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Living alone and without a partner, my dinner menu consisted of pancakes, very orange-colored macaroni and cheese, or Chinese takeout. I listened to friends who said cooking for one wasn’t worth the trouble. Then I learned more, got healthier and found that cooking a good meal for myself took very little time and effort, with huge payoffs. I felt and looked better.
Sometimes, I like to make several time-consuming dishes at once, like a soup, side, main and dessert. However, when I get busy and tired and don’t have much in the fridge, I reach for one of my “go-to” recipes, which are fast, easy and flexible.
You can interchange ingredients to use what you have on hand instead of sticking to what I’ve used here. No chicken? Use tofu. No green onion? Use a sweet onion or garlic instead. Replace carrots with sweet potato.
If you, too, are often a solo diner, here are some recipes that mean sitting down to a pretty plate that is satisfying in body and spirit. You deserve this!
10 Minute Mustard Yogurt Chicken
Prep: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves: 1
The chicken cooks for approximately 10 minutes in this mustard sauce and is great with rice, toast or noodles. Depending on the size of your chicken breast and your appetite, you can always save leftover chicken for a salad the next day.
Ingredients:
1 chicken breast
2 tablespoons yogurt (I use a plain coconut-based one. Use what you like)
2 teaspoons mustard (I’ve used both yellow and Dijon — use what you like)
1/4 teaspoon tamari
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
1 cup greens, chopped (use what you like — kale, collards, arugula, etc.)
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
Water
Place the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add the garlic. When it starts to sizzle, add the carrots. Mix the tamari, mustard and yogurt together and add 1/4 cup of water to make a sauce. Put the chicken and sauce into the pan with the garlic and carrots. Add the sauce. If you need more water to have 1/4” of liquid in the pan, add some water. Add the greens and parsley on top and put a lid on the pan. Simmer for 10 minutes. Check your chicken to make sure it is cooked all the way through (no pink). If not, cook a few minutes more, but 10 minutes usually does it. Enjoy.
Co-Free Curry with Tofu
Prep: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves: 1
You can buy red, green or yellow curry paste at most markets. I prefer the organic ones, but get what you can. Any will work in this dish. The name here refers to this being coconut milk-free. You don’t need it to make a wonderful meal. I use a little agave to balance the spices and salty tamari instead of coconut milk, and I often simmer until all of the liquid is gone so the flavors are concentrated.
Ingredients:
3-4 ounces of tofu
1 carrot, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
2 baby bok choy
1 teaspoon curry paste (more if you love heat, this is mild)
2 teaspoons agave
Tamari (a sprinkle)
1tablespoon olive oil
Water
Place the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the curry paste and agave, stirring them into the oil. Add the veggies and crumble the tofu into the pan. Sprinkle with tamari and then add enough water to have about 1/2” of liquid in the pan. Stir. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until all of the liquid has evaporated.
Oven Onion Fish
Prep: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves: 1
Ingredients:
1 fish fillet, approximately 7 ounces (I often go for sole, but use a fish you enjoy)
1 lemon
2 tablespoons daikon radish cut into matchsticks (you can also use red radish)
1 green onion sliced
Sprinkle of tamari
Water to create 1/4-1/2 inch in pan.
Preheat the oven or toaster oven to 350°F (Ikea has a great Pyrex dish that fits toaster ovens). Place the fish in a small baking dish. Mix half of the lemon juice with a sprinkle of tamari and pour it over the fish. Add enough water to create 1/4” to 1/2” of liquid in the pan. Reserve the other half of the lemon to add more at the table if you like. Sprinkle the green onions and radish pieces over the fish. Bake for 20 minutes.
Miso Mushroom Chicken
Prep: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves: 1
This miso sauce is one of my favorites. It goes with just about anything, and even if I’ve cut up chicken into pieces and cooked it for far longer than ten minutes to get the liquid completely reduced, this miso sauce seems to keep the chicken tender and delicious.
Ingredients:
1 chicken breast (sliced into strips or whole — your choice)
1 teaspoon miso paste dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water or mushroom soaking liquid
1 teaspoon agave
2 tablespoons chopped or sliced onion (any kind)
2 large shiitake mushrooms (soaked if dried) sliced
1 cup chopped greens
1 tablespoon olive oil
Water
Mix the miso and agave together with a Tablespoon of water. Place the olive oil in a fry pan over medium heat. Add the onions and let them cook for a minute. Add the chicken, mushrooms, greens and sauce. Add enough water to the pan to create 1/2” liquid. Simmer with a lid for 8 minutes, then take the lid off and simmer until all of the liquid is reduced to a coating and the chicken is cooked through.
Who out there is single? What do you enjoy making for dinner? Let us know in the comments below.
