IMPACT’S STUDENT FRIENDLY RECIPES

Overnight Oats

By Anna Boyne

It’s true when they say that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” – a good breakfast, or lack thereof, can be the difference between making it through a long day of lectures or crashing and going home before you even make it to lunch.

Being both vegan and doing lots of sport at university, I’m conscious of my protein intake, and eating nutritious, filling meals - all while balancing a hectic schedule consisting of 9am lectures and early morning training.

Overnight oats are my go-to breakfast. You can meal-prep multiple at once, with varied toppings to keep it interesting every day of the week. They can also be made in tupperware containers and eaten on the go (thus, maximising the much-needed sleep time).

Oats are surprisingly high in protein and they’re a slow-releasing carbohydrate so they keep me satiated for hours. Even vegan soya yoghurts are a great source of protein and give the oats a lovely thick texture.

I’d really recommend opting for frozen berries as a topping because they’re so much cheaper than buying fresh and just as delicious when they defrost overnight.

Ingredients

40g oats

4 tbsp yoghurt

A splash of milk

An optional squeeze of maple syrup

Topping suggestions:

Frozen raspberries or forest fruits

Banana

Nut butter

Biscoff spread

Nuts and seeds

Method

Simply add the oats, yoghurt, and milk to a bowl or container and give it a mix. Add frozen fruits, then pop them in the fridge overnight. In the morning add extra toppings and enjoy!

Cheesy Pasta Bake

By Holly Philpott

Okay, I know — students have a reputation for surviving off pasta. But is that such a bad thing? This one-pan cheesy pasta dish can be bulked out with spare vegetables and grilled — yes, you read right, grilled — to give that oven-baked texture, but in much less time!

Ingredients

Enough pasta for a single serving - whichever pasta you prefer!

1 bag of fine green beans- use as many or as little as you like! You could also use another green instead, such as broccoli.

2 tbsp Plain flour

150ml milk - I use semi-skimmed milk but use whichever milk you have at home.

60-70g cheese, grated - this is the same as above, choose whatever variety of cheese you prefer! My personal preference is cheddar.

Salad, to serve

Method

Preheat your hob to medium-high and boil a kettle of water.

Once hot, add your pasta and green beans to a saucepan and pour in the boiled water.

Put the saucepan on the hob and cook the pasta for the time specified on the packaging (typically 12-13 minutes)

Once finished, drain your pasta in the sink.

Preheat the grill in your oven.

Add your milk, grated cheese and plain flour to the saucepan (the flour helps to thicken the sauce). Stir thoroughly to ensure that the cheese melts and the flour is incorporated.

Once the cheese has melted through and you have a pasta sauce, turn off the hob.

Take your plate for serving and put as much of the pasta on the plate as you like. Place the plate under the grill for 3-4 minutes, until you can see the sauce bubble and the top of the pasta looks slightly browned. Turn off the grill and remove the plate carefully with oven gloves.

Serve up with salad and enjoy!

ICE CREAM SUNDAE

By Holly Philpott

Who says eating ice cream has to end when autumn closes the curtains on summer’s sunny evenings? One of the easiest sweet treats to whip up in your kitchen is ice cream! It’s something I’ve loved to make for a long time. It requires just one mixing bowl, two key ingredients that can be made vegan, and whatever toppings you want.

Ingredients: for a vanilla ice cream

600ml double cream (or vegan alternative)

397ml/1 tin of condensed milk (or vegan alternative)

Method

Pour your cream and condensed milk into a large mixing bowl, and whisk the two together. With an electric whisk, this should take a few minutes, but if you’re whisking by hand it may take a bit longer, but it’ll definitely be a good arm workout! You’ll know when the mixture is ready, as it will have turned into an even colour and will be much thicker in texture.

That’s all you need to do for a vanilla ice cream! If you want to, customise it now (there are some suggestions below), and then pour the mixture into a suitable container for freezing, for at least a few hours (preferably overnight).

Suggestions for customisation:

1. Biscuit blitz:

if you want to add a bit of a crunch to your ice cream, why not try adding biscuits to your ice cream before freezing, such as Oreos or Biscoff? If you wanted to add even more Biscoff flavour, folding through Biscoff spread would add even more sweetness!

2. Chocolate brownie bliss:

Buy yourself a box of fudge brownies, cut each piece in half and fold them through the ice cream mixture. When pouring the ice cream into the container to freeze, why not pour some ice cream chocolate sauce on top and swirl it through for an extra chocolate rush?

Enjoy this quick and delicious dessert!

Crumble Girl

By Anna Boyne

A few weeks into my second year, my housemate had been saying how much she missed her mum’s crumble. So, for her birthday, I surprised her with an apple crumble which was made using her mum’s recipe.

This involved some stealthy behaviour on my part: getting in contact with her mum, receiving a picture of the handwritten recipe, and then proceeding to make the crumble in the very kitchen we shared!

My housemate was genuinely so overjoyed. It became a staple of my second year house and even earned me the nickname ‘Crumble Girl’ amongst my housemate’s family.

It’s super easy to make and the perfect dessert to share with friends. It can also be adapted to use seasonal produce (i.e., whatever is the cheapest at that time), and made vegan by using an alternative to the butter.

In the colder autumnal months, as home sickness starts to kick in, there’s no better remedy than this recipe.

Serves 8

20 mins prep

40 mins baking

Ingredients:

Crumble:

340g plain flour

230g unsalted butter

230g soft light brown sugar

A pinch of salt

Filling:

6 apples peeled and cut into 1cm cubed pieces

110g brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Method

First, preheat the oven to 180

Grab a bowl and add all the crumble ingredients, softening the butter a little in the microwave if needed.

Rub the ingredients between your fingertips until you get what looks like claggy breadcrumbs.

Next, place the apples, sugar and cinnamon in an oven-proof dish and give it a mix. Sprinkle the crumble mix on top, then add a little more cinnamon.

Bake for 40 minutes or until the fruit is soft and juicy.

My housemate loves it served with cold custard, but it’s also great with cream or ice cream