By Gwen Schoen
McClatchy Newspapers

Even a college student gets tired of eating out and longs for some home cooking once in a while.

There are three new books that target a college student's appetite, lack of funds and shortage of culinary skills.

"The College Cookbook: An Alternative to the Meal Plan: 200 Quick, Cheap, Nutritious Recipes" by Geri Harrington (Storey Publishing, $12.95, 154 pages).

Do not give this book to anyone entering culinary school. You will, for example, find a recipe for gravy made with soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, water and cornstarch. You will not find a recipe for cordon bleu, but you will find several for one-pot chili and dozens of recipes that begin with 1 pound of ground beef.

There is a glossary of cooking terms and a guide to the use of spices and herbs. The recipes are written for people who have problems making sandwiches, so even novice cooks will be able to accomplish something before they starve to death.

The book includes 200 recipes collected from college students around the country. You might expect that most would be heart-attack fare -- and many are -- but there are a few that are quite healthful, such as shrimp 'n' rice made with sauteed shrimp served over steamed rice.

"The Healthy College Cookbook: Quick. Cheap. Easy." by Alexandra Nimetz, Jason Stanley and Emeline Starr (Storey Publishing, $14.95,154 pages).

This book has a lot going for it. The authors are health-conscious college students who collected and tested more than 200 recipes. Their goal was to create a guide for students who have little time and even less money.

The book begins with a list of essential items for a well-stocked kitchen, including such things as oven mitts, measuring spoons and a cutting board. They also include a list of pantry basics such as rice, peanut butter and flour, and a brief description of cooking terms to help out the novice who might not know how to baste or blanch. We especially like their description of burn: "If you are having success with this one, you probably should not be left alone in the kitchen."

The recipes include a collection of dips (something all college students need in their culinary repertoire), a variety of pizzas and sandwiches, soups, salads and dressings, vegetable side dishes, main dishes and desserts. There's even a nutrition breakdown of each recipe, something you'd never expect to find in a cookbook for college students.

"Munchies: Cook What You Want, Eat What You Like, Finally, a Cookbook Even You Will Use" by Kevin Telles Roberts (Storey Publishing, $12.95, 184 pages).

At some point, even a college student reaches the saturation point of fast-food and energy bars. It's time to learn to cook. The author says he learned to cook as an act of self-preservation. He put together a collection of 100 recipes geared to the cuisine-impaired.

What's there: strawberries and Cool Whip; atomic wings made with chicken wings, butter and a bottle of Frank's Red Hot Sauce; Chilean po' boy made with two handfuls of roast beef, two cans of green beans, crusty sandwich rolls and hot sauce; pan-fried sole; and Texas caviar bean dip made with a can of black beans, a can of black-eyed peas, scallions, a jalapeno and cilantro.

This, as you probably guessed, is not a health-food cookbook, but at least a student wouldn't starve before coming home for the holiday break.