Easy Meal: Tomato-Cheese Toastie

Today I would like to share a very simple recipe with you. It is a delicious, light vegetarian meal that even non-vegetarians are sure to love, mainly because it features one of everyone's favorite foods on the planet - cheese.

I like to call this a Tomato-Cheese Toastie.

Imagine - you are sitting at home and you are light on ingredients, but want a delicious meal. This is where The Ramen Ninja steps in.

I'm going to show you how to make a meal using two very basic ingredients: tomatoes and cheese.

Photo Credit: Reimanpub.com

What You'll Need:

1 preheated oven set to broil 500F degrees.
1 oven-safe pan
1 spatula
1 plate

Ingredients:
1 hamburger bun or 2 slices of sandwich bread
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
1 tomato - sliced
2 slices of Mozzarella cheese (or whatever kind you have on hand)
mayonnaise
salt
pepper
garlic powder
paprika
Italian seasoning

Step 1:
Preheat the oven and lay out your bun open-faced on the pan.

Step 2:
Toast the bun in the oven for about 1-2 minutes on each side.

Step 3:
Spread the mayo onto the bun.

Step 4:
Place one slice of tomato on both halves of the bun.

Step 5:
Put one half teaspoon of balsamic vinegar on top of each tomato slice.

Step 6:
Sprinkle a small amount of each of the above seasonings: salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, Italian seasoning. A little goes a long way here because you are using so many different seasonings - so just a pinch of each will do.

Step 7:
Put one half teaspoon of olive oil on each slice of tomato.

Step 8:
Finally, lay one slice of cheese on top of each slice of tomato and put your sandwich open-faced back into the oven.

Step 9:
Allow the sandwich to toast in the oven for 3-4 minutes. It is done when the cheese starts bubbling.

Step 10:
Remove the sandwich from the oven and serve onto a plate using a spatula. Enjoy!

Quick Snack: Popcorn

Popcorn is one of my favorite snacks. However, I am not talking about microwave popcorn. I am talking about the popcorn you make on the stove. Compared to microwave popcorn it is cheaper and healthier. Mainly - it's cheap. One 16 oz. bag of unpopped kernels should last you practically forever.

Things you'll need:
1 large pot with a tight-fitting lid
1 large serving bowl
1 stove

Ingredients:
about 1/4 cup popcorn kernels
1-2 tbs. salt
about 1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
2 tbs melted butter (optional)

Step 1:
Pour the popcorn kernels into the pot. You should put enough kernels in so that there is a single, even layer of kernels covering the bottom of the pot.

Step 2:
Pour in the oil. Note that the above measurement is approximate. The kernels don't need to be swimming in oil. The same rule applies for the oil as the popcorn kernels - you only need enough to cover the bottom of the pot.

Step 3:
Cover the pot and set the heat to high.

Step 4:
Once the popcorn begins to pop, reduce the heat to a low-medium setting. Once the pot has begun to fill with popped kernels, the popping will slow. Listen for it to slow down to about 3-4 seconds between pops and completely remove it from the heat.

Step 5:
Pour the popcorn into the bowl.

Step 6:
Add salt and shake the bowl so that the salt will evenly distribute throughout the popcorn. Repeat this step as necessary. If you are using butter, add it first so that the salt will stick.

That's all there is to it! This recipe makes enough popcorn for at least 4 people to share. This makes a great snack for movies, parties or any other time!

Stock Your Pantry: Rice

Today, I want to give you a quick tip on something to keep in your pantry at all times - rice!

Rice is like a super food - it is super healthy, super cheap, super delicious and super easy to make. The average price you can expect to pay in the store for long grain white rice is usually around $1.50 for 2 lbs - sometimes less, depending on where you go.

If you use a lot of rice, go somewhere where you can buy it wholesale and you will pay practically nothing for a whole lot of rice (although I wouldn't suggest this if you live in a dorm - you wouldn't have anywhere to store it all!)

It is not just the price you pay at the counter that makes rice the budget cook's best friend. Rice is so versatile it can be used for almost anything. I have used rice for soups, stews, side dishes, main entrees, you name it! It is also very filling, which is a huge plus if you are pinching pennies.

