You’ve read our definitive guide to becoming a student chef, assembled the necessary tools and learned a few tricks of the trade. Here are a few simple recipes to test your new equipment and skills.

 

Easy salad dressing

Serves as many as you’d like | Prep time: 2 minutes

Store-bought dressings are usually loaded down with preservatives, sugar, and salt. Whipping up a homemade dressing takes two minutes, tops. A simple vinaigrette dressing always follows the same ratio. Two parts oil to one part acid to half part sugar to half part emulsifier, plus salt and pepper to taste.

 

If you’re dressing a salad for two people, whisk together the following:

          • 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
          • 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
          • 1/2 Tablespoon honey
          • 1/2 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
          • salt & pepper to taste

or for a group of four or five looking for a more exotic dressing, try:

          • 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
          • 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
          • 1 1/2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
          • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
          • 3/4 Tablespoon maple syrup or honey
          • 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

 

If you’ve got one on hand, it’s even easier to use a small jar to make dressing than it is to whisk in a bowl. Shaking it helps emulsify the ingredients more thoroughly. If you aren’t using the dressing right away, make sure to give it a good stir or shake before pouring on the salad.

 

Broccoli stir-fry with chicken and peanut sauce

Serves 2–3 | Prep time: 10 minutes | Cooking time: 30 minutes (including the rice)

Adapted from Mollie Katzen’s Enchanted Broccoli Forest.

This stir-fry is your delicious, no-stress solution to weeknight dinner, and usually most of the ingredients are already kicking around the kitchen. The peanut sauce definitely takes this to another level, bringing together this pan full of excellence in under ten minutes. For a vegetarian version, swap in firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes, instead.

 

Ingredients:
          • rice (as much or as little as you’d like)
          • 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
          • 1/2 cup just-boiled water
          • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
          • 2 Tbs soy sauce
          • 2 Tbs molasses
          • powdered cayenne (or hot sauce) to taste
          • 1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
          • 2 tsp freshly grated ginger (optional)
          • 1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
          • 1/2 large onion, chopped
          • 3 cloves of garlic, diced
          • 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch, bite-sized pieces
          • 3 medium heads of broccoli, chopped into florets (about 6 cups)
          • stems of the broccoli, sliced into thin coins

 

Directions:
          1. Start cooking the rice according to instructions on the package (cooking time will vary based on the type of rice).
          2. In a medium-sized bowl, assemble the peanut sauce. Whisk together the hot water and the peanut butter until smooth. Stir in the vinegar, soy sauce, molasses, sesame oil, and ginger. Add the cayenne to taste. Set the sauce aside.
          3. In a large, uncovered frying pan or wok, heat the olive oil on high heat. Reduce to medium-high, add the onion, and cook for 4 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
          4. Add the chicken breast pieces, and allow to sear on the outside, tossing once or twice until they become opaque (about 2 minutes).
          5. Add the broccoli florets and stems, and saute for another 3-5 minutes, or until the florets are bright green and tender. (You can always add a splash of water to the pan if the veggies seem to be drying out too fast.) At this point, check to see if the chicken is done by cutting open the biggest piece you can find. If it’s opaque all the way through and there’s no more pink, it’s done. Otherwise, cook another couple of minutes until it is.
          6. Turn off the heat, but with the pan still on the burner, add the peanut sauce, and stir until the sauce is warmed through. Serve right away, with the rice on the side.

 

Guacamole with pita chips

Serves: 2–4 | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes

A healthy, satisfying study snack to get you through a long day at the library.

 

Ingredients:

Pita chips

            • 8 pitas
            • 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
            • any spices you’d like for sprinkling (e.g. salt, cayenne, paprika, cumin)

Guacamole

            • 2 Tablespoons minced white onion
            • 1 medium tomato, diced
            • 1 small jalapeno or Serrano pepper (seeded and cored if you like it less spicy), minced
            • 1/4 tsp salt & a dash of pepper, plus more to taste
            • 2 large, ripe avocadoes
            • juice of 1 lime

 

Directions:

Pita chips

            1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
            2. Slice your pita into triangles or bite-sized strips. Toss in a bowl with the olive oil, then lay in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with desired spices.
            3. Bake for 10–15 minutes, tossing once halfway through and watching closely towards the end. The chips are done when they’re golden-brown and crisp. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Guacamole

            1. In a large bowl, combine the chopped onion, tomato, jalapeño, salt, and pepper. Fresh chilies vary individually in their spice level, so start by adding just half of one, and you can add the rest later if you’d like it spicier. (Also, be careful handling the peppers: wash your hands thoroughly after handling and do not touch your eyes for several hours if possible.)
            2. Halve the avocados and reserve one pit. Using a spoon, scoop the flesh into the bowl with the other veggies. Mash it all together very roughly with a fork or two. Then add the lime juice. Mash slowly, until you reach your desired texture.
            3. Taste, and add more salt, pepper, or chili if necessary. If you aren’t eating the guac right away, bury the pit in the leftovers and cover tightly with cling wrap before refrigerating. This will help prevent your guacamole from browning.

 

Super simple banana bread

Makes: 1 regular loaf or 12 muffins | Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 22 minutes

A one-bowl, easy banana bread recipe for all those black bananas that get thrown in the freezer over the year. If you don’t have a loaf pan, bust out the muffin tin. To put this recipe over the top, sprinkle the raw batter with a little sugar before baking it.

 

Ingredients:
            • 3 large ripe bananas, mashed
            • 1/3 cup canola oil (or sunflower oil, or melted unsalted butter)
            • 3/4 cup brown sugar
            • 2 eggs, beaten
            • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
            • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
            • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
            • Pinch of ground cloves
            • 1 teaspoon baking soda
            • 1/4 teaspoon salt
            • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or chocolate chips (optional)
            • 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
            • 1 1/2 cup of flour
Directions:
            1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a loaf pan, or line a muffin tin with paper liners.
            2. In the largest bowl you’ve got, mix the oil into the mashed bananas. Mix in the sugar, eggs, vanilla, then the spices. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Mix in the oats (and walnuts or chocolate chips if you’re adding these). Add the flour last, and mix until just combined. Pour mixture into the loaf pan, or spoon it into the muffin cups.
            3. For banana bread, bake for 45–55 minutes; for muffins, 20–25 minutes. Test if your creation is done by inserting a toothpick into the centre, and if it comes out clean (or with dry crumbs) you’re good to go.
            4. Cool on a rack before serving. Both the muffins and the banana bread slices freeze well for up to six months if they’re wrapped in cling wrap.