13 Healthy "Gourmet" Hotel Room Cooking Recipes
The newest trend on Youtube is Hotel Room Cooking, believe it or not! With the economy crunching everyone's budget, it's no wonder people are looking for ways to save money on travel. All you need to cook in your hotel room is aluminum foil and an iron. To read more about this trend and the do's and don't of hotel room cooking, click on this link.
Just because space and equipment is limited, it doesn't mean you can't prepare delicious meals. Here is my "gourmet" take on hotel room cooking kicked up a few notches! I've included breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes and best of all, dessert! Be safe and have fun!
Breakfast recipes:
Make sure that your coffee maker is clean before trying this. Run plain water through the coffee pot to make sure that that it is clean and to make sure that what you cook doesn't taste like coffee. If it is not clean, call the hotel front desk and tell them you want your coffee maker replaced.
1. Coffee Maker Ham and Cheese Grits
Ingredients:
1/2 cup hot water from the coffee pot
1 package instant grits
1 butter packet (optional)
1 tablespoon of shredded cheese
1 tablespoon diced ham
a dash of seasoned salt (optional)
Empty a package of instant grits and ham into a coffee mug. Heat water through the coffee pot and pour over the grits, completely covering the grits with a little extra (about 1/2 cup or a little more). Let sit a couple of minutes. Add the cheese and seasoning, stir and enjoy!
 |
| Only a few ingredients. |
 |
| Add grits to hot water. |
 |
| Add ham |
 |
| Add cheese and stir. |
 |
| Yummy! |
2. Hotel Room PB&J Oatmeal
Ingredients:
1/2 cup hot water from the coffee pot
1 package of instant oatmeal
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 or 2 sugar packets
2 tablespoons strawberry preserves
Empty package of oatmeal and sugar into a coffee mug. Cover with hot water. Let it sit for a minute. Stir in the peanut butter (add a little more hot water if it's too thick). Add the fruit preserves last and enjoy.
 |
| Some of these ingredients can be found at the Hotel Breakfast Bar |
 |
| Add oatmeal and sugar to hot water, then add peanut butter. |
 |
| Add the strawberry jelly |
 |
| Kicked up and protein packed! |
Ingredients:
1/2 cup hot water from the coffee pot
1 Fruit flavored tea bag
1 Coffee Creamer packet provided with your coffee pot
1 Sugar packet provided with your coffee pot
1 package instant oatmeal
optional: dried fruit
In a coffee mug, steep the fruit tea in hot water from the coffee pot for one minute. Remove the teabag and add the contents of the oatmeal pack and stir. Add the creamer and sweeten to your taste with sugar or sweeter.
 |
| Teabags, sweetners, and creamer are often available in hotel lobbies. |
 |
| Steep the tea in a little hot water for a minute. |
 |
| Add the oatmeal and sweetner. |
 |
| Stir and let sit for a couple of minutes. |
 |
| Add creamer. |
 |
| A little dried fruit is a nice topping. |
Quesadillas are probably the best and easiest hot meal to make in your hotel room, but there's no need to settle for just a tortilla and cheese. There are so many varieties than can be made using your hotel iron. A quick stop at a grocery store is all you need. The grocery store salad bar can be your best bet to buy just enough ingredients. Choose salad bar ingredients such as fresh spinach, shredded cheese, dry vegetables such as onion, bell peppers and olives, and cooked meats such as ham, pepperoni, chicken and turkey. Take a few different dressings for dipping. Tip: spreading a little mayonnaise on the outside of the tortilla will help achieve a golden brown crust on the quesadilla.
Here's are some great examples of hotel room quesadillas:
4. Ironing Board Mediterranean Quesadilla:
Set up the ironing board and preheat the iron to the highest setting, and turn off the steam feature. Lay out a large piece of foil to cover the board. Besides the tortilla, most of these ingredients are available at a grocery store salad bar.
