College Dorm Recipes

         Recently my son Blake went off to college and was so excited about the meal plan-he likes food:)

Its only fair I show a picture of him so you know who I am talking about:)
This is Blake eating one of his Favorite meals chicken and asparagus penne pasta
-I try to indulge him with his favorites when he comes home:)

He soon discovered the meal plan restaurant is closed at 7 PM and 2 nights a week he has classes from 4-7 so he misses dinner-time for plan B:)
 In his dorm room all he has is a small microwave shared by 3 other roommates + they each have small refrigerators-limited resources. At an event at his college last week they gave out a box for guys and a box for girls full of samples-it had food, laundry supplies, etc. It was great because he discovered he enjoyed the Velveeta microwave mac and cheese singles so when he came home we went shopping and stocked up on that and a variety of  ramen noodles. I told him we can get him a plug in burner and a pot or a toaster oven for more options-he said lets wait and see.

I know he is gong to get bored of these foods he likes a variety so when I saw on twitter via huff-post, recipes for ramen noodles turning them into gourmet meals-well maybe that is pushing it too far-how about some great alternative recipes:) He will need the burner and a pot+ more kitchen gadgets like a strainer, etc.

Spicy Ramen Noodle Macaroni and Cheese

This has all of Blake's dorm requests wrapped up in one dish:
mac and cheese, ramen noddles and hot sauce.

Author: Jenn @ The Spice Kit Recipes

Prep time:  10 mins

Cook time:  20 mins

Total time:  30 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 (3 oz.) packages of Ramen Noodles (noodles only)
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 Tbsp. flour
• 1½ cups milk
• 1 (8 oz.) package (2 cups) Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded
• 2 tsps. Siracha sauce
• ½ tsp. salt

Instructions

1. Bring a pot of water to boil and add noodles. Boil 1 minute, or 1 minute 15 seconds. (Trust me).
2. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. Spray a little oil and toss them around with your hands breaking them up. (I left them right in the colander.)
3. Heat butter in a large saucepan on medium heat and add flour to make a roux. Cook about a minute.
4. Pour in the milk and cook until it becomes frothy and thick, stir occasionally.
5. Reduce heat to low and gradually add cheese.
6. Add Sriracha and salt and stir until cheese is melted.
7. Increase heat to medium to medium/low and add noodles. Cook until heated through, about 1-2 minutes. Add milk a Tbsp. at a time if you want the sauce to be looser.

Ramen Noodle Stir Fry

He loves Chinese food.

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

30 mins

Author: SoupAddict

Serves: 2 to 3

Ingredients

for the sauce:

• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger

for the ramen noodle stir fry:

• 9 ounces ramen noodles, about 3 packs (discard the flavor packet)
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil (or other high-heat oil)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, sliced
• 1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets and sliced julienne
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced julienne
• 1 egg, lightly scrambled (optional)
• 2 scallions, sliced
• 1 heaping tablespoon minced cilantro

Instructions

1. Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
2. Bring a medium pot of water to boil over high heat, and cook the noodles according to package directions.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the garlic, ginger, mushrooms, broccoli, and peppers, and saute for about a minute.
4. Add the scrambled egg, if using, and stir until it's mostly set up. Mix in with the vegetables.
5. Add the noodles, and, if desired, use scissors to snip the long strands into more fork-manageable lengths. Drizzle the sauce over the stir fry, plus a big pinch of cilantro, and mix well.
6. Garnish with scallions and more cilantro before serving.

CHICKEN THAI NOODLE BOWLS

We have recently discovered Thai food and
are really enjoying it so this would be another great recipe.

PREP TIME

5 mins

COOK TIME

15 mins

TOTAL TIME

20 mins

Author: Jen Nikolaus

Recipe type: Main

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 2 (3-oz) packages Oriental flavored ramen noodles
• 3 cups stir-fry vegetables (I bought a pre-packaged bag)
• 1¼ cup water
• ¼ cup peanut butter
• ¼ cup lite soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. light brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 (8-oz) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 1 (8-oz) can bamboo shoots, drained
• ¼ cup chopped peanuts, for topping
• ¼ cup sliced green onions, for topping

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Slightly break up noodles from both ramen packages (throw away one of the seasoning packets and keep one to use later) and add to water, along with vegetables. Return to boiling and reduce heat a bit. Boil gently, uncovered for 3 minutes (don't overcook!). Drain and return to saucepan.
2. Meanwhile, make your sauce by whisking together water, peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch, crushed red pepper and 1 seasoning packet from the ramen. Whisk until smooth.
3. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more.
4. Add chicken, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots to sauce. Heat through. Add to noodle and vegetable mixture in saucepan. Toss to combine.
5. Place in bowls and top with chopped peanuts and sliced green onions. Serve immediately and enjoy!