MY MASTER CHEF APPLICATION
Hey team, long time no write! The schedule has been booked and busy but alas, I’m back with another pointless but useful little blog post. Without further adieu (I missed you guys), a very special cooking edition from yours truly, a wannabe chef!
I grew up a die hard fan of the Food Network. Cutthroat Kitchen, Chopped, Master Chef, all the above were on a constant cycle on my mini iPad, my original mode of entertainment consumption in middle school. I would create mock kitchens in my family’s very real kitchen to reenact my own version of my favorite shows – making my poor family judge my creations in real time. Cooking was and is a way for me to put all my energy into one small, yet important, task. Much like painting, I am extremely mediocre at the art of cuisine. Sure – I can fry an egg to perfection, somehow produce tasty pastries and desserts by simply eyeballing essential ingredients, and whip up the occasional spicy vodka sauce rigatoni – but it’s the small, extremely random meals I quickly throw together that I feel might be worth sharing.
For my fellow college students who are trying their hand in the kitchen, and feel somewhat lost and a little too broke to make lavish meals, here are a few idea starters to steal! With that, as shameful as it may seem, I have become an annoying ingredient freak (I blame others for their influence on my new habits) – so all of these recipes are organic, contain zero additives or dreaded SEED OILS, and make your gut happy! These recipes are modified from ones that I have come across via Pinterest and whatnot, and some are my own creations. Nonetheless, when I open my pantry in a panic, these are the few meals I know I can piece together at all times. Bon appetite or something like that!
“Health” Soup
In high school, or rather my entire life, I have equated a common cold to the plague, an upset stomach for food poisoning, and more that I do not care to get into. In other words, I am a massive hypochondriac. The amount of “emergency” doctor appointments I have made is reaching an unbearable point, and due to such a phobia of illnesses, I have made it a life mission to mitigate the risk of sickness. A large portion of my “staying healthy initiatives” revolve around the food I eat(and a jarring amount of supplements).
About a month ago, scouring through my college student pantry and realizing I had about three ingredients to my name, I racked my mind for something I could put in my body that would give me even an ounce of nutrition value. My mind landed on soup, an easy yet diverse medium where the broth base represents an endless bounty for creativity of ingredients and spices.
Ingredients:
2 organic carrots
1 sweet potato, cubed
3-4 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated or minced
Handful chopped kale (if wanted)
1 container organic chicken bone broth
1 cup shell pasta
2 bay leaves
1 dropper oregano oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 spoon chicken bouillon
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt/pepper to taste
Instructions:
Prep all your produce ingredients (chop, mince, dice, etc.)
Grab a large pot and heat up your olive oil on medium heat
Mince the garlic cloves and add to the pot
Stir until fragrant, then add in your chopped ginger and crushed red pepper
Stir for about 4-5 minutes then add in the chicken bone broth
Add in the carrots and sweet potatoes
Bring to a boil, then let simmer with the lid on for about 10-12 minutes
Season with salt & pepper, oregano oil, bouillon, and bay leaves (let these sit in the soup until finished)
After simmering, check the carrots to see if they are fork-tender
Add in the shell pasta
When the pasta in al dente, add in the kale, and stir for about 2 minutes
Toast some sourdough and serve!
Date Caramel and Apples
I cannot begin to express how simple this recipe is. As a matter of fact, I don’t know if it is even appropriate for me to call this a recipe at all! But here we are!
I grew up going to the mall in Scottsdale, AZ every Friday after school in middle junior high school. For whatever reason, 12-15 year olds just adore aimlessly roaming around malls, and I was certainly one of them. Long story short, there was a chocolate shop located in the outskirts of the mall that sold an array of the most insane caramel apples I’ve ever eaten. Without fail, I would bee line to get my caramel apple each time my 12-year-old self was dropped off at the mall’s entrance.
Fast forward to today — I found that you can actually create a caramel using merely a few dates and milk. I am a major fan of dates, so this seemed like a match made in heaven. On its own, date caramel strongly resembles the flavor, of well, dates. However, paired with apples, I am taken right back to my 12-year-old self standing in front of the case of perfectly decorated caramel apples. So please, humor me and try this out why don’t ya!
Ingredients:
Handful of dates (a single serving is about 5-6 pitted dates)
½ of milk (use desired option)
Honeycrisp apple (to dip!)
Instructions:
Soak dates in desired milk option for 20 min
Throw into a blender and blend until smooth
Cut up an apple or any fruit you wish to dip
Enjoy!
Oatmeal Muffins
I cannot take credit for this one, but it would be a shame not to share it with you all! I go through phases with oatmeal. Sometimes it tastes like true mush, and the texture overpowers any flavor components that make up the meal. Other times, it is the most perfect morning accompaniment, greeting my morning senses with notes of warmth and cinnamon. Zero idea as to what the correlation is here, but needless to say, I’ve found myself back in the oatmeal kick.
