How Eating at Meal Hall Lead to Creative Cooking

     I’ve been there, walking into the meal hall at university night after night, seeing the same bland dry food, and after the initial thrill of having pizza and burgers every couple days wears off, you just really want “real food”.

      By the middle of my second year i was seriously anemic (as were most of the girls i lived with), and trying to figure out ways to eat better when i was stuck with meal hall food (most meal hall meat is scary, tasteless, or both).

    I was luck in some ways, in that there was someone who i met, who had been eating there for years (was a student, then a don at one of the residences) and she taught me something that i will be forever thankful for - cooking with meal hall food instead of just eating it. It may seem crazy but think of it this way - most meal halls have microwaves and toasters - add in some creative uses of bowls, and you honestly have the makings of some really good meals. Here are just a few examples:

Microwave Stir Fry

-whatever the meat of the night is (works best with chicken or roast beef - can even use sandwich meat if that is all you have)

-from the salad bar - things like broccoli, onions, peppers, carrots

-soy sauce (usually somewhere near the salad bar)

-lemon wedges - also usually in the salad bar

-little bit of water (like two spoonfuls max)

-rice (was available every night at my meal hall - but it is not necessary - can use noodles or something similar if you want)

    Take all the ingredients, but the rice and put them into a bowl - stir up a little bit. Take a second bowl and place overtop of the first one. Microwave for 2 minutes. Careful taking it out because there will be a lot of steam. Dump over rice. I never measured things, and don’t suggest you do either - bringing measuring cups to the meal hall will get you looks.

Tuna Melt

-Tuna

-pickles

-olives

-cheese

-bread

-mayo

    This one takes a couple extra steps. First Toast the bread (you need it to be really toasty or else it will go soggy). Make up the tuna how you normally would if you were making tuna salad. Add to the bread and top with the cheese. Microwave for 1 minute to melt the cheese. (this also works really well on english muffins)

Pasta Primavera 

-cooked pasta

-veggies from the salad bar - broccoli, peppers, onions, carrots, etc

-parmesan cheese

-cream cheese

    Steam the veggies using the two bowl method mentioned above (without the soy sauce though). Add the veggies including the water you steamed them in into the pasta and add in a couple spoonfuls of cream cheese (usually near the toasters where the bread is) and parmesan cheese. Stir until everything is coated - if it isn’t hot enough to melt, add a spoonful or two of hot water (from where you make tea) or microwave for 30 seconds.

    So, with a little creativity, those days when you want to have more than cereal for dinner, even while away at university, can be done by thinking outside the box. Cook with meal hall food instead of just eating it.

Cooking and Salt - A Happy Median

   When i cook i use salt. There, i said it, now wait while people gasp and look all disgusted like i am doing something horrible. Lately, i know salt has been getting a really bad rap, and for the most part, i completely agree, have you read the labels on a lot of packaged food - it is scary!

    Here’s where i have a problem though - my father is not suppose to have a lot of salt - something that we argue about ever time i pull the salt out of the cupboard to add to a boiling pot of pasta or to add to a sauce. My point is this - take this pork chop and mushroom dish that he makes (that i love btw). He use to always use a can of mushroom soup in it - that is until my allergy to soy and our having a really hard time finding a can without soy) but anyways - he makes a really good substitute, but at the same time - the flavours don’t pop - and i find i add salt at the table (which isn’t as tasty as adding it while cooking) and having him make comments about the fact that i am eating too much salt.

    SO! i want everyone to consider this for a little while before you eat your next out of a can or out of a box meal.

This particular can of mushroom soup has 860mg of sodium per 125ml condensed (note that the can is 284ml, so really the whole can is adding 1953.92mg of salt to the dish). Since nothing in this particular dish had salt that is a really big difference no? Well here’s the kicker! 1/4 tsp sea salt has 500mg of sodium, even if we added 1/2tsp of salt to the whole dish (this particular dish serves 4) we are still adding in HALF the salt that we would have if we added the can of mushroom soup. Surprising? it use to be to me - but since i stopped eating a lot of packaged foods (health reasons/allergy reasons, not moral life choice ones) i have to say, it’s really not the salt we add while we cook - it’s the salt in the things that we add while we cook that really add up in the end.

    So the next time you taste something that you made from scratch, and think, it could use a little salt, lose the guilt, because the truth is, chances are you are adding a whole lot less by eating what you make, than by eating out of a box.

    AND! on my more than cereal kick - check out how much sodium you get in a bowl of popular cereals - you might be surprised.

In Season Sides, as Mains

   One of the things that i love about fall (and i know people think i am strange for it) are brussel sprouts. These little cabbage like things are something that i grew up assuming i hated (never tried one after about the age of three) since there seemed to be this social stigma against them, but the truth is, these cute little green things, are actually really yummy, and good for you as well.

    There is this dish that i do at Thanks Giving, but probably not the healthiest of things to do with a vegetable, but tastes good, and probably not the worst either. So here’s what to do - first trim up about 7-10 brussel sprouts (by this i mean take off any outer leaves that look brownish and cut a little bit off the stem at the bottom). Then, boil them about 5 minutes, until they start to turn bright green, but aren’t totally cooked yet. Drain them, and put them into really really cold water (add some ice if you want) and wait for them to cool down enough that you can handle them. Then quarter them (or half them if they are small) and set them aside. Here comes the not as good for you part - take 2-3 pieces of bacon (regular, or if you are feeling a need for something a little sweet, try maple bacon) and cut it up into about 1/4-1/2 inch pieces. Cook the bacon and when it is almost crispy, add in the brussel sprouts and stir until they are coated with the bacon fat in the pan. Pour the whole content of your pan into an oven safe casserole dish (or leave in the pan if your pan is oven safe) and place chopped up walnuts on the top (about 1/4-1/3 of a cup) and place in an oven that is preheated to 400F. Cook for about 15 minutes, until you see the brussel sprouts getting a little browned on the edges. Here’s the fun part - this dish can be a side dish for 3-4 people OR enjoy it as a fairly complete dinner (there is protein from the nuts and bacon, veggies and fibre from the brussel sprouts, and good carbs, good fats, and more fibre from the nuts) and it is way better than having cereal for dinner.