This is part 1 in a new series: College Cooking Crash Course. This series is designed for college students looking to learn the basics of making healthy, cost-effective, and delicious meals. In today’s post, learn how to make an easy veggie omelet.
Hi everyone, I’m Kyle. I am going to be a senior next year at Princeton University, majoring in Religion. This summer, I’m excited to be a part-time contributor to Jeanette’s Healthy Living. Jeanette (my mom!) is going to give me a college cooking crash course on making delicious, healthy food as I prepare for my first year off of the school meal plan, which means I’ll be cooking most of my meals myself! Other than some occasional baking, I have little to no experience cooking. And so, over the next six weeks or so, I’ll be embarking on a crash course in cooking, learning the ins and outs of making simple, but tasty and health-focused meals. By the end of the summer, I hope to have all of the experience and skills necessary to survive an entire school year (and beyond!) without ever having to set foot in another school cafeteria ever again.
So, here are some goals I have for this summer’s college cooking crash course:
1. Get down the basics! This includes mastering basic knife skills, cooking a pot of pasta, making a good omelet, and, of course, learning how to cut an onion without crying.
2. Learn how to grocery shop (how to identify ripe fruits + vegetables, select the right meats, pick healthy products)
3. Learn to make some of my favorite meals. This includes (but is certainly not limited to!): Chicken Parmesan, French Dip Sandwich, Ramen Noodle Soup, Vietnamese Pho, Pasta Bolognese, and Pasta Puttanesca.
4. Come up with some recipes of my own. I’d love to get creative and invent some of my own dishes. In particular, I am excited to experiment with making some of my own ice cream and gelato flavors.
5. Write an e-book for college students like me. This e-book would include basic grocery shopping + cooking tips, some of my on recipes, and weekly meal plans.
And, here are a few goals I have for the school year:
1. Cook as many of my meals as possible – ideally I’d make breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday, 7 days a week!
2. Save money. Eating out is expensive, and, as a college student, I can’t afford to eat out all the time! Cooking most of my meals will definitely help keep my wallet happy, but I’d also like to make cost-effective meals by shopping smartly and reusing leftovers whenever possible.
3. Eat healthy. Even as I try to keep my costs down, I still want to make sure I’m eating enough fruits, vegetables, proteins, etc. each day in order to keep me energized throughout the school day.
4. Make dinner with my roommates at least once a week. Cooking together not only saves money, but is also a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to sharing meals with my roommates and other friends as we spend our last year together in college.
This morning, I had my first college cooking lesson. My mom showed me how to properly chop mushrooms, peppers, onions, and garlic (without slicing one of my fingers off!) as well as how to crack and whisk eggs. After that, I threw everything together on the stove to cook my first-ever veggie omelet. To complete the meal, I made a super simple strawberry smoothie. Check out the recipes below and stay tuned for the next installment in this College Cooking Crash Course series!
Veggie Omelet
An easy-to-make omelet that you can make for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tbsp red onion chopped
- 2 tbsp white mushrooms chopped
- 2 tbsp green pepper chopped
- 1 tbsp scallion chopped
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- 3 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
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Whisk eggs and season with salt and pepper.
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Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a small skillet and sauté vegetables until slightly softened. Season vegetables with salt and pepper. Remove vegetables from skillet.
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Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and pour eggs in skillet. Use a spatula to gently push the cooked portions of eggs from the edges toward the center of skillet, letting the uncooked portions reach the hot skillet surface. Cook until all of the eggs are soft, but solid.
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Add sautéed vegetables and cheese to one half of the eggs. Fold the other half of the eggs over.
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Flip the omelet over, and serve!
Recipe Notes
Feel free to substitute vegetables with whatever leftover ingredients you have in your fridge!
Strawberry Smoothie
A super simple strawberry smoothie that tastes great.
Ingredients
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- 1 1/2 cup orange juice
Instructions
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Put ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.
Recipe Notes
You can also use fresh strawberries (just add some ice).
Easy College Dinner Recipes with Printable Weekly Meal Plan and Shopping List
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Well done, Kyle! The omelet looks mouthwatering.
Thanks Angie!