Chickpea and Chard Curry for One

Posted by Rachel

October 7, 2009

Learning how to cook for one has been a challenge. I’m so used to cooking for at least 2 (or 20) at a time that making just one serving of a dish is just…weird.

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But, I’ve recently come up with a few tricks that keep my time spent in the kitchen and food sent to the compost bin to a minimum. Here are a few ideas:

* Make large batches of rice and freeze them in portion sized containers. Pull them out later for almost instant rice pudding or, in this case, to serve with some tasty curry.
* Soak beans overnight. In the morning, drain them and put them in the Crockpot with enough water to cover by at least 2 inches. Add a few pinches of salt, turn on low and let them cook while you are at work. When you come home, use some of the beans to make, say, a curry perhaps, and freeze the remaining beans (with enough cooking liquid to cover the top of the beans) in portion sized containers for later use.
* Make four servings of your favorite dish and package them each in individual containers. Find 3 single friends to do the same and trade. Voila! Four different meals for the price of one.
* Buy tomato paste in a tube instead of a can. It might cost a bit extra, but you can easily use a tablespoon at a time without trying to figure out how to use the rest of the can in a hurry.
* When you make a pot of soup or stew, freeze at least one portion. If you do this once a week for 2 months, you will have 8 single serving meal options stocked up. This is a great way to ensure that you always have variety.

CHICKPEA AND CHARD CURRY FOR ONE

2 tsp. coconut oil
3 Tbs. finely diced yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced on a Microplane
1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced on a Microplane
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. turmeric
5 cherry tomatoes, diced, or about 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup Swiss chard, chopped
few pinches salt
1 Tbs. cilantro, minced

1. In a small sauce pan, heat the coconut oil over medium high heat until melted. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook until onions are just soft, about 3 minutes.

2. Add the spices and stir to thoroughly coat the onion mixture. Immediately add the tomatoes and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any spices or ginger that may be sticking. Add the coconut milk and lower the heat so that the mixture is just at a simmer.

3. Add the chickpeas, chard and salt. Stir, lower heat even more, cover and cook until the greens are just wilted, about 2-3 minutes.

4. Pour curry into a serving bowl and garnish with cilantro. Serve with brown Basmati rice on the side.

Tips and Thoughts About Dining Alone from Around the Blogosphere:
Cooking for One, a Pleasure or a Trial? at Tea & Cookies
Going Solo in the Kitchen: A Cookbook
Living Alone Recipes from Katie Lee Joel
Thai Red Curry Recipe at Whole Foods Market
Pumpkin Gnocchi at Closet Cooking