Oatmeal is known for being quick, throw it in a cup kind-of-meal – but these days, I feel so rushed that even the process of pouring water over oats is too time consuming.
Ingredients (for 12 muffins):
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups almond milk
1 egg large, lightly beaten
1/3 cup pure maple syrup optional, coconut sugar
2 tablespoons coconut oil melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest grated
1 cup blueberries fresh
Instructions:
Combine the oats and almond milk in a large mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate 2.5 hours or overnight (I am impatient so I choose the latter)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray or line with muffin pan liners.
Gently stir all ingredients into the soaked oats mixture. Spoon into the prepared muffin pan, filling about 3/4 full.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until tops are golden. Serve warm.
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 122kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 16mg
|Sodium: 108mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g |
Shrimp Teriyaki Bowls
I am nothing if not someone who hyper fixates on certain meals, and about a year ago, this was one of them. I realized that a lot of my recipes are my half-assed attempts to try and replicate something I would order at miscellaneous restaurants from my childhood. This is my iteration of a bowl I would often get at a restaurant from my home area in Arizona, yet sadly, the bowl is no longer with us. The removal of this work of art from the menu truly broke my heart, but when one door closes, a slightly more makeshift one opens somewhere else.
Ingredients:
Base
1 lb wild-caught shrimp
1 head cauliflower
2 carrots
Handful of shiitake mushrooms
Bok choy
Avocado
Steamed jasmine rice
Sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Garnishes
Green onions
Sesame seeds
Other
Avocado Oil
Instructions:
Prep all your veggies and clean shrimp
Heat a large pan with avocado oil on medium heat
Boil a pot of water and add in jasmine rice
Add in veggies and stir until tender
Place shrimp in the veggies and cook on each side until browned
Prep sauce (stir ingredients together until well combined), and add to the pan
Lower the heat and stir the veggies/shrimp in the sauce for two minutes
Turn off the heat and let sit for a few minutes
Add the rice to a large bowl and top with the shrimp/veggie combo
Garnish with green onions, sesame seeds, and avocado (add some chili oil or sriracha for a kick)
Chai Protein Smoothie
For whatever reason, I am terrible at consuming anything with a considerable amount of protein. My favorite way to consume such is via anything that seems like it wouldn’t have protein – soup, smoothies, bars, the list goes on. In desperate hopes of trying to make a protein smoothie I could actually come back to, I piled a series of random ingredients into a blender and out came this concoction. It's a banana-y, cinnamon-y, lovely take on a chai latte – and has loads of vegan protein in the mix. When you’re in a rush, need an energy and protein boost, this is your new go-to.
Ingredients:
1 banana (preferably frozen)
2 spoons of almond butter (or peanut butter)
2 spoons of Greek yogurt
1 cup of milk (almond/oat/etc.)
2 tbsps of chai concentrate
Dash of cinnamon
2 scoops of vanilla pea protein (**linked to the one I use!)
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients into a blender
Blend, that’s all
Sip and enjoy!
Cowboy Caviar
Yes, I recall the 2022 phase we all had with cowboy caviar – but mine never went away! There is something about this mix of beans, veggies, fruit, and a ton of vinegar that gets even my picky little brother to consume a bowl of it in under an hour. While the original styles are tasty and all, I tweaked the recipe a bit (and I have to say, it’s better…) But again, just my opinion! Give it a try and report back, I won’t be offended if you prefer the original!
Ingredients:
BASE
1 cucumber
1 jalapeño
1 peach
1 can of garbanzo beans
1 avocado
1/2 red onion
1 red bell pepper
DRESSING
Olive oil
White wine vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Chile powder
Honey
Garlic powder
1 lime
Instructions
Chop every ingredient to bite-size pieces
Combine ingredients for the dressing
Add both into a large bowl
Enjoy with chips
BANANA-y Pancakes
Pancakes were a weekend ritual in the Heglie house growing up. I remember waking up to blueberry, pecan pancakes absolutely doused in syrup from my mom — only to be inhaled in less time than it took to make them. Since I moved out for school, weekends are usually pancake-less, that was until I created this random recipe (with the inspiration from a few sources).
My boyfriend, my health guru, is also one of the better cooks I have met in my life. I was lucky enough to wake up to fresh avocado toast, yogurt bowls, and especially his “healthy pancakes” during my visits, reminding me of my childhood home days. There’s absolutely nothing to these pancakes, and truthfully, I don’t feel any kinds of bad after eating a stack of these! If you’re a banana fein, these are for you.
Ingredients (2-3 pancakes):
Two ripe bananas
1 egg
1/4 cup flour (GF flour works great too!)
An abnormal amount of cinnamon(eyeball it!)
Blueberries (if desired)
Handful of pecans
Butter
Instructions:
Place bananas into a large bowl and mash until smooth
Add your egg and mix until well combined
Sift in flour and cinnamon and mix once more
Heat up your pan on medium heat with some butter
Spoon your pancakes and add toppings as cooking