TivaBella

I live alone and you would not believe how difficult it is to cook for 1 person. There are not a lot of resources out there either. Does anyone have any simple, healthy recipes for 1 person - maybe 2? My secondary problem is that I have almost no freezer space so the "cook up a huge casserole and freeze it" idea won't work for me.

Also, my idea of gourmet cooking is adding some seasoning to my Kraft Dinner, so the simpler the better. I can follow almost any recipe, but if it is too complex, especially after working all day, I don't bother.

Any help you can give would be appreciated.

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maleficent

There are a bunch of cookbooks available for cooking for one:
http://static.ecookbooks.com/categor...two/index.html
will give you a headstart - -

This one is particularly good:
http://www.ecookbooks.com/products.h...tion=det_23376

I also just got Rachel Ray's cookbook that has 365 recipes that probably 350 of them are supremely easy... all you would hav eto do is divide the recipe in half...

Storage sounds like it's your biggest problem... If you plan your meals out a week in advance - you should be able to shop so that you are getting just enough stuff to cook with and aren't throwing out stuff that you didn't need.



As I'm sure you are finding out, not havine freezer space, makes cooking for one a lot more expensive - (you can't get family packs of chicken or meats, etc...)

I cook for myself 99 percent of the time - I will usually m ake enough for lunch the next day or dinner a day or two later...

I do not like packaged foods, so kraft dinners I'd never buy

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Cynthetiq

You should also try to learn how to make things that "convert" to other things, such as a roast becoming beef stew, spaghetti meatsauce to sloppy joes. It helps to at least change it up a little bit with little waste.

I'm not a fan of packaged foods either but do like packaged canned and bottled sauces and dry spice packs. Also I have been trying to be better about using soup stocks like Rachel Ray suggests because it gives better dimension and flavor to the meal.

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maleficent

The problem with packaged foods is they usually contain sooo much salt in them ... the dry spice mixes from Mrs dash are salt free and actually pretty tasty and add al ot of flavor... or you can make your own... and just keep them in airtight containers in the fridge (For years, I've always kept a supply of Emeril's Essence - -that I made myself - and use it in a lot of things...)

5 tablespoons sweet paprika
1/4 cup garlic powder
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons cayenne
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons dried thyme

(mix the ingredients togehter and store in an airtight container - the original recipe called for 1/4 cup of salt but reading that made my blood pressure raise so I eliminated it...)

Chicken stock or Vegetable stock I use in place of water in most recipes ....makes a quick cooked meal taste like a little more time was spent - and as long as it's not in a can - the chicken stock in the carton will keep about a week if kept in the back of the fridge..

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BigBen

Cooking for 1:

Open Beer.
Drink Beer.
Order Pizza.
Eat Pizza.

Repeat as necessary.

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Dilbert1234567

I always like making pasta sauce; pesto is really easy if you have a food processor.

Fresh basil
Pine nuts
Garlic cloves
Olive oil
Good Parmigianino cheese

Toss the basil into the food processor, chop until its almost to your desired smallness, add half of the pine nuts, the garlic cloves a bit of olive oil, and some of the cheese. Pulse again until the garlic is mixed and chopped. Spread over pasta and add the remaining pine nuts and some more cheese.

You can make as much or as little as you want. I usually make a batch that will last me most of the week (I love pesto and never get sick of it). To mix things up, add some cream in it, a second or different hard Italian cheese. You can tweak this recipe very far.

Also, for stretching the budget by buying large packs of meat, if you buy like a 4 pack of chicken breast, trim them when you get home and break them into bags of 2, marinate them in different marinades, then for dinner cook the 2 breast, and save one for lunch the next day, the next night cook the next set with the different marinade, chicken and beef can marinade in the fridge for a few days. I just had a tri tip in the fridge marinating in red wine, soy sauce, thyme, rosemary and a bit of sugar for 5 days, and it came out as the best tri trip I’ve ever done, incredibly tender and juicy, it did not even need a knife to eat. Marinades are an easy way to impart a lot of flavor to your food with little work.





Do you know of any brands that are low in sodium, even the low in sodium ones are still extremely high?

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maleficent

I really like the Kitchen basics chicken stock, My local grocery store usually has them on sale 2/$5.00 -- it's a little pricier than College inn or Swansons but it's also richer than the chicken broths)

I just looked at the package and it's got 480 mg of sodium per serving... other chicken stocks and broth's I've seen have well over 600 mg per serving - Isuppose 480 isn't great but I like the stocks... Their vegetable stock has about 330 mg per serving... ( also rarely add any salt to what I'm cooking, unless it's to pasta water...)

