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 I
happen to have a wonderful family of four — 2 great kids
under the age of 9 and a husband who is always thankful for
my culinary profession! I am constantly testing and developing
recipes and of course, my family is usually the benefactor
of my culinary successes and sometimes (yes, it happens to
us all) failures. Since I do have a family of four to feed
and because servings of 4-6 are the most common ration for
the typical American family, I’ve never had a big need
to create meals for just one. I’ve been asked at several
speaking engagements and cooking demonstrations if we do have
recipes on Glutenfreeda.com specifically made for 1 serving.
The answer is "no" due to the above reasons and
because most recipes (except for the obvious — large
roasts, stews, soups, etc) can be reduced down to one serving.
 This
past week I had the opportunity to test this theory. I was
away on business and then returned home to an empty house
(husband took the kids for a spring-break getaway). So, there
I stood staring in my refrigerator contemplating if I should
be a good girl and make dinner for just me or grab my purse
and head to the nearest restaurant. Well, since I had just
gotten back from a 4 day business trip and had eaten out nearly
every night, I really wasn’t in the mood for more restaurant
food — so I decided to prepare dinners for myself. What
I discovered was that it really wasn’t that difficult
and with a little thought I managed to prepare some lovely
meals that, in my opinion, were far better than what I would
have gotten in a restaurant — and I was able to eat them
in my pajamas (just kidding….maybe!). The key is to purchase
small cuts of meat or fish, a few vegetables and like I had
thought, reduce the portions of everything you prepare. Below
you will find two of my dinners that I prepared during my
week of solitude:
Meal 1:
Halibut
with Mixed Mushroom Cream Sauce — for this recipe
I purchased 1 small piece of halibut fillet and prepared the
mixed mushroom cream sauce (divided this by 2, normally this
serves 4, but it was so good that it was nice to have extra).
Sautéed Asparagus — simple
to do for one — just blanch what you think you will eat
and then sauté in olive oil or butter.
Garlic Roasted Potatoes — again,
simple to do for one, just toss one large Yukon potato (cut
into 1 inch pieces) in a little olive oil, place in a baking
dish and add an unpeeled garlic clove and roast at 400°F
for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meal 2:
Grilled Petite Filet Mignon —
simply seasoned with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
and grilled to perfection.
Rice — an all time favorite
in our house (see Perfect
Rice, Every time)
Sautéed Asparagus & Red Peppers
with Balsamic Vinegar — here, I blanched the asparagus,
then sautéed some red onion, red peppers along with
the blanched asparagus, then drizzled with balsamic vinegar
and seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Each night was equally delicious and very
special. I think that is one point I’d like to make for
those who are looking for meals for one — just because
you are eating alone doesn’t mean that you need to eat
bland food or unbalanced meals….these meals above were
truly restaurant quality and each meal took me no more than
45 minutes to prepare (if that). I hope this helps and inspires
those looking for 1 serving meals. Have fun with it and again
make your food special regardless of how many people you are
serving!
Enjoy!
Jessica Hale, Co-Editor
Glutenfreeda
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