 If you don't have large amounts of any one ingredient, you can throw them all together and fry it in a pan with some cooked rice, and it makes for a delicious and easy entree. When you are using rice, it doesn't take many ingredients at all to make a great meal or snack.

White rice is usually the best option because it has a very short cooking time - around 20 minutes. Brown rice - which is the healthier choice - actually takes between 45-50 minutes. So, if you often find yourself in a hurry, go with the white rice.

 If you are willing to wait, take the healthy road and go with the brown rice. Also, if you do decide to go with brown rice, you can cook lots of it on a day when you have some extra time on your hands and store it all in the fridge once it's cooked. This is actually a great idea for any kind of rice you are using, especially if you plan to make dishes like fried rice.

Additionally, rice is a great option for college life, considering rice cookers are allowed in most dorms.

Comment and share what you use rice to make!

Quick Meal: Huevos Rancheros

I remember coming home from work one night dead tired. I was so tired that I couldn't even begin to think about cooking. To make matters worse, the fridge was practically empty - a gallon of milk, eggs, and some random leftovers from a recent party, such as dip and salsa. Luckily, my girlfriend knew exactly what to do with the scant ingredients we had available at the time - she whipped up some very simple and delicious huevos rancheros.

Sometimes referred to as a salsa omelette, huevos rancheros is simply egg and salsa - at least in most cases.

Things you'll need:
1 spatula
1 frying pan
1 plate
1 bowl
1 whisk or fork

Ingredients:
2 tbs butter or cooking spray
1/4 cup milk (optional)
4 eggs
about 1/2 cup salsa

Step 1:
Crack the eggs into the bowl and add the milk. Beat with the whisk or fork until well-blended.

Step 2:
Heat the frying pan to medium heat and melt 1 tbs of butter (or grease the pan with cooking spray).

Step 3:
Add the eggs to the pan and allow them to sit and cook. Do not stir them or disturb them in any way. You want the eggs to maintain a flat, round shape. The eggs will begin to cook through and should begin to solidify within about 5 minutes. You can use the spatula to carefully lift the edge of the omelette and peek underneath to check the doneness.

Step 4:
The eggs will be ready to flip once they are no longer wet on the bottom. Some of that wetness should also be drying up on top. Once the eggs have reached this point, flip them. Add the other tbs of butter to the pan as you flip, or grease it again with the cooking spray. Continue cooking until it the eggs are cooked evenly.

Step 5:
Once the eggs are done cooking, remove them from the pan and place them on a plate. Pour the salsa into the middle of the omelette and then fold it over.

You're all done!

I have made this same recipe before, only I  made my own salsa with chopped up bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, cilantro and lime. However, this recipe is still delicious if you just use salsa from the jar. Also, huevos rancheros is traditionally served with black beans on the side, but this is optional, of course.

Enjoy!

Easy Meal: English Muffin Pizzas

Don't waste your money on those frozen mini pizzas! They aren't healthy, and they really don't taste the best.

Why not make your own pizza?

Maybe you don't have the time or ingredients to make your own pizza dough, but that doesn't have to stop you.  You can just use something you may already have - English muffins!

Things you'll need:
1 knife
1 spoon
1 cutting board
1 oven (this is a great toaster oven recipe!)
1 cookie sheet (or any other oven-safe dish)

Ingredients:
2 English muffins (if you don't have English muffins, you could substitute with biscuits, buns, etc.)
4 tbs pizza or pasta sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Step 1:
Heat the oven to 350F degrees.

Step 2:
Cut the muffins in half.

Step 3:
Using a spoon, put about 1 heaping tbs. of sauce onto each slice of the muffin and spread it evenly.

Step 4:
Top each muffin with your desired amount of shredded cheese.

Step 5:
Place the muffins on your oven-safe dish and put them in for around 12 minutes. You really only need to leave them in long enough for the cheese to melt and for the muffin to be thoroughly heated.

You're done! This recipe is laughably simple and you could easily add your own variations. Try topping your mini pizzas with some ham, pepperoni, olives - you name it!