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Dilbert1234567

Yeah, the Kitchen Basics is the lowest I’ve found so far. I have this great recipe, (I may have found it on a previous rendition of the TFP) where you make a sauce by reducing chicken stock with lemon. It tastes good, but it’s too salty. I never understood the point of adding salt to the water for pasta, sure it raises the boiling point, so it cooks hotter and faster, but it takes longer to boil, so you’re not really saving time. I do add a bit of olive oil to the water, so the pasta does not stick when you take it out.

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Charlatan

Frozen foods are your friends...

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maleficent

Slightly off topic but .. eh...

You don't put the salt in until the water is boiling...

Pasta is pretty much flavorless- salting the water (or throwing a few garlic cloves in which i've been known to do as well) is really your only chance to give the pasta a little flavor.

If you cook the pasta in a big enough pot with enough water, it doesn't stick together when you take it out.

Putting oil in the water while it's cooking; forms a lovely oil slick on top of the water, adds no real flavor, and when you drain the pasta that's when the oil comes on it - and the oil being there also prevents the sauce from sticking to the pasta...

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snowy

I really agree with Mal, and would really recommend Rachael Ray, as her recipes teach a lot about method, and she encourages you to take her recipes and run with them. I've modified a great many of her recipes to be vegetarian, and I'm sure it's similarly easy to modify them for one or two people. And her recipes are usually simple and tasty If you don't want to splash out for a cookbook, go pick up a copy of her magazine.

Similarly, if you haven't already--catch an episode of Good Eats with Alton Brown. Again, it's a cooking show all about the method. Once you learn the method, it will be easy to cook for one.

And there's nothing wrong with putting a little cayenne pepper on your Kraft Dinner. I eat that for dinner sometimes when I feel lazy.

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Dilbert1234567

Slightly more off topic .. but i'll be back on topic in a sec ..

I’ve never had trouble with the sauce not sticking to the noodles with the oil, but I only use about a teaspoon. I’ve never had trouble with flavorless noodles, but I make mine from scratch most of the time and already add in the flavor, as long as you grind up the extra flavor really fine, the pasta holds together well, they last a few days in the fridge, or longer if I let them dry out properly. I’ll try the garlic next time I use store-bought noodles.



But to not move this thread away from its original goal, another quick easy recipe for you that’s nice and quick. Just find a small piece of salmon at the supermarket. What ever is left over, you can add to your eggs in the morning, salmon and eggs go well together.

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon packed light brown sugar
4 (6-ounce) center-cut pieces salmon fillet with skin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Stir together vinegar, water, lemon juice, and brown sugar in a small bowl.
Pat salmon dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat but not smoking. Increase heat to high, add salmon skin side up, and sear until well browned, about 4 minutes. Turn fish over and sear until just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes more.
Transfer salmon to plates and carefully add vinegar mixture to skillet (liquid will bubble vigorously and steam). Simmer, stirring, until thickened and reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 2 minutes. Spoon glaze over salmon.

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TivaBella

Thanks for all the advice guys. I will definitely give your suggestions a try. Mal, I have ordered that book you recommended through my library. I wanted to check it out before buying it, but if it is as good as you say, I'm sure I will be ordering a copy soon.

I do eat way to much prepared food, and am concerned about the salt, among other things. That is exactly why I posted this. I have no creativity in the kitchen and I am a horrible planner, so simple, yummy recipes are the way to go.

BigBen - I love your style. Unfortunately, the take out people in my town are beginning to recognize my voice on the phone when I call, so I think it is time to back off on that for a while.

That reminds me of a funny story involving 2 former co-workers who were on the phone one evening. This is how their conversation went:

Worker 1: What's that noise I hear in the background?

Worker 2: That's my kitchen timer.

Worker 1: What does that do?

Worker 2: It tells me when my dinner is ready.

Worker 1: Oh, my doorbell tells me that.

You can imagine which of these 2 I can relate to...

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Rodney

I like tossed pasta dishes in their manifold forms, and probably eat them three times a week. I keep around food that's good in tossed pasta but also good in sandwiches, omelettes, and other dishes, so that it can be of multiple use: tomatoes, avocados (yep) , peppers, olive oil, frozen spinach, onions parmesan and ricotta cheese (both good with eggs), a tub of storebought pesto (good in eggs, sandwiches, casseroles), turkey or chicken, olives, and so on.

So when I come home, I just boil some pasta, pick some things out of the frig and pantry and have at. It almost always turns out well. If you really want to make things easy, cook twice as much pasta as you need and store the rest overnight in the frig tossed with a little olive oil to keep it from sticking together.

Here are some variations with the above ingredients

Chopped avocado, chopped tomato, parmesan, chopped jalapeno (optional) and olive oil tossed with hot pasta. Salt and pepper. The avocado cooks slightly in the hot pasta and makes a sort of gravy. A little lemon juice is great, if you've got it.

