Monday, January 13, 2014

Cooking for One

Did you see Camille Minichino's guest blog on October 13th? Absolutely hilarious!  Camille's blog made me think about how differently we cook when we're only cooking for one. Do any of you prepare a proper well-balanced meal when you're by yourself? A carb, meat, veggies, fruit? Sometimes I just nosh, which is far worse calorie-wise, I'm sure. A few olives, some cheese and bread, an apple, a leftover chicken leg. But you know what almost always falls by the wayside for me -- veggies!

I like vegetables, but unless I'm having a salad, which, let's face it, is often the same ingredients as my noshing, except with lettuce and dressing added, I'm less inclined to bother with potatoes, carrots, broccoli or greens when it's just me. Bad, bad Krista.

But that reminded me that I bought Lacinato kale, and I really should cook it. In addition, I saw a fabulous photo of mustard greens with white beans in a magazine. Mustard greens -- eh. But kale and beans might make a tasty one skillet dinner. This dish takes the flavor from the garlic and the sausage. Here's what I did.

What do you make when you're only cooking dinner for yourself?



Skillet Kale and Beans with Sausage

1 to 2 servings of sausage (breakfast sausage, chorizo, whatever you like)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 bunch of Lacinato kale
1/2 can white beans
salt and pepper

Prepare the sausage according to directions, or saute briefly in  olive oil.

 

Remove sausage, lower the heat and add minced garlic and red pepper.

 

While they cook, wash the kale, cut out any tough stems and chop in 1-2 inch pieces. Add the kale to the pan and cook until wilted.


Add the beans to warm them, salt and pepper to taste and stir.





15 comments:

  1. What a great point to bring up! Cooking for yourself is both liberating and frustrating--in order to graze for dinner, you have to have something in the fridge to work with. Those times in my adult life that I've lived alone, I've been all over the place--sometimes it's just nibbling, other times I pull out all the stops and make something elaborate (because I'm worth it, right?).

    This sounds like a good middle solution, and it's even healthy.

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    1. It's healthy, and it tasted great, too. Love that you sometimes pull out all the stops-- just for yourself. Maybe I should adopt that attitude.

      ~Krista

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  2. To make my favorite meal for one, I zap one of those microwaveable bags of broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower from the produce section of the grocery store, then top the hot veggies with a shameful amount of smooth and cheesy nacho dip from a jar. Not exactly a well-balanced meal, but at least I'm eating my vegetables! I just made a soup using all of the ingredients in your recipe. Sausage, kale, and white beans are such a delicious combination that I am going to have to make your version soon.

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    1. That's actually a great idea. Cheese makes everything taste better, right?

      ~Krista

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  3. A great solution--simple, tasty, and good for you!

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    1. That was my thought, Libby. Now to do it more often . . .

      ~Krista

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  4. What a lovely bright and healthy meal, Krista! Wonderful for one, but I may double it for two.

    Thanks!

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    1. That's a good point, Mary Jane. It would work just as well as a quick dinner for two.

      ~Krista

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  5. I'm going to try this with spinach because hubby doesn't care for kale. Loved the image of you noshing on a chicken leg. I can't picture it because you are so ladylike! I have been known to make a meal out of those same ingredients--a bit of cheese, a slice of deli meat, the chicken leg, some leftover rice!

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    1. LOL! Me, ladylike? How nice that I've fooled you! ; ) I'm glad I'm not the only one who noshes like that.

      ~Krista

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  6. just had this conversation earlier this week Krista. I had been known to eat tamales out of a can when cooking for myself. When John's away, I try to find some tidbit in the freezer...

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    1. It's funny that we feel more responsible about feeding someone else properly. That's clearly a universal trait. Interesting.

      ~Krista

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  7. Solo New Yorkers are famous (infamous?) for eating their meals over the sink, and I'vw been guilty of that, too. A bit of lunchmeat, some olives, that tomato in the produce drawer, and yes, a handfull of potato chips and a spoon of peanut butter for dessert. But I think your recipe is better, and smarter. Thanks, Krista.

    ~ Cleo

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    1. LOL! Seems like a lot of people do the noshing thing. It's comforting to know that I'm not alone in that respect.

      ~Krista

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  8. I often eat alone. My husband travels. I'm pretty good about having those veggies. I really like grilled zucchini with Parmesan, so that seems to be my go-to veggie. Easy to do. Takes minutes. Add a protein and… Okay, sometimes it's just cheese and crackers and olives. But most times...

    This recipes looks fun and easy, too. Nice!

    Daryl / Avery

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