By Tamir Stahler

If you live in an apartment or a house at college, you find yourself staring at the stove once in a while not knowing what to do. For me this usually happens when I get home from classes and my biological clock has me sitting on the couch waiting for the dinner my mother would otherwise have provided me. At least at my school, where only the kids in dorms have access to a food hall by way of a meal plan, these moments on the couch after class are times of contemplation between picking up my phone and spending a thousand dollars on Ubereats or spending my last moments of energy for the day by using the oven or stove-top I fear so much.

For my roommates this event is typically solved by throwing some chicken nuggets in the toaster, and if they’re feeling fancy, dipping them in Peter Luger’s steak sauce. If you’re a college student daring enough to adopt a vegan lifestyle however, you may have to get more creative. Lucky for you, I have a solution. I am a certified lazy, unhealthy college student – but I’m also vegan. And I’ve got a few quick and easy recipes for those lacking nuggets and Peter Luger’s sauce.

Recipe #1 Stir-Fry Ramen

All you need for this one is a packet of ramen noodles that is vegan. I like the Chili flavor. These packets can be easily recognized because certain companies have begun putting the “vegetarian” or “vegan” label on the package.

Simply set some water to a boil. If it’s taking too long just get the water hot enough to soften the noodles. Personally, I like my ramen al-dente for the texture.

Once the noodles are cooked to your liking, strain them and remove the water from the pot. From there all you need to do is throw the noodles into a pan with a little oil. Add a little bit of soy sauce, or even the flavor packet (although both have a lot of sodium) and fry the noodles, making sure to cover them so the steam can envelope the dish. Quickly throw in any desired vegetables (onions, spinach, etc.) or any mock-meat product you desire. Firm tofu also works very well with this dish.

Cooks in about five minutes and tastes great enough to beat most obscure stir-fry restaurants you’ve reluctantly stopped at because your one friend “knows Asian food.”

Recipe #2 Pasta with Beyond Meat Sauce

For this recipe all you need is your favorite type of pasta, although I recommend noodle forms like spaghetti or fettuccine. There are plenty of vegan, non egg-based pasta brands one can choose from. You will also need a package of Beyond Meat sausage. I prefer the Hot Italian Flavor.

Don’t be intimidated, but there is a little bit of prep required here. Simply take out a sausage or two, and gently mash them up with your hands till they become more ground. Beyond Meat sells a ground version, but it tastes nowhere near as good as the method I am recommending. Once you’ve ground the sausage, season it however you want. I like to put on cayenne pepper and paprika. At this point you should begin boiling the water for your pasta. Once the pasta is cooked to your liking, strain it and then put it back into the pot.

While the pasta is boiling you should have the crumbled sausage frying in a pan with a little oil to get it browned. After the pasta is back in the pot and the sausage is appropriately cooked, throw the sausage into the pot with the pasta. Then add some tomato sauce and other spices to your liking.

This cooks in about 7 minutes once you’re good at it and even has my meat-eating friends poking their heads in the kitchen asking what smells so amazing.

Recipe #3 Avocado Toast

Our third recipe is a classic brunch go-to and a well-known dish. Even though you may already know the dish, many vegan college students may fail to realize how easily they can pull off some of the classics that are tasty and healthy.

You simply need toast and avocado for this one. I like to make avocado toast because it’s filling and very quick. 

For the toast, I recommend Tuscan Pane, an Italian bread sold at Trader Joe’s. This bread is a bit thicker, closer to a sour dough style but with great texture and easily cooks.

Either throw the toast in your toaster oven or heat on a pan with a little margarine to begin. Then take your avocado and slice it open. Next, remove the pit. Scoop out the green part of the avocado with a spoon and use a knife to make slices about half an inch thick each.

Gently lay these slices on the hot toast, then season with a little salt and pepper. This is easy to make and quick.

For more simple cooking ideas, see: https://www.vrg.org/teen/#plans