cooking at college with rya!
My friend Rya and I made shakshuka! This was only my second time cooking in college (the first time was also with Rya). I loved it! It was so nice just chatting while chopping onions and listening to Taylor Swift.
Rya is on the 5 meal plan, which means that she eats 5 meals a week in the dining hall and she cooks the rest of her meals herself. That is so inspiring to me…a college freshman making her own meals. And she has made some really delicious food, like fluffy pancakes for breakfast and couscous and vegetables for dinner.
The shakshuka was super easy to make and so delicious. It’s one of those comfort foods that makes you feel at home no matter the season or where you are. As I was eating it, I felt like I was nourishing my body and giving it healthy fuel. I blurted out (many times), “This is inspiring me to do the 5 meal plan too!”
I was so excited by this idea, and we talked about grocery shopping and cooking meals together. I told her how I feel better overall when I’m eating home cooked meals rather than dining hall food. I think that I would really enjoy making more of my own meals.
I’m going to use this time at home, while we’re on our VERY extended break, to see if I enjoy consistently cooking for myself before I choose to go on the 5 meal plan. But I think that it could be a really cool thing for me to try next school year!
Rya made some additions which added great flavor to the dish. Use this recipe, and see my notes below.
Happy cooking!
Rya’s additions
+ dried mixed herbs (to taste)
+cumin (to taste)
+Instead of using Israeli couscous, as I normally do, we used the Harvest Grain Blend from Trader Joe’s. It added a nice texture to the dish, and it cooked a lot faster, so we didn’t need to use the InstantPot.
