Chapter Six

Snacks

Asian Nachos

Who said cheese is the only thing you can put on top of tortilla chips? Not only does the combination of sashimi, avocado, ginger, and chili sauce taste amazing on chips, but also this dish is just really nice to look at. And as an annoying restaurant coworker once told me, you eat with your eyes first!

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Layer the sashimi and avocado on top of the chips such that they are evenly distributed.
  2. 2. Add toppings of your choice. I suggest drizzling sweet soy sauce and chili sauce (or chili mayo, if your dining hall has it), then dotting the nachos with a little wasabi (don’t go too crazy!) and a few pieces of ginger. Finish with a spritz of lemon.

Bruschetta

Even though many people — including myself until recently — pronounce the name of this dish incorrectly (it is, in fact, pronounced Bru-ske-ta), bruschetta is a universally loved Italian antipasto. This recipe is very simple, as it can be made pretty much entirely out of salad bar ingredients, but it packs a flavorful punch.

Ingredients

Equipment

Instructions

  1. 1. Grill a piece of bread in a panini press (or you can toast it) and drizzle it with olive oil.
  2. 2. Put some chopped tomatoes in a bowl with a little bit of balsamic vinegar, the juice of one lemon wedge, and salt and pepper.
  3. 3. Put mozzarella on the bread, if you'd like, and spoon the tomato mixture over the top.

Bruschetta

Bruschetta is very easy to modify according to your preferences or the ingredients at your disposal. I like using basil or sun-dried tomato pesto as a base or adding chopped red bell peppers or onions.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

This is a tale of two lettuces. The first is the tasteless, shredded lettuce you get in the salad bar that doesn’t really do much by way of actually enhancing a dish. And then there are the big, crisp lettuce cups you can usually find in the sandwich line that, when used as a wrap alongside a spicy Asian dipping sauce, can be so satisfying at any part of the day.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Lay the lettuce leaves flat on a plate and top each one with bean sprouts, carrots, and your protein pick.
  2. 2. Roll the lettuce leaves up into wraps.
  3. 3. In a small bowl, combine equal parts soy sauce and chili sauce. Use this as a dipping sauce for the wraps.

Sauce Options

Many dining halls offer different kinds of Asian sauces. I also like dipping these wraps in Thai peanut sauce or sweet and sour sauce.

Honey-Soy Tofu Fritters

Tofu often gets a bad reputation in the food world as bland and soggy, but giving it a crunchy exterior and a sweet and salty coating could be just the thing to change the minds of tofu skeptics everywhere.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Put honey and soy sauce (a little more honey, a little less soy sauce) into a bowl and stir the two together.
  2. 2. Add the tofu chunks to the sauce and roll them around so that they are evenly coated.
  3. 3. Crush croutons in a separate bowl and transfer the tofu into the bowl of crushed croutons. Roll the tofu around such that each piece gets a crouton crust.
  4. 4. Transfer the tofu to a plate, and drizzle the rest of the sauce on top.

Herbed Italian Toast

My mother invented this recipe at home as a way to dress up even the plainest and most tasteless piece of bread, and I probably made it at least once a day in college. It makes for a very flavorful complement to a cup of soup or a salad.

Ingredients

Equipment

Instructions

  1. 1. Toast the bread.
  2. 2. Drizzle olive oil on the toasted bread.
  3. 3. Sprinkle on herbs, salt and pepper, and Parmesan, if you’d like.

Nacho Cheese (Queso)

I don’t know why nacho cheese seems to only be found at mediocre Mexican restaurants and sporting events. It is heartier than salsa and more flavorful than just melted cheese on chips. Plus, in this version, you get to see the cheese come out of the microwave all hot and bubbly.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Put a few heaping spoonfuls of cheese in a bowl and add enough salsa to thoroughly coat the cheese.
  2. 2. Stir in two spoonfuls of butter.
  3. 3. Microwave for two minutes, stirring halfway through.

Cheesy Goodness

Nacho cheese is a versatile sauce that works with plenty more than just chips. Try dipping pretzels into it, or put it on a hot dog, hamburger, or chili. Veggie haters: nacho cheese over broccoli may just be your next big breakthrough.

Southern Poutine

Poutine is a Canadian dish made with French fries covered in gravy and cheese curds. I didn't like it until I tried it with the gravy swapped out for barbecue sauce, which provides a sweet and tangy complement to the melted cheese and fries.

Ingredients

Equipment

Instructions

  1. 1. Sprinkle a generous amount of grated cheese over the fries, and microwave until the cheese melts.
  2. 2. Add meat, if you'd like, and drizzle barbecue sauce over the top.

Chocolate-Granola Apple Bites

Apple slices are a great snack, but they get boring fast. Take them to the next level by coating them with peanut butter, granola, and chocolate chips for a sweet energizing bite.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Spread peanut butter on one side of each apple slice.
  2. 2. Crust each slice with granola and chocolate chips.

Toasted Honey and Cheese Roll

One of the most basic snacks in existence is a bread roll with butter — but you can make things a lot more interesting by substituting cheese and honey for the butter.

Ingredients

Equipment

Instructions

  1. 1. Toast the bread roll.
  2. 2. Cut the roll in half and spread the cheese on both halves.
  3. 3. Drizzle honey on each side.

Salmon Spread

I was always super skeptical about the idea of a spread with salmon in it, but this version — which is bright, a little chunky, and a little spicy — definitely changed my mind. You can’t go wrong spreading this over a toasted bagel as a nice variation on lox.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Flake the salmon into a bowl.
  2. 2. Add a few spoonfuls of cream cheese, a squirt of mustard, and a little bit of lemon juice.
  3. 3. Season with a few shakes of salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Strawberry Balsamic Crostini

It's hard to decide if this is a snack or a dessert, but trust me when I say that the syrupy and slightly sweet flavor of balsamic-coated strawberries tastes incredible over creamy cheese and crusty bread.

Ingredients

Equipment

Instructions

  1. 1. Toast the bread and cut it into a few mini-toasts.
  2. 2. Mix strawberries, a few squeezes of honey, and a little bit of balsamic vinegar together and microwave for 90 seconds.
  3. 3. Spread cheese on the toasts and top them with the strawberries.

Black Bean Hummus

Black bean hummus is a more flavorful, easier-to-use version of black beans, and the options for this spread are infinite. Layer it into a burrito, add it to a sandwich, or just enjoy it as a dip for raw veggies.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1. Mash the black beans with a fork.
  2. 2. Stir in enough olive oil to give the dip a creamy consistency.
  3. 3. Add a little lime juice and a few shakes of garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.