When first arriving at college, everything is new and exciting. The problem is that sometimes you remember the fact that mom and dad aren’t there to cook your favorite foods! Once you’re a few weeks in, the dining hall meals of under-cooked hamburgers and the overwhelming variations of pasta just don’t cut it. When looking around a dining hall, there are so many plain options. But, what do you get when you combine the drab chicken with the pesto on the other side of the cafeteria? Magic! Without further ado, here are 3 super-easy recipes that any student can whip up in the Seton Hall cafe:
1. Chicken Caprese Sandwich
If you want to feel like you’re sitting at an Insta-worthy cafe in Italy, but don’t have the money to do such thing, no fear– I’m here to help. Behold, this yummy (and easy) rendition of a classic caprese!
Ingeredients:
1 Roll
2 tomato slices
2 pieces of chicken
3 (ish) tablespoons of pesto
Mozzarella cheese to taste
To start your masterpiece, grab a roll found in the sandwich making station. While you’re there, grab your tomato slices for later.
Next, go to the area with the hamburgers (near the salad) and grab 2 pieces of grilled chicken.
Now for the slightly annoying part: venture over to the pasta making station and put some pesto on the inside of the roll.
Head over to the Mexican station to build your sandwich and grab the cheese.
I first placed the chicken, then tomatoes, then cheese. I easily could’ve gone harder with the cheese, so don’t hold back like I did because you’re afraid of it making a mess.
Here’s what the almost finished product looks like:
Last, but not least, scooch over to the panini presses and wrap the sandwich in parchment paper. Before placing the sandwich, make sure the press isn’t too hot. You don’t want the bread to brown and the cheese not be melted.
Place the sandwich on the press and, well, press down. You want to press hard enough so that the bread will flatten, but light enough so that your cheese won’t ooze out. I held my sandwich on the press for about 5 minutes to get it good and crispy.
2. Loaded Nachos
Ingredients: (Everything is to taste and optional) :
Chips Sour Cream
Cheese Tomatoes
Olives Beans
Guacamole Microwave (yes, there’s one in the cafe!)
To start, load chips on the plate. At Seton Hall, they’re found over by the Mexican station. While you’re there, load some cheese on your chips. I prefer my cheese melted on my nachos, so I head over to the microwave. I bet a lot of you didn’t even know we had a microwave in the cafeteria, but here she is! I microwaved my nachos for about 45 seconds.
Once the cheese is melted, head back over to the station and load ‘em up! You can really get creative and put whatever you want on your nachos. I went for sour cream, but the cafeteria also offers olives, lettuce, guacamole, beans, and a whole lot of other stuff. Seriously, go nuts.
3. Ham, Egg, and Cheese Bagel
Why spend Pirate Bucks or Gold at Dunkin’ when you can create your own (late) breakfast with meal swipes?
Ingredients:
1 bagel (or two, you do you)
Cheese
Scrambled Eggs
First, grab a bagel of your choice from the bread selection and pop it in the toaster. While you’re there, grab some ham and your choice of cheese and put it on the bagel when it’s ready. I used 3 rolls of ham (if you go to SHU, you know what I’m talking about).
Next, head over to the egg station and make yourself some eggs. I prefer scrambled eggs on my bagel, but you can cook them however you like. When done, use a spoon to scoop up the egg and place it on the bagel. Add some salt and pepper to taste and voila!
#SpoonTip: For those chilly days when you want some tasty (and easy) hot cocoa, grab a paper coffee cup, fill it with chocolate milk, and pop it in the microwave for a little under 3 minutes. So yummy!
Now, my friend, I challenge you to create something in your own dining hall or even give one of these recipes a try. Sometimes the cafeteria can be an intimidating place, but once you explore and see everything it has, the possibilities are endless! And if you’re a fellow SHU Pirate, make sure to tag us in a pic of your yummy creation on Instagram with #spoonshu or @spoon_shu !