Vegetarian and in college

Hello all, may I just say how pleased I was to discover this forum filled with such wonderful tibits of knowledge. 

I am currently living on a college campus with very limited healthy vegetarian options available in the Student Union.  I sustain on a lot of fruit, hummus wraps and the occasional bowl of beans from Taco Bell.  I have a mini dorm fridge where I can keep some fresh veggies.

But anyways, I wanted to start a college-themed veg thread so we can share dorm appropirate tips (ie most dorms don't allow heating units like hot pots/plates).

I'm not in college, but I am at boarding school so I feel your pain. The food on campus sucks, so I usually am stuck eating salads or pasta. I always keep food in my room like almonds, and lentil soup and premade tofu so I don't starve to death. I've also gotten pretty crafty at the salad bar... they have nasty raw tofu and also some raw broccoli, so I will microwave those at the dining hall with soy sauce and put sunflower seeds on top as an alternative to salad.

If you like soymilk, I used to keep Vanilla Silk in my fridge at all times, and would always have a bowl of cereal when I was hungry...or a Luna Bar  

We kept a hot pots in our rooms anyways, and used them to cook up pasta, instant brown rice, and oatmeal and things.

Peanut butter and apples were always a staple too for snacks, since the apples kept for a few days to a week and didn't have to be refridgerated...also peanut butter and banana sandwiches :)

Porrige, honey and cinamon. That keeps. and to make clas lower make the porrige with water.Really nice with slices of apple in too.

Toast! :)

Carrot and cucumber sticks n phillidelpia.

Strawberries, apple, bannana, fat free natural yogart and honey.

special K bars

canned soups

cuppa soups

innocent (or any other natural fruit) smoothies

and of course my favourite of all , what the fridge is really for : BEER BEER, WINE WINE, VODKA VODKA, COKE ! :D

Can't think of owt else sorry

I'm not in college but things like tinned lentils and kidney beans are already cooked, so if you have somewhere to heat up soup then you can just drain the lentils or whatever and stick them in the soup, so the protien level in boosted. wholemeal pita bread it also a good snack and can be made into a good lunch if you add some veggies and hummus

I'm not in college, but we had non-working gas stove at my place for 3 months last summer so we had to cook everything in the microwave or toaster oven.  (I'm vegan btw)

I ate: rice with veggies (you can make rice in the microwave, either regular or box mixes - try adding things like canned tomatoes with chilis or beans to plain rice), baked potatoes in the microwave, "grilled" portobello mushrooms in the toaster oven, toaster oven pita pizzas with lots of veggies, luna bars, cereal with soymilk, salads, sandwiches/wraps/pitas with fresh veggies, pb&j, oatmeal in the microwave with fresh or frozen fruit, microwaved vegan mac and cheese, soup...all kinds of stuff.  Believe it or not, it IS possible.  Like I said, I did it for 3 months.

Note: microwave pasta is a bad idea.  Doesn't work.

Luna bars, rice cookies, and Vanilla Soy Milk. My favourite veg foods.. =D

All colleges should be forced to offer vegetarian food only.

It just makes sense. Point.

i' ve been about 70% raw food since living in the dorms & it is HARD. i rely on the salad & fruit bars and stash a lot of almonds & dried fruit in my room- mangos are the best!

I'm a vegetarian in my third year; i feel your pain. Here are some of the things i munch on to survive:

Veggie dogs. They can be eaten (and are delicious) cold. Slap some ketchup or mayo on 'em, and they're good to go

if you eat eggs, you can easily make a "fried" egg in the microwave. Take two small plates, and break an egg onto one. break the yoke, and put the other plate upside-down and on top of the first. move it to the side half a centimetre so that it doesn't explode. microwave for about a minute

veggie nachos in the microwave. spread your nachos, cut up some veggies, grate some cheese and zap for a minute

popcorn dipped in peanut butter (don't judge until you try it... it's really good).

im at school, and i can never but lunch there coz its either unhealthy or non-veg,but i can occasionly buy salads....how boring!

I'm a third year student and a vegan. My favorite thing is oatmeal. So easy to microwave, and it is insanely cheap. Also, black beans with salsa. That's also pretty cheap and provides a good source of protein.

You'd be amazed what you can use a microwave for.

I've finally escaped dorm life by my fourth year, but my roommates and I have had so much practice using microwaves to make very tasty things...that we neglect our oven and stovetop almost completely.

If you've already got some fresh veg, buy some spray margarine (or substitute) and then all you have to do is put your veggies on a plate or in a bowl...spritz...and nuke for 1-2 minutes. They're almost as good as they are sautee'd...and if you pick up some spices (salt, pepper, garlic, etc.) you can really get creative.

You can make a pretty good "veggie bowl" with sliced up yellow squash, asparagus, green beans and broccoli with a little black pepper...and 2-4 minutes on high (depending on the quantity...) Then slice up your favorite fruit and you've got a very light meal that is super yummy.

If you're craving something south-of-the-border, some canned black beans, corn, cheese (opt), salsa, and tortilla chips all mixed up together is really good.

If you have some rice, cook it and mix it with pepper and pineapple chunks or slices...pour in some juice if you want more flavor....

If you want something low-effort...check the freezer section of your grocery store for Amy's brand microwave dinners. All natural and organic vegetarian goodness...for the same price as any other microwave food...Lean Cuisine has some no-meat (but may contain other things that you probably wont like if you're a vegan) options and so do many other brands.

Does anyone else get that...bewildered stare...from dining service workers on campus when you ask for something with no meat? I know that every time I go in for a croissant, spanish wrap, nachos, or even a salad....they always ask me twice if I want chicken or beef....and then "are you sure?"

Hey i'm a veg and in college too. I say just go to trader joes and stock up on thier frozen and fridge goods. or go to costco and stock up on veggies and tofu. thats the best way to save money and time. tell me if you want recipies cus I got lots!!!!

Would a small George Foreman grill, to do grilled veggie burgers, vegetables and tofu, work in a dorm room?  It's really small, but is it too messy?