Pamela Ellgen - The 5-Ingredient College Cookbook: Easy, Healthy Recipes for the Next Four Years & Beyond

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Illustrations Tom Bingham Design by Debbie Berne ISBN: Print 978-1-62315-857-6
eBook: 978-1-62315-858-3 To my parents, for empowering me to go to college.

When I moved out of my parents house and into a college dorm, the only thing I knew how to make with any confidence were chocolate chip cookies. Im pretty sure I could blend a decent smoothie, scramble some eggs if necessary, and even cook chicken until it wasnt pink in the center. But as far as understanding how to combine ingredients to make food that tasted better than what I could get in the dining hallhows that for setting the bar low?I was lost. Fortunately, I quickly learned that cooking could be both easy and affordable, with immediate (and tasty) rewards. One meal at a time, I gradually built my cooking skills. Whether it was a quick snack or a dinner party entre, I began cooking for friends, study sessions, and game-day gatherings.

My cookies were soon upstaged by Apple Slab Pie with Puff Pastry (). But it didnt happen all at once. My hope is that through this book you will learn some very basic but incredibly versatile cooking techniques that will serve you well this year and for years to come. The more than 100 recipes in this book are intended to give you confidence and satisfaction in the kitchen. I hope at some point very soon youll feel empowered to open the refrigerator, see a random assortment of ingredients, and know how to create a healthy, delicious meal with five ingredients or fewer. I want you to feel inspired to walk into a grocery store, glance at whats in season or on sale, and walk out with a dinner plan already formed in your head.

I know that time and money arent in endless supply in college, but you dont have to sacrifice your schedule, your cash, or flavor to eat well. With only five fresh ingredients and 30 minutes, you absolutely can treat yourself to good-for-you, delicious meals and build cooking skills to last a lifetime.

Now that youre the boss of your own menu, you can eat whatever you want. But its got to be simple, cheap, and fast. And as long as youre cooking, were going to focus on using fresh ingredients as much as possible (but not too many of them), to keep the unhealthy processed and packaged stuff at a minimum. This chapter is here to help you embrace your newfound culinary freedom by learning what youll need (and what you wont), plus a few go-to food prep overviews, to take charge of your own kitchen and your meals.

I know that frozen taquitos and the cafeteria cereal bar make compelling arguments for late-night meals. So the recipes in this book are designed to offer an even more convincing appeal. Theyre easy, inexpensive, and quick. And they taste amazing. Once you start cooking, youll discover how much better food tastes when you make it yourself. All the recipes in this book use five main ingredients or fewer, although there are a handful of pantry staplessalt, pepper, oil, red wine vinegar, and spicesthat Im assuming you already have or can easily stock.

These pantry staples will be used again and again to ensure you get your moneys worth. I also try to use all of each ingredient (in the size its commonly sold) so youre not left with two-thirds of an onion decaying in your mini fridge. When youre faced with the proposition of preparing a meal from scratch and cleaning up afterward, or simply opting for takeout, the easiest option will often win. Preparation and cleanup have to be a breeze. Thats why all the recipes in this book are designed to go from grocery bag to dinner table in 30 minutes or less, and use a minimal number of dishesjust one pan whenever possible.

Some people love gadgets, but I am not one of them. Some people love gadgets, but I am not one of them.

I prefer just a few essential tools that perform a wide variety of tasks. You dont need a lot of fancy utensils to make delicious food. That said, investing in a couple of quality pieces of equipment will save money in the long run and make your cooking experience successful and fun. Here are the tools that I consider essential. You can spend as little as $10 on each piece or more than the cost of a textbook. Ultimately, go for quality, not a name brand, and take care of your tools.