Chopped tomato and onion with _more_ parmesan, tossed with pasta and olive oil. If you don't like strong onion, throw the chopped onion into the pasta water for the last 3-4 minutes to get mild onions and pasta with an oniony sweetness about it. You want to be decadent, throw a little butter in with the OO. You want to be more decadent, serve up a plate, cover it with some sliced white cheese (mozz, provolone, jack, whatever), and either broil it or nuke it briefly in the microwave. Instant spaghetti margherita, although I usually go with penne here.

Or, boil some fettucine, add some store-bought pesto (half a six-ounce tub will do for a pound of pasta), then add additional olive oil, salt, pepper, and parmesan to taste. As good as in any restaurant. If you have broccoli, frozen or otherwise, cook some flowerlets and add. Tastes great with the pesto.

I've got several more, but I'm stopped now. You can't eat pasta _every_ night, but three times a week for sure!

MontanaXVI

I know you said that you do not have a lot of space to make huge meals and freeze em, but sort of along the lines someone else posted above here is my suggestion.

Me and my gf usually just make small meals for the two of us, but what works and makes them easy is to buy (usually chicken we eat a ton of it) bulk packs, trim them up and break them down into 2 pieces throw in some marinade or a rub, then we use our foodsaver and then throw em in the freezer. When one of us gets home from work we pull out a pack that will have two breasts in it already marinated from the freezer toss it in a pot of boiling water to thaw it out and speed cooking (you can boil in the foodsaver bags), then butterfly em and throw on the foreman grill for a few minutes and done.

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TivaBella

Thanks, guys. Rodney, I love pasta and will definitely try some of those ideas. I do have a bit of freezer space and usually have a couple of chicken breasts in there like you suggested, Montana. It never occurred to me to put the marinade in the freezer with them though. I like it. I also happen to have a forman grill so your idea definitely works for me.

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It's all falling into place. Of course that place is nowhere near this place.

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snowy

Rodney makes some great suggestions in his last post. Definitely build a pantry you can use in a pinch (when your fresh food runs out). Some suggestions to build on the ones he's already made: a jar of capers, a jar or two of artichoke hearts, and tons of tinned tomatoes. Lemons last a long time, buy a couple and keep them on hand. Get yourself a Microplane (www.microplane.com)--it's a huge help in any kind of cooking. It does everything from zesting lemons to grating cheese depending on the kind you get. Oh, and garlic! You must have garlic and onions on hand. Get yourself some good cheeses, and what you aren't going to use right away--freeze.

Our favorite pantry pasta recipe:
Any kind of pasta (I like shaped pastas, my boyfriend likes noodles), cooked al dente
1 can stewed tomatoes (crush the tomatoes a bit in a bowl before putting over the pasta)
a sprinkle of feta cheese

Pantry Pasta 2:
pasta
garlic, minced
butter
and a healthy dose of good-quality parmigiano reggiano
I like to brown the butter--gives it a nice nutty flavor and really gets the garlic going. If you do make it with brown butter, you could add spinach and nuts (walnuts or hazelnuts) to make high pasta (this requires a LOT of garlic!).

A little bit of lemon juice, butter, and capers also makes a great sauce for pasta.

Another suggestion: baked potatoes. Easy to make for one, and you can dress them up however you like. Quesadillas are easily done solo, especially if you have a George Foreman. And even if you aren't vegetarian, a good veggie burger can make a good fallback meal.

With a good pantry built up, there is a lot you can do, and you'll never go hungry.

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Ample

I ran into this problem. At first I would waste so much food. I would either cook way to much or thaw out a pound of chicken and cook half, throw the other half in the frig and tell myself that I will make something with it in the next few days, and didn't.

What I do now is when I go to the grocery store buy a good two week worth of food. When I get home I cook all the meals right there. When I am done I have seven to ten separate meals. Then freeze them. I hate the frozen meals that one buys in the store. They are never the right portions for me, loaded with salt and other crap that I dont need, and never the right combination. So I make my own. I have been doing this for about 2 months and it works out great.

VirFighter

Chalk me up to the list of those that has problems cooking for one. I'm the kind of person that never really knows what I want to eat for supper until I start browsing the fridge when I get home, so cooking in advance and freezing doesn't really work (although I do cook things for supper and then eat them for lunch within a couple days).

I eat a lot of pasta and I keep a good supply of vegetables on hand to keep it interesting. Spices are your friend too. If you have a good spice supply you can make the same thing three days in a row and have it taste different each time.

Classic easy, come home from dinner meal for me:

-Thaw out a piece of frozen fish (I like tilapia) and saute or simply pan sear it.
-cook random frozen vegetable (eat a lot of brocolli, squash, okra, etc)
-cook some pasta or rice as a base or put the fish on some bread for an open faced sandwich
-some fruit for dessert (try to keep strawberries on hand)

A meal like that is all about the spices/flavors. My fish could be cajun, lemon, bbq, hell damn near anything.

I hope this helps.

Zach

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