Veggie Pasta Salad

10 oz. penne pasta
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese
1 Yellow bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1/3 cup of cherry tomatoes
2 teaspoons of garlic pepper
Dash of salt
Dash of ground pepper

Boil a pot of water. Add pasta and cook for eight to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Chop up the bell pepper and the cherry tomatoes; toss with the pasta. Next add the olive oil, garlic pepper, salt and ground pepper. Finally, top it with grated parmesan cheese.

The great thing about this pasta is that it’s extremely easy to make, with the whole process taking around 15 minutes. This dish is a perfect as a side dish for a barbecue or a light summer lunch. Unlike most pasta salads, this one is olive oil-based rather than mayonnaise-based, and packed with healthy vegetables. This pasta salad leaves you full and satisfied without the heavy feeling of mayonnaise. It can be served hot or cold and can be easily stored in the fridge and eaten as leftovers. 

— Nichole Perri • Contributing Writer

Cheapskate Lime-Ade

1 carton of generic, frozen lime-ade mix
4 3/4 cups of water
20 fl. oz of Sprite (can substitute with champagne if you want to party)

Pour the frozen lime-aid mix into a pitcher. Add the four 3/4 cups of water. Finally add the sprite or champagne. Mix well and serve over ice.

There is just something about the lemon/lime, sweet-and-tart balance that is just so refreshing. This drink is perfect to quench your thirst on hot summer days. Make this drink for a barbecue or pool party to cool off from the hot sun. The best part is that it takes about two minutes to make. Unlike other lime-ades and mix drinks where you need to squeeze and shave lemons and limes, you already have most of the drink pre-made. You don’t need to be a bartender to impress your friends with how good and refreshing it tastes. Substitute champagne for the sprite you are going to a party and want an extra kick.  

— Nichole Perri • Contributing Writer

Mixed Berry Grunts

4 cups of berries of your choice
About half should be strawberries
The other half may be blackberries, blueberries or raspberries
2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unflavored almond milk*
3 tablespoons Earth Balance butter spread*

Wash and chop the strawberries into fairly thick slices. Wash other berries, and toss all the fruit with the sugar and lemon juice. Let it sit for 10 minutes. In a large saucepan, combine the fruit, sugar and lemon juice. Let it sit for about ten minutes so that a sugar starts to form. Next, bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and stir it often.

While waiting for the mixture to simmer, combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Next, melt the butter into milk in a tiny saucepan. Add the warm mixture to the dry ingredients and stir into a thick dough.

Scoop heaping tablespoons full of the mixture into the simmering fruit to make dumplings. Then cover with a lid and let simmer for another 20 minutes. 

NOTES: Tastes incredible with a scoop of soy vanilla ice cream (or regular ice cream if you aren’t vegan). Can be made with 1/2 cup regular milk and 2 tablespoons regular butter instead. If a lid is unavailable, wrapping tightly with aluminum foil is an acceptable substitute. 

Grunts, or stovetop dumplings, are the ideal summer dessert for college students. They are what you get when you take the labor out of the classic two-crust pie. Practically foolproof, no rolling, kneading, macerating, or greasing is involved. They’re also ideal for the college student on a budget: there are few ingredients, and most of them are dirt-cheap. The most expensive ingredients are the berries, and they get cheaper and cheaper as we get deeper into summer. Oh, and did we mention that they’re delicious?

— Ayan Kusari • Staff Writer

Marinated Salmon With Mango-Kiwi Relish

Salmon 
3 Tablespoons honey
4 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
2 (6 ounce) salmon fillet (about 1 inch thick)
1/2 cooking spray

Relish
1 Mango
2.5 Kiwis
1/2 cup fresh orange juice

Rinse and pat dry the salmon. To prepare the salmon, combine first four ingredients in a small bowl and mix them well. Marinate the salmon with this marinade for about 15 minutes, turning occasionally.

While the fish marinates, prepare the relish. Dice and cube the peeled mangoes and the peeled kiwis. Combine these with the orange juice in a small bowl.

Heat the grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add fish carefully and cook about five minutes on each side. Serve the salmon with the relish on a plate.

As college students, we tend to eat to fill, not fuel. As a consequence, we easily feel bloated, lethargic and energy deprived. It’s time for some real food that can tantalize and excite the taste buds without making your esophagus feel like an oily slip and slide. Whether it be your special one or your friends  — or even just yourself — this healthy, easy dish will certainly entertain both their eyes and tongues. The honey-sweet firm and flaky salmon and ripe mangoes and kiwis complement each other to the point where a bunch of light ingredients give an end result that is juicy and rich. With every bite, you can’t help but think summer is right around the corner.

— Ashley Kwon • Staff Writer