Cost Breakdown

Our Thoughts

You’ll find that this recipe is easy to follow and that cooking under gluten and dairy restrictions can be much simpler than it is sometimes made out to be. This crustless garden veggie quiche is an inexpensive, simple, and incredibly tasty meal option for breakfast, lunch or dinner that everyone can enjoy.

The process of making this meal went very smoothly. We never felt too overwhelmed and were able to enjoy our time in the kitchen. The baking time is a little long but is one hundred percent worth the wait. Preparing your ingredients by chopping vegetables and pre-measuring before starting to sauté the vegetables will be a huge help later on. Whenever you have multiple pans on the stove it is always a good idea to have your ingredients ready to go to avoid leaving anything on the heat for too long. We fell in love with this recipe and will definitely be making it again.

Pasta primavera is generally served at dinnertime but can be prepared for lunch as well. In the U.S. we tend to put a greater emphasis on the last meal of the day. So, if you plan to serve this for dinner, you may consider adding a side dish. Warm garlic bread goes well with most pastas and can be an enticing choice. The veggies in this dish make it colorful and nutritious. It is a great dish to share with people of any age. This meal may be served with grilled or shredded chicken to add flavor and additional protein. Or if desiring to eat vegetarian, it can be easily converted by substituting the poultry stock for an all-vegetable one.

Cost Breakdown

This pasta primavera is easy to prepare and pleasing to the eye. It is a wonderful way to sharpen your kitchen skills and boost your confidence in cooking. As a college student, it may be hard to establish cooking self-efficacy. But having a collection of reliable recipes you can return to will make you a more competent and effective cook. It is a perfect dish to return to time and time again. Since most items are cooked together in one big pot, it requires little prep work and minimal clean up. You can easily impress your dinner guests or save the leftovers for later. It only takes about 20 minutes to cook and 10 minutes to prepare.

Recipe Lightning Round

Reflection and Tips

Our goal in selecting and preparing this recipe was to appeal to the increasing number of college students and to the emerging young adults everywhere. We searched for a dish that included all the major food groups, could be prepared quickly, and that is budget-friendly. This recipe says that it makes 6 servings, and we found each portion to be quite generous. That makes this dish perfect if cooking for a group of roommates, or if you plan on saving/freezing it to be eaten over the period of several days or a few weeks. It’s the ultimate food planner’s choice.

Several skills can be learned and implemented throughout the preparation process of this dish, thus increasing one’s kitchen abilities and level of self-confidence. You will learn the different ways of cutting vegetables, and how to implement dry and moist heat cooking methods – through sautéing the onions and simmering the pasta to al dente. You will also mix up a creamy sauce and learn about appropriate seasoning.

We learned that there is minimal clean up required after cooking this pasta primavera. It is fun to cook with a group so that certain individuals can be chopping the vegetables while others prepare the broth and additional ingredients. As your noodles are simmering, you might consider preheating the oven and preparing a nice cheesy garlic bread to serve on the side.

As we were preparing this meal, we discovered some of the best ways of cubing cucumbers. Make sure to create a flat edge on each side to avoid rolling during the cutting process. We also substituted the chicken broth for chicken bouillon which we dissolved into hot water. It turned out fantastic and was much cheaper. After pouring in the broth, you may find that it doesn’t completely cover the noodles. Don’t worry about that. The vegetables shrink down, and it all softens and comes together quite nicely. Also keep in mind that you’ll be adding more liquid to the pot when pouring in the cream. We decided against adding the can of peas, and as a result the dish tasted fresher and lighter. We didn’t run into any difficulties preparing the meal or performing the cooking techniques, but we did have a slight problem with managing our time. We started preheating the oven too late and ended up broiling our garlic bread rather than baking it. That alteration allowed us to serve all components of the meal at the same time and while they were still hot.

