The Healthy College Cookbook: Quick, Cheap, and Easy

A great place to start if you have no clue what you're doing, or if you need fresh ideas. The meals are simple and most are healthy. It would be nice if there were more vegan options. Meat and dairy are expensive and bad for your health, so I feel it would be a no-brainer to have more veggie focused meals in here. That being said, there is a vegetarian section! And it's a great gift for beginners.

This was my first cookbook, and I can now cook and bake almost anything I try. My mother gave this to me when I was studying abroad in Ireland and found that, being vegetarian, I couldn't eat most of the food in restaurants. I had never liked cooking much before but this book sparked an interest in me that has become my primary hobby.The book consists of multiple sections, which include Breakfast, Poultry, Beef, Seafood, Vegetarian (yay!), and Desserts. And even though most of the above don't apply to me, this book is still splattered and marked with my always successful attempts at these recipes. The ingredients are usually on hand in a well-stocked kitchen, and, for further assistance, the authors give you thorough advice on how to stock a kitchen in the first place. In addition, the book includes a glossary on cooking and baking terms in case, like me, you didn't know and couldn't place international calls to your mom every five minutes.But the absolute best thing about this book, after you take into consideration the creative recipes, the simple delicious taste of each finished product, the ease of use, and the lasting power of the recipes - I still come back to this book for the recipes listed further below, is the universal quality the authors cultivate. Each recipe gives both metric and standard measuring units (and in my case, it was essential) and thorough nutritional information with each recipe.Key recipes that I still use, many many dinner parties later: Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Carrot Cake, Baked Ziti, Garlic Green Beans with Tofu, Tomato Basil Sauce, Mushroom Pasta Sauce (try with linguine), and Mushrooms Parmesan.Drawbacks to this book: Not many. And there aren't even any pictures, which I usually find upsetting. For this book, it works. If I had a photo of what the dish was supposed to look like in front of me, I would have been upset if my final product didn't resemble it completely.If you are searching for the perfect gift for a student with a first apartment, consider this book. It was a gift to me, and I am still grateful.

Putting in 90-100 hour weeks during Graduate school, I needed a basic but comprehensive cookbook where the meals wouldn't take long, the ingredient list wasn't huge, but the meals would still be flavorful. I picked up this little gem. I can't even count how many times I've cooked my favorite recipes out of this book--Vegetarian Lasagna, Balsamic Chicken & Potatoes, the list goes on and on. This cookbook covers every meal item possible and gives you a great combination of classic and unique recipes that anyone can make. You don't have to be a BAD cook to get this book, the authors are sensitive to the fast-paced lifestyle many people have and present this as an alternative to lengthy cooking. And now that I'm out of the Graduate School schedule, guess what -- I'm still making these recipes.

Being a vegetarian on a college meal plan is more than impossiable. With this book I have time to cook and go to practice and do homework. The recipes are easy, and adding your own personal touch to a recepie is a personal favorite. A huge selection of veggie dishes helps feed even the pickyist dinner guest. A+

The Healthy College Cookbook is not just for college kids. I am a recent college alum, living and working in New York City. For several months, I ate myself out of house and home as New York delis and restaurants sucked the cash right out of my pocket, cooking seemed like a hastle so I didn't do it! Since I ordered the Healthy College Cookbook, I am cooking more, eating better, and saving money - with these simple recipes, cooking's no hastle, it's easy. I recommend this book to any college student or young adult cooking for themselves for the first time.