Bean
Minestrone
The versatility of this soup lends itself well to additions and alterations. Have a sad-looking carrot slowly mummifying in your veggie bin? Chuck it in! Leftover celery from bloody Marys wilting on your windowsill? Perfect! The beans really anchor this meal with their resolute stodginess (though their musicality may be unwelcome for some), and it is absolutely the sort of dish you can cook an ungodly amount of and freeze until you’re thoroughly sick of it. The pasta has a tendency to soak up excess liquid in the leftovers stage, with the end result being something more like a stew: two meals for the price of one!
Ingredients
- 1 Brown onion
- Garlic (to taste, I usually add 3 cloves)
- 3 tsp of ‘some herbs’ – I just use Italian herb mix; you’ll want oregano for sure
- A pinch or ten of cayenne pepper, to taste
- 3 Bay leaves
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cans diced tomato
- 1 can red kidney beans
- 1 can chickpeas
- 1 can four bean mix
- 1500 mls veggie stock
- 1 cup penne or similar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Basil pesto if you’re feelin’ fancy
Instructions
- Chop and sauté the onion and garlic.
- Add the dry herbs and cook for a minute or two longer.
- Add the tomato paste, canned tomatoes, stock, and bay leaves.
- Drain the beans and chickpeas and add, being sure to ponder whether kidney beans were named after the organ or the other way around.
- Bring to the boil and add pasta.
- Simmer until pasta is al dente.
- Salt and pepper to taste and serve with an optional dollop of pesto and buttered toast.
Lentil
‘Salad’
This recipe fits squarely into the category of sad student cooking but is actually pretty nourishing. It only has five ingredients and can be prepared in under 3 minutes. I usually use brown lentils, but if you’re feeling fancy splurge the extra 90 cents and use beluga lentils – you can pretend it’s vegan caviar! This is one of my go-to snacks for exam time and serves as an excellent accompaniment and indeed counterpoint to stale pizza or an entire packet of Tim Tams eaten in bed. If you were having a normal person sort of meal, I suppose this could also be a quick and easy side dish.
Ingredients
- 1 can of lentils
- Juice of half a lime
- About 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions
- Thoroughly drain the lentils
- Combine lime juice and olive oil with lentils.
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Serve in old takeaway containers over your favourite cranial nerve exam video.
Huevos
Rancheros
Whether you’ve decided an elaborately cooked breakfast will put you on the right track for the week, feel like breakfast for dinner, or are simply procrastinating starting your day for real, look no further than huevos rancheros. Ranchers’ eggs, as the name suggests, is the sort of meal that will leave you full of energy to herd some cattle or clear that lecture backlog with equal vigour. It’s also very tasty! The fresh zestiness of the lime complements the earthiness of the beans, and the creamy egg yolk balances the spice of the salsa, with some nice textural contrasts added by the fried tortillas.
Ingredients
- 2-4 tortillas
- Oil for frying
The beans:
- 1 can of black beans, drained
- 1 lime
The salsa:
- Half an onion of any kind
- 1 red capsicum
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp turmeric
- Cayenne pepper to taste1 can of tomatoes
The rest:
- 4 eggs
- Coriander, or parsley if you think it’s icky
- 1 avocado (this is getting expensive)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Fry the tortillas in a little oil until bubbles and brown spots appear. Feel free to skip this step if you prefer soft tortillas. Set aside on some paper towels.
- Discard or save the unused oil.
- Add the beans and ½ tsp of zest from the lime.
- Cook the beans in the pan until just beginning to brown.
- Add half the lime’s juice and set aside. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Chop the onion and capsicum and sauté with the spices.
- Add the canned tomato and cook until capsicum is tender. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Set the salsa aside and make a weak attempt to clean the pan.
- Fry the eggs to your liking.
- Serve by layering on a plate the tortillas, salsa, beans, and eggs. Juice the rest of the lime over the whole dish and top with chopped coriander or parsley. Serve avocado on the side.
Yellow Cashew
Curry
The key to this recipe is forgetfulness. My ultimate tip would be to leave the pot to simmer and then go do ANKI or get lost in a book. You want it to simmer for long enough that you hear your stomach growl and go “AAH MY CURRY, I FORGOT”. By this time, most of the liquid will have evaporated and you are left with a rich, flavourful meal. For an extra treat, substitute half the water in your rice cooker for coconut milk. I cannot say whether this will impact the appliance long-term but it tastes awesome.
Ingredients
- 200g cashews
- Brown onion
- 2 cans of coconut milk
- ½ tsp sugar
- Protein of choice (tofu, chicken etc.)
- Rice
Spices:
- 3 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 3 bay leaves
Vegetables:
- Fresh: 2 carrots, 2 potatoes and a handful of green beans
- Frozen: Frozen winter vegetable mix or frozen stir fry vegetable mix
Instructions
- Start cooking your rice.
- Cover cashews in water and soak for 6 hours. Alternatively, cover in boiling water and soak for as long as possible.
- Dice and saute the onion.
- If necessary, chop the vegetables into small pieces.
- Add bay leaves into the pan, stir for a minute.
- Add cashews, spices and coconut milk.
- Add sugar.
- Add vegetables and tofu.
- Leave to simmer for 40 minutes.
Chipotle Pumpkin
Salad
This recipe is my go-to for when I crave the attention eating salad in the lunchroom provides. “A salad! You’re so good!” It’s music to my ears, and after I’m finished I can go back to pesto pasta guilt-free for a few months. If you aren’t in the mood for a heavy meal, this salad has lots of flavour and you can substitute the rice, corn and beans for whatever else you have in the pantry. For a protein boost, I like to add strips of grilled chicken breast.
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa.
- ½ a butternut pumpkin
- 1 can corn kernels
- 1 can black beans
- Sleeve of parsley
- Sleeve of coriander.
Dressing:
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chipotle powder (halve to make it less spicy)
- ¾ tsp salt
Instructions
- Boil quinoa in 1.75 cups of water
- Fry the pumpkin in a pan until soft
- Mix dressing ingredients together
- Add quinoa, pumpkin, beans, corn, parsley, coriander and dressing together in a bowl.
Cajun Chicken
& Rice
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts
- Brown onion
- 1 cup rice
Vegetables:
-
- If fresh, 1 red capsicum and 2 carrots
- If frozen, stir fry vegetable mix
- 3 cloves garlic
- Chicken stock cube
- Jar of olives
Seasoning:
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp cracked pepper
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp paprika
- Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
- Parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into chunks and rub it in the seasoning mix
- Chop the vegetables if necessary
- Fry the chicken until it is 2/3 cooked
- Add onion and garlic to the pan, cook until soft
- Add 2 cups of water, rice and stock cube.
- Add vegetables.
- Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook until the rice is done. Take off the heat.
- Add olives and parsley.
By April Thomson GPSN Local Events Officer 2023, and
James Marshall