Dining at home alone should not be eating a bowl of cereal over the kitchen sink. There’s no reason not to prepare a nice meal just for you. Rather than using standard recipes and then having to store the leftovers, here are three recipes specifically designed as single servings.
Chicken Milanese
Ingredients
1 Chicken Breast Half
1 Egg
1/3 cu Panko Bread Crumbs
2 tbl Grated Parmesan
1 tbl Fresh Parsley
1/2 tsp Fresh Oregano
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1 Lemon
1 cu Fresh Arugula
1 Plum Tomato, roughly chopped
1 Green Onion, chopped
2 tsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place the chicken breast between two sheets of wax paper. With a meat pounder or something solid and heavy, pound the chicken flat until it’s about 1/2” think. Set aside. Whisk egg in a large bowl and set aside. Mix breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper into a large bowl. Dip chicken in egg mixture and then coat it with the breadcrumb mixture on all sides. Place chicken on a foil lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until chicken is cooked through and crust is golden brown.
Meanwhile, mix arugula, tomato and green onion in a bowl. Whisk oil into vinegar and pour over greens. Toss to combine.
Remove chicken from oven and squeeze a bit of lemon juice on top. Top with greens and squeeze a bit more lemon juice over all.
Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients
1/3 lb Ground Beef
1 Carrot, chopped
1 Parsnip, chopped
1 Shallot, chopped
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Fresh Tarragon, chopped
1 tbl Flour
1 tbl Beef Base (or 1 bouillon cube)
1/4 cu Warm Water
1 lg Potato, peeled and diced
2 tbl Sour Cream
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
Flat Leaf Parsley, for garnish
Method
Place potato in a small pot and add enough water to cover potatoes by an inch. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for 20 minutes.
Dissolve beef base in the warm water. Add flour and mix until lumps dissolve.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, saute ground sirloin over medium high heat until brown. Add carrots, parsnips, shallots and garlic and saute for an additional 5 minutes. Add tarragon. Pour beef and flour mixture over ingredients and stir for a minute. Remove from heat. Pour ingredients into a large (16oz) ramekin.
Remove potatoes from heat and drain. Add sour cream to the pot and mash the potatoes with a large fork or potato masher until smooth. Spread ingredients over beef mixture. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes and then place pie under a broiler just to brown the top. Remove from broiler and top with fresh parsley to serve.
Shrimp And Pasta
Ingredients
1/3 lb Shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 tbl Olive Oil
1 small Yellow Pepper, seeded and julienned
1 Clove Garlic, minced
1/4 cu White Wine
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 Green Onion, chopped
1 Lemon
1/4 cu Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped
2 oz Linguine
Method
Cook pasta according to instructions.
Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Add yellow pepper and garlic and saute for a minute. Add shrimp and saute for an additional 2 - 3 minutes until shrimp is fully cooked. Add white wine and saute for an additional minute. Drain pasta and add it to the pan along with the green onion, red pepper flakes and parsley. Add a squeeze of lemon juice. Toss ingredients and serve.
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