So you’re a senior, headed to the “real” world with a spanking new diploma; a new sense of fulfillment; a solid, well-paying job (or no job and a conspicuously deepening hole in your savings); and dinner party-worthy cooking skills—wait, what’s that? You’ve spent the past four years grazing at Usdan and rolling out of bed for WesWings breakfast pails? You’re a wine expert and make a killer gin and tonic but want those potatoes to cook themselves? Never fear! There’s no need to spend the next few years of your life crying over ramen three times a day. Cooking cheaply, quickly, and simply is within your grasp.

Egg Scramble
My apartment eats a lot of eggs. Sometimes our three-dozen co-op eggs don’t last us the week. How on earth do five of us go through so many eggs, you ask? The answer is simple: egg scrambles. A classic breakfast dish, the egg scramble can use whatever veggies and cheeses you desire.

Ingredients
Canola oil spray or butter
2 eggs (or more if desired)
Salt
Pepper
Spinach (optional)
Avocado (optional)
Cheese (optional)
Sriracha or hot sauce (optional)

Directions
1. Grease a frying pan with a thin layer of oil or butter. Heat on medium-high heat until you can feel the heat when you place your hand a few inches over the pan.

2. Add the washed spinach leaves (if using) to the pan. Crack the eggs into the pan.

3. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper over the eggs. If you want, sprinkle some cheese into the still-runny eggs as well. Use a spatula to break the yolks and cut up the eggs, creating a scramble.

4. Continue to cook the eggs, stirring occasionally with your spatula, until eggs are no longer runny. Cut up the avocado into small chunks (if using) and mix in. Throw your scramble on a plate and add some sriracha or hot sauce if that’s your jam.

Roasted Vegetables
My favorite weekday dinner generally includes chickpeas, eggs, and roasted vegetables. Roasted veggies go well with pretty much everything, and leftovers make great snacks. Most vegetables—potatoes, turnips, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, squash, asparagus, just to name a few—can be roasted with most any spice. Be creative!

Ingredients
4 sweet potatoes
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line baking tray with foil.

2. Wash and/or peel your sweet potatoes (I prefer to leave the skin on everything I roast). Slice your sweet potatoes  on a cutting board with a sharp knife. I generally cut the sweet potato in half lengthwise, then slice it the long way again (turning the potato halves so the flat side is on the cutting board) to make fries. You could also slice the potatoes into chips, slicing them thinly from end to end.

3. Spread the cut potatoes in a thin layer on the baking sheets. Drizzle oil over the potato pieces.

4. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and spices over the potato pieces (feel free to experiment with spices!). With your hands, mix the potatoes on the sheet with the oil and spices and spread them out evenly again. Put the baking sheets in the oven for 15-30 minutes, depending on how thinly you sliced them and how crispy you like them.

Vegetable Stir Fry
My friend asked me the other day what to do with tofu, and I replied that my first inclination is to make a stir fry. It’s easy, can use just about any vegetables you have around, and can be spiced individually to entertain the masses. Just think of it like Mongo at Usdan, but you get to do the fun part yourself.

Ingredients
Vegetable oil
1 onion
1/2 head of cabbage
1 large head of broccoli
1 10 oz. container of sliced mushrooms
1 18 oz. block of tofu (or uncooked meat)
Soy sauce, to taste

Directions
1. Wash and chop your veggies: chop off a small portion of both ends of the onion, and then peel off the remaining parts of the outer layer. Then slice into circles and chop into pieces. Chop the cabbage into one-inch pieces and chop up the broccoli and peppers. Chop tofu or meat into cubes.

2. Using a large frying pan or a wok, heat a tablespoon or so of oil on medium-high heat.

3. When the pan is hot (add a piece of onion and see if it sizzles), add the chopped onion (and meat, if using) and keep stirring it around until golden brown. Add the cabbage and peppers, and stir for a few minutes. Add the mushrooms and tofu.

4. Add soy sauce bit by bit, tasting until you reach your desired saltiness level. Continue cooking and stirring until the cabbage is soft but still a bit crunchy. Serve by itself, with eggs, or over rice or rice noodles.