Overall, we loved this dish because it is healthy, allows access to all the major food groups and does not go over budget. It smelled amazing and tasted just as good. It is a comfort food that can be served on almost any occasion. We would not make any alterations to the recipe; flavors were all there and it worked out quite nicely.

RESOURCES:

We found this recipe for Garlic bread very useful! https://bit.ly/FNGarlicBread

Making Yeast Bread Products

Kneading dough – Is kneading dough very common?

Yes! Kneading dough is an essential skill to learn for food literacy. The skill of kneading dough is needed for many recipes. It is a critical step in making cinnamon rolls, tortillas, rolls, bread, and other yummy treats. According to the Vegan and Raw Food Blog, “During the process of kneading dough, two key proteins within the flour, gliadin and glutenin, combine to form strands of gluten. Kneading warms up those strands, which allows the proteins to expand during fermentation and encourages the molecules to bond, making for a more elastic dough with better structure,” (greengirleats.com). The blog goes on to mention that foods such as solid fats, oils, and egg yolks coat gluten proteins and prevent them from forming, therefore impeding the overall rise and development of the dough.

To learn more about gluten and bread-making and the science behind successful bread products consider visiting these sites:

– Institute of Food Science & Technology

– American’s Test Kitchen

Dough

Knowing how to knead dough is a great way to expand your food knowledge because it allows you to experiment with different food groups. Dough is used in many different recipes, so learning to knead also aids in food preparation efficacy, as it boosts one’s confidence in their ability to make different types of dough recipes and be creative with them. Flour is a huge staple for dough and is a very affordable ingredient commonly found in most homes.

Tips

This is a budget friendly way to make a yummy treat for all your friends and family to enjoy! Make sure that you have sufficient amount of time to prepare and make the recipe, as you do have to allot time for the dough to rest two separate times. A good idea to manage time would be to prepare the cinnamon sugar mixture and the icing while the dough is rising or baking, that way it will be ready to go as soon as you’re able to move onto the next step of the recipe. Make sure to drizzle plenty of icing on the rolls, so that they are completely covered.

Cost Breakdown

These delicious and easy to make pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are perfect to freeze so that college students have something to eat for breakfast. Made in advance, they only take 30 seconds to warm up in the microwave before a student heads to class. Made with whole grains and pumpkin, their nutritional value also makes these a great way to start the day! This is an easy and cheap recipe made for beginners. We had fun making this recipe, it is so straight forward anyone can make these muffins!

The simplicity of this recipe starts with the ingredients. The ingredients in the muffins are basic, they are things that every grocery store has, and they are easy to find. After purchasing all your ingredients, if you’re in a time crunch you can practice Mise en Place. You can have everything measured out in advance, then it makes it easier to dump everything in and combine it. Even without pre-measuring out the ingredients, this recipe is still fast and easy. Once all the ingredients are measured, start mixing the wet and the dry ingredients together in separate bowls. Then when mixed, pour the dry ingredients and chocolate chips in with the wet ingredients. You then fold the ingredients together, making sure you don’t over mix as that will crush the air bubbles and ruins the light and fluffy texture. Use a measuring cup or an ice cream scoop to dish into a greased muffin tin. Don’t over fill muffin tins, you don’t want them to overflow while baking. Bake for 16-18 minutes. You will know they are done when you stick a toothpick or a fork in the center and it comes out clean. We all thought the muffins were delicious, so these are a perfect cheap, easy, and incredibly delicious fall breakfast.

Cost Breakdown

Here’s the cost breakdown for these muffins:

Tips to Make this Cheaper

• Buying generic brands of expensive ingredients such as the canned pumpkin can
  be helpful.
• Buy some ingredients such as flour and chocolate chips in bulk, so they are cheaper per ounce if the whole package will end up getting used in other recipes.
• To make this recipe sustainable, ensure that all the extra ingredients get used in other recipes like pumpkin pancakes!

Reference: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/skinny-pumpkin-chocolate-chip-muffins/