Ingredients:
One tortilla
3-4 spinach leaves
5-6 black olive slices
3-4 roasted red pepper slices
2-3 tablespoons shredded or sliced provolone or mozzarella cheese
3-4 slices of pepperoni
mayonnaise packet
Arrange all of the items on half of the tortilla (don't over stuff it) and fold over the top. Spread a little mayonnaise on the outside of the tortilla (this will allow it to brown). Wrap the stuffed tortilla in foil making sure it is sealed all around it. Place it on the ironing board and press the heated iron on it for a couple of minutes on each side. Unwrap it carefully, because it will be very hot and the steam will escape as soon as it's opened. Wait a minute and remove from foil to a plate. Cut it into triangles with your kitchen shears. Serve with a little marinara if you have it. Enjoy!
 |
| Only a few ingredients make a great quesadilla. Here we have pepperoni, onion, peppers and cheese. |
 |
| Spread outside with mayo |
 |
| Arrange items on half of the tortilla. |
 |
| Top with more cheese. |
 |
| Wrap in foil and press with a preheated iron. |
 |
| I forgot the spinach! Oops! |
 |
| Here's what it looks like when it's unwrapped. |
 |
| Delicious by itself or add a dressing for dipping. |
Ingredients:
1 tortilla
2 slices deli turkey
2 slices deli sliced cheese, each torn in 2 pieces
1 tablespoon bacon bits
4 slices avocado
1 mayonnaise packet
Ranch dressing packet
Spread mayonnaise on one side of the tortilla. Place it mayo side down on a large piece of foil. Place two pieces of cheese on one half of the tortilla. Top with bacon bits, turkey slices and avocado slices. Top it all with two more pieces of cheese. Fold over the other side of the tortilla, wrap securely but not tightly in foil. Place the foil pack on the foil covered ironing board and press with a preheated iron for a few minutes on each side. Unwrap carefully and cut into triangles with a plastic knife or scissors. Serve with Ranch dressing.
6. Roast Beef Quesadilla
Ingredients:
One tortilla
one mayonnaise packet
2 slices Swiss cheese
3-4 slices deli roast beef
1 packet ketchup
1 packet horseradish sauce (I got it from Arby's)
5-6 fresh spinach leaves
Spread mayonnaise on outside of the tortilla and lay mayo side down on a large piece of foil. On half of the tortilla layer cheese, roast beef. Mix together the ketchup and horseradish sauce and spread on roast beef. Top with spinach and more cheese. Fold over tortilla and wrap in foil. Press with a preheated iron for a few minutes and turn over carefully. Press a few more minutes and open the foil. Cut into triangles and enjoy!
7. Hotel Room Smoked Sausage Kabobs
This recipe renders a little fat from the sausage so be careful not to let it drip.
Ingredients:
1 link of fully cooked smoked sausage, cut in 1 inch rounds
1 onion, cut in large chunks
1 bell pepper, cut in large chunks
Creole Seasoning or Seasoned Salt
Mustard and ketchup packets or barbecue sauce pack
Spear alternating pieces of sausage, onion and bell pepper onto bamboo skewers. Season with Creole Seasoning. Wrap 2 or 3 skewers securely but not tightly in aluminum foil. Press with a preheated iron for 2 minutes. Turn over and press other side of packet with iron. Open very carefully. Enjoy with a dipping sauce made of ketchup and mustard blended together or BBQ sauce.
8. Hotel Room Spicy Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients:
2 slices bread
2 slices pepper jack cheese
3 or 4 slices ham
3 or 4 pepperoncini slices
1 mustard packet
1 or 2 mayonnaise packets
On a large piece of foil, spread mayonnaise on two slices of bread. Turn the slices over and top one slice with cheese, ham slices, peppers and drizzle with mustard. Top the other slice of bread with more cheese. Put the sandwich together and wrap securely but not tightly in aluminum foil. Lay the foil package on the foil covered ironing board and press with the preheated iron for a couple of minutes. Turn over and press the other side. Open carefully and let the steam escape. Remove from foil to a plate and cut into triangles with kitchen shears. Enjoy!
