what you need …

What you’ll need:

Large flour tortillas

1 red or white potato (no russet)

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/4 green bell pepper

1/8 white or red onion

1 thin-sliced steak

Olive Oil

Shredded cheddar cheese

Salsa

What you do:

Eggs: Scramble them! Combine your two eggs with your 1/4 cup of milk, mix up, and fry in a frying pan until all of the mixture of solid.

Vegetables: Cut your potato, onion, and bell pepper into 1/2 inch chunks.  Keep them separate for the time being. Mix 1 teaspoon of olive oil into each of the veggies, coating them lightly. On a hot skillet or frying pan, place the potato chunks and begin to fry. After about five minutes, when the potatoes are starting to brown, add in the rest of the vegetables, and fry for about five more minutes, until the vegetables are soft and the potatoes are squishable with a fork.

Steak: Clean off the frying pan you used for the vegetables (don’t wash it, just get all the veggies off of it). Slice your steak into 1/2 inch slices, and place on the hot frying pan or skillet. Cook until the inside of the steak is brown (with thin-sliced steak, this only takes a couple of minutes)

Finishing it all up: On a tortilla, place a layer of eggs, a layer of steak, and a layer of veggies. If you like, add some shredded cheese and salsa for extra flavor (I like to use a lot of salsa). Wrap it up and enjoy.

Step 1: You will need…

• 7⁄8 fl oz dark rum
• 7⁄8 fl oz Cointreau
• 7⁄8 fl oz single cream
• 120 strawberry
• ice cubes
• 1 25ml/50ml shot measure
• 1 shaker
• 1 strainer (if the shaker doesn’t include one)
• 1 cocktail glass
• 1 knife
• 1 chopping board

1. Step 2: Prepare your cocktail.

   Begin by filling the shaker half full with ice cubes. Then add the dark rum, Cointreau and cream.

2. Ensure that the lid is firmly secured and shake well.

3. Step 3: Present your cocktail

   Make a small slit in the bottom of the strawberry and place it on the side of the glass.

4. Attach a strainer to the top of the shaker and carefully pour the cocktail into the glass. Enjoy this basic but sophisticated cocktail on a lingering summer’s evening.

You could try buying locally grown organic food at the Farmer’s Market on Spruce St. on Saturday mornings, but you have to get up real early to check out those fresh fruits and vegetables. I’m nearly positive it closes at noon. So good luck my fellow students! Also, you could try the Mountain People’s Co-Op down on Beechurst right down beside the Hillel House and Vocelli’s Pizza. They’ve got some pretty great stuff there! But I figure most of you will be buying it at the grocery store in its own section. The Sabraton Kroger, my grocery store of choice because of its proximity to my humble abode, offers a pretty decent selection on the amount of frozen foods and some pretty good canned/dried goods too!

Now I figure I’ll give you a list of pros and cons to see how it measures up to “regular food” to help your decision.

PROS:

• First and foremost, the food is absolutely delicious. I’m telling you, you’ve never had a frozen burrito this good before, I’m seriously shocked every time I break one out. The mac and cheese is great, and so are the veggies.
• I’ve noticed that the food I’ve been eating is more filling that usual. I find myself wanting more of the food for the taste, but knowing that I’ll wayyyy tooo stuffed if I make some more.
• Also, I’ve been eating a lot of vegetarian food because it was on sale and holy carp is it good. I never thought I’d like fake chicken.
• Many of the foods last a lot longer, though they don’t have nearly as many preservatives. For instance, organic milk not only tastes better (maybe it’s in my head) but lasts nearly 3 times as long as regular gallons of milk.
• You’re supporting farmers (possibly even local) who don’t use harmful pesticides and take care of their animals.

CONS:

• Organic food is incredibly expensive. As a college student, it’s tough to decide if its worth making the jump if you only come out of the grocery with half of the food.

To be honest, that’s my only real problem with it. I’ve been eating organic food as much as possible for the last few months and I haven’t started to regret it yet. I also really don’t think I’ll ever go back to regular milk again. But I’m serious about those burritos,  get a burrito or chile relleno in the organic frozen food section and you’ll see what I mean.

My distaste for eating out fishy friends, however, should not prevent you from enjoying it. On my last easy recipe post, one commenter requested a recipe for a seafood pasta dish, and since seafood is a major meat used in italian food and pasta dishes, it only makes sense to have an easy recipe up here for you seafood-lovers. So here it is: Simple Shrimp Pasta Salad! And don’t worry, I got help from a friend on how to cook the shrimp – I’m not just making stuff up!

