Veganism is a growing lifestyle because of its various health and environmental benefits. Unfortunately for many vegans in college, it's hard to find vegan-friendly options in dining halls and even harder to cook your own meals in cramped dorm rooms. This Instructable will teach college vegans living in residence halls how to make a tasty three-course meal featuring lettuce cups, spaghetti squash, and banana ice cream. The best part is that all of this food can be made within the comforts of your own dorm on a college student's budget!

Step 1: Gather Your Equipment

The first thing that you need to do is gather all your ingredients and cooking materials. All the ingredients can be bought for under $25 at any grocery store, and all cooking materials can easily be stored in a college dorm.

Ingredients:

One head of lettuce (iceberg lettuce is recommended)
One tomato
One bell pepper
One can of corn
One spaghetti squash
Pasta sauce
Two bananas
Any additional ice cream toppings if desired

Cooking materials:

Microwave
Blender
Cutting board
Oven mitts
Can opener
Mixing bowl
Medium-sized, microwave-safe container
Knife for cutting vegetables
Mixing spoon
Fork
Plate

When cooking, please keep basic safety in mind. Be careful when using the knife, and be sure that your blender has a cover. Also, remember that dishes may be hot when coming out of the microwave, so watch your hands!

Step 2: Preparing the Lettuce Cups

Ingredients needed for this step:

Lettuce
Tomato
Bell pepper
Canned corn

Cooking materials needed for this step:

Cutting board
Knife
Can opener
Plate

Instructions:

Wash all vegetables
Open can of corn
Dice tomatoes and peppers carefully with a vegetable knife
Gently remove outer lettuce layers until you reach the stiff lettuce core
Layer core lettuce leaves on top of one another to form a cup shape
Place peppers and tomatoes into lettuce leaf cup
Drizzle corn on top
Enjoy!

Step 3: Prepare Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients needed for this step:

Spaghetti squash
Pasta sauce

Cooking materials needed for this step:

Microwave
Cutting board
Oven mitts
Knife
Microwave-safe container
Spoon
Fork

If you would like extra instruction on how to cut the spaghetti squash, click here.

Instructions:

Carefully cut off ends of the squash with vegetable knife (approx. 1/2 inch on either side)
Slice squash in half vertically
Scoop out squash guts into trash with a spoon
Place squash into the microwave-safe container with the open side down
Fill container with water to just below or a squash level
Microwave for six minutes (be careful- the water will be hot!)
Using oven mitts, carefully remove dish from microwave and let cool
Remove squash from bowl once cool
Use a fork to scrape the squash into spaghetti noodles (this may take a minute or two)
Drizzle desired amount of sauce into squash and use squash as a bowl
Enjoy!