 |
| Pepper jack cheese adds a little spice. |
 |
| Spreading mayo on the outside of the bread helps it brown. |
 |
| Place cheese on both bread slices. |
 |
| Add ham to one side |
 |
| Put the two sides together and wrap in foil. |
 |
| Press with a preheated iron. |
 |
| Nicely browned and cheese is melted. |
 |
| I want one now! |
9. Muffaletto Pannini
Ingredients
2 large slices Italian bread
one mayonnaise packet
2 slices provolone cheese
2 slices ham
2 slices salami
green and black olives
Spread mayonnaise on outside of the bread slices. Turn over and layer on ingredients in this order: cheese, ham, salami, olives and cheese again. Top with other bread slice and wrap in foil. Press with the preheated iron on both sides until hot and toasted.
10. Buffalo Chicken Pannini Sandwich
Ingredients:
2 large bread slices
1 cream cheese pack
4-5 rotisserie chicken breast slices
1 pack Buffalo sauce or hot sauce
2 packs Ranch dressing
Spread a little ranch dressing on the outside of the bread slices and lay sauce side down on a large piece of foil. Carefully spread cream cheese on one slice of bread and drizzle half of the Buffalo sauce. Layer chicken slices on top and drizzle the rest of the Buffalo sauce and a little ranch dressing (use the rest for dipping). Top with the other slice of bread and wrap in foil. Press with a preheated iron for a couple of minute and turn over. Press a couple more minutes. Remove from foil and enjoy!
11. Leftover Taco Bowl Burrito
This recipe uses your leftovers from a taco bowl entree from a restaurant such as Chipotle or Moe's. When ordering your bowl, ask for extra tortillas and a container of extra sour cream. Take home extra taco sauce too!
Ingredients:
1 flour tortilla
1/4 taco meat or fajita meat
2 spoonfuls rice
2 spoonfuls beans
3 spoonfuls cheese
Place the tortilla on the foil. Place the meat, cheese, rice and beans down the center of the tortilla. Roll up the tortilla into a burrito, sealing the ends. Wrap the burrito securely but not tightly in foil. Place the heated iron on the burrito package and cook for a few minutes. Carefully turn over the package (it will be hot) and press with the hot iron a few more minutes (you should be able to hear it sizzling. Carefully unwrap the burrito and serve with the extra sour cream, salsa or taco sauce.
Side Dishes
There's no need to skip veggies. Your hotel room coffee pot makes a great steamer.
12. Coffee Pot Cheesy Broccoli
Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1 cup broccoli flowerets
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
Run about a half cup of water through the coffee pot. Add broccoli to the hot water in the coffee carafe. Using aluminum foil, cover and seal the top of the carafe and let the broccoli steam for a few minutes. Strain out the excess water and add seasoning and stir. Dump out the broccoli onto a plate, top with cheese, cover with foil and wait a couple minutes. When the cheese is melted, it's ready to eat!
Don't forget dessert!
13. Nutella S'Mores
Cover the heating element of the coffee pot with a double layer of aluminum foil. Preheat the coffee pot "burner." You can also wrap in foil and press lightly with a heated iron.
Ingredients:
Nutella spread
Marshmallow spread
Graham Crackers
On a square of foil, place a graham cracker. Spread the cracker with Nutella spread. Spread a second graham cracker with marshmallow spread. Place the two crackers together and place them on the foil square on top of the burner for a minute and then turn it over. Enjoy!
 |
| Using Nutella adds protein and flavor. |
 |
| Spread one side with Nutella and the other with marshmallow fluff. |
 |
| Put together and place on the foil covered burner on the coffee pot. |
 |
| Turn over and heat the other side. |
 |
| It's ready when it starts to ooze out. |
 |
| A perfect dessert! |
Other ideas for meals in your hotel room may include refrigerator oatmeal, wrap sandwiches and chia seed pudding. Many easy recipes for making these and others are available on Youtube and Pinterest.
Bon Appétit!
Buy Me a Coffee!
Check out my other Destinations Diva blog articles by clicking here.
Comments
Post a Comment