You will need:

Shrimp – any size will do really, so the amount and the size depends on you. The bigger they are, the easier they are to skewer and grill.

1 Lemon

Olive Oil

1 Clove of Garlic

1 Serving of Penne Pasta per person(consult your box on serving size)

1 Can of Sliced or Whole Olives (not diced – that stuff is icky)

A mixture of Vegetables – I’ll be going with a tomato, a yellow squash, and a green bell pepper, but add in any veggies you like.

2-3 Tablespoons of your favorite Italian or Light Italian dressing (per person/serving you make)

What you do:

For the Shrimp:

Create a marinade out of 3-4 tablespoons olive oil, the juice from half of a lemon, and one diced clove of garlic. Mix this all up in a plastic zip-lock style bag, place your shrimp in there, and let them soak in that for at least an hour.

Once your shrimp have marinated, grill them up! You can do this by skewering them and placing them on a grill, or placing them on a lightly buttered frying pan to cook. Make sure to cook each shrimp thoroughly. This should take about 4-5 minutes, and the meat should be completely pink when finished. Undercooking your shrimp can be dangerous, overcooking your shrimp can give nasty tasting results.

For the Pasta salad:

Cook up the pasta according to the instructions on your pasta packaging.

Slice your vegetables into slightly-large bite-sized chunks. Vegetables can be mixed into salad raw for a slightly healthier meal, or grilled for more flavor. To grill, place you vegetables on a hot, lightly buttered frying pan to cook. When the vegetable begins to soften it’s done. Cooking time varies on the thickness of your vegetable pieces and the type of vegetable. If you want to grill, make a little extra marinade and dip your vegetables into this before placing on the grill, this will give them a bit more flavor. Tomatoes, Squash, Zucchini, and Bell Peppers of all colors are all great for grilling.

Mix your veggies with your pasta while the pasta is warm. Mix in your italian dressing. Top with your shrimp. You’re done!

The recipe for the shrimp portion of this post can be used on most other pasta dishes. A good one to try would be Shrimp Alfredo – Just cook up the shrimp, cook some fettucini noodles, mix in some alfredo sauce (you can get a pretty good brand of this in a can for about $2) and top with your shrimp. You could also use the shrimp recipe in combination with the noodle and balsamic reduction recipe from the Balsamic Steak post a few weeks ago. Either way, try mixing it with any other pasta recipes you might know – it’s much less expensive to make it yourself than pay the crazy prices restaurants like to charge for seafood.

It’s that time of year when long, warm days stretch ahead into endless hours of outdoor cooking opportunities. However, if you are watching your waistline, these opportunities can swiftly turn into chances to wreck your diet. Therefore, here are some sure fire ways to indulge in grilled food without packing on any unwanted poundage.

Hotdogs and Hamburgers

These are the basic staples of the grilled food world, but at the same time they can be extremely unhealthy. If you can’t bear the idea of passing up on them altogether, try substituting them with healthier yet similar versions. Instead of beef frankfurters, purchase a dog that is low-fat, low-sodium, and nitrate free. Turkey dogs fit all of these requirements and taste good too. Instead of using just any ground beef for your hamburgers, purchase extra lean beef. Another desirable substitution is turkey or buffalo meat, both of which are lower in calories and fat content.

As far as burger toppings go, aim for dark green, leafy lettuce, fresh tomatoes, or sliced avocado. If you want to have a cheeseburger, use reduced fat cheese or a small amount of a really strong cheese. Another sub in the direction of healthy eating is swapping white buns for whole wheat.

Lean Meats

Marinated chicken breast or fish options (lean fish, shrimp, scallops) are perfect for low-fat, healthy grilling.  If you refuse to give up steaks, simply opt for lean cuts of beef. Filet mignon, flank cuts, and top loin are all leaner cuts of beef. In addition, try to cut out all visible pieces of fat before cooking.

Vegetables

Grilled vegetables are delicious. Grilling them is a tasty way to get in your recommended daily allowance of vegetables while still eating healthy. Mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, and onions all withstand grilling well, but you can use whatever veggies that you enjoy eating. Brush a small amount (2 tbs) of vegetable oil to the surfaces of your veggies and grill away!

