional additions) into microwavable cooking mug. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir and microwave for another minute or until eggs are fully cooked.
INSTANT RED POTATOES:
Ingredients:
3 medium-size red potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
Directions:
Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl. Add herbs and potatoes. Microwave for 7 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
MINI CHEESE TOSTADAS:
Ingredients:
1 bag of tortilla chips
1 can of refried beans
1 bottle of taco sauce
1 bag of shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
Place 1 teaspoon of refried beans, 1 teaspoon taco sauce and 1 teaspoon shredded cheese on a tortilla chip on a microwavable plate. Microwave for 30 seconds or until cheese is melted.
3-2-1 Magic Mug Cake
Ingredients:
1 box of angel food cake
1 box of other cake
Directions:
Mix the 2 dry cake mixes equal parts and scoop 3 tablespoons of cake mix into a regular sized mug. Then mix 2 tablespoons of water into the mix. Put into the microwave for 1 minute and enjoy. To spice things up, add chocolate chips to the mix or top it off with icing and sprinkles. On a warm summer day, cool off by scooping in some ice cream into the mug to make instant cake and ice cream.
MEXICAN CORN:
Ingredients:
1 ear of corn
1 paper towel
Directions:
Wet a paper towel and wring it out. Wrap the ear of corn in the damp towel and place on a microwavable plate. Microwave for 5 minutes. Remove paper towel.
Optional:
½ teaspoon of mayonnaise
Squirt of lime
Dash of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon melted butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Cut the corn off the cob into a bowl. Combine mayonnaise, lime, cayenne pepper, Parmesan cheese, butter, salt and pepper into the bowl. Mix together.
BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP:
Ingredients:
8 ounce block of cream cheese
½ cup of ranch dressing
½ cup of red-hot sauce
½ cup shredded cheddar or Colby-oJack cheese
12.5 ounce can of white chunk chicken breast
Directions:
Combine cream cheese, ranch dressing, hot sauce, shredded cheese and chicken meat into large microwave safe bowl. Microwave 2 to 4 minutes, until ingredients are warm and melted. Serve with celery sticks or tortilla chips; also try over macaroni and cheese.