Ingredients

• 10 ounces white tequila
• 12 ounces fresh pineapple juice
• 12 ounces lemon-lime soda
• Crushed ice
• 1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Directions

Combine tequila, pineapple juice, soda, pineapple and mint in a pitcher. Serve over crushed ice and garnish with fresh mint leaves.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Makes 6 Servings Estimated Cost per Serving: $1.95
WHAT YOU NEED:

4 Corn Tortillas (6”) cut in strips
2 1/2 Tbsp Canola Oil
1 1/2 cup Red or Green Salsa of choice
2 1/2 cans Low Sodium Chicken Broth (10.75 oz)
2 cups cooked Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, cubed
1 cup Yellow Corn, canned or frozen, drained
1 cup Black Beans, canned, drained
1 medium Red Pepper, diced, sautéed
1 large Zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut in fours, sautéed
Sour Cream , fat-free or reduced fat (optional)

WHAT TO DO:

1. Cook Tortilla strips in hot Canola Oil until crisp. Set aside and drain on paper
towel.
2. Combine Salsa and Chicken Broth in a large sauce-pan and bring to a boil over
medium-high heat.
3. Reduce heat to medium; add Chicken Breast, Yellow Corn, Black Beans, Red
Pepper (sautéed), and Zucchini (sautéed); heat all the way through.
4. Serve in bowls; top with Tortilla strips and a dollop of  sour cream (optional)

Do you often get hungry late at night and wonder what in the hell you should eat? If so than I think I might have found a solution to your problem. The answer: Munchies.

Location: Munchies authentic flame grilled food is a burger joint located on 432 Spruce St next to Clip Joint and the BB&T on the corner of High St. and Spruce St.

Number: 304-292-4444

Menu

The place is a small diner like setting that smells like a 50′s burgers and fries joint. They have a pretty cool atmosphere inside filled with Reggae music and posters of Stoner movies like Half Baked, Dazed and Confused and How High. It is best to pick the food up and eat at your home/hotel/whatever you call home for that period of time, but if you want to you can eat there. They also deliver late night if you are too lazy or too (blank), I will let you use your imagination, to pick the food up yourself.

Now that you know what is about let’s talk about the food and the pricing.

Pricing: It is a little too expensive, but you normally get a fair sized amount of food for your buck and the food always hits the spot so you know it is quality.

Best food to order:

1) FYAH BURGER-6.50 SPICY DOUBLE CHEESEBURGER, JALAPENOS, PEPPER JACK CHEESE, RANCH

2) RASTA BURGER-4.50 CHEESEBURGER WITH PEPPER JACK CHEESE, JERK SEASONING, CARRIBBEAN SAUCE, LETTUCE AND TOMATO

3)PINEAPPLE EXPRESS-5.75 FLAME GRILLED CHICKEN, PROVOLONE CHEESE, BACON, MARINARA AND PINEAPPLE

Best Munchies to order:

1) PEPPER JACK CHEESE BALLS SM-3.50 LG-6.75

2) FRIED PICKLES SM-3.50 LG-6.75

3)PEPPERONI PIZZA BALLS SM-4.00 LG-7.50

DESSERT: DEEP FRIED OREOS ( This was something I thought sounded good in theory, and than I tasted it…..guess what? Better than I could have ever imagined.  A must try if you’re ordering Munchies.

So the next time you are hungry late at night give Munchies a try. You will enjoy an authentic American taste and your hunger will subside and than I see a Corona/lime and relaxation in the near future!

Enjoy!

If you are looking to eat healthier, but are disappointed in the quality of produce from local grocery stores, then a farmers’ market may be just what you’re looking for.

In the months of May through October, more than 30 vendors meet every Saturday morning to offer Morgantown food shoppers a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, breads, eggs, and meats.

Since the market opens at 8am and closes at noon, shoppers do have to trade in their ability to sleep in on a Saturday. This could be a potential deal breaker for some students, but I can personally vouch that doing so is worthwhile. The quality and variety of fresh food that is offered at cheap, student friendly prices is definitely worth those few hours of sleep.

Another plus is that by purchasing food at the market you know that you are helping out local family farms, as every product sold there is grown or made within a 50 mile radius.

To draw more locals in, the market often has local musicians perform. They also allow non-profit organizations set up stalls as long as the coordinator okays them in advance.

Visit their website for loads of more information, including a chart of what’s in season, recipes, and contact info.

The farmers’ market is located on the corner of Spruce and Fayette Streets in Morgantown, West Virginia…