So my parents (with whom I live) are going walking for two weeks in Kakadu, leaving me on my sweet little lonesome. This means that for two weeks I’m going to be cooking for myself and myself alone most of the time, which could be something of a problem. You see, everything I make ends up being huge. Remember Arwen’s post about that recipe book of meals for fifty? Yeah, don’t need that, practically everything I cook would feed fifty by itself, or at best only need to be doubled.
Now, I could just cook a few giant meals, and then refrigerate/freeze them and alternate nights eating them, but that could get super boring since it’d take me all of the two weeks to eat 3 dishes. Alternatively, I could end up getting bored of cooking every night since this is a whole lot of effort and find myself subsisting on mi goreng and dying of malnutrition on the 13th day. However, I thought that perhaps I could make this an opportunity to expand my recipe base.
So this is my challenge for you- recipes for one that are perfect for the lazy cook. To make it interesting, I’ll suggest a list of veges and herbs I have growing that are ready to be eaten (there are others that aren’t) and see what you come up with. It’s best if they’re things you personally cook on a regular basis, the recipes you know essentially by heart. If you have to think about it too long, it’s not lazy enough 
Vegetables- Zucchinis, carrots, lettuce, green capsicums (tiny ones), lemons, oranges.
Herbs- basil, mint, bay, rosemary, garlic chives, lemongrass, marjoram, thyme, kaffir lime, parsely (although I don’t like it much).
Points for low on meat (since I’m cheap), points for using the suggested plants, double points if I don’t have to go down to the shops (so using things you’d expect me to have round the house like pasta, rice, eggs, basic sauces etc).
With any luck, there’ll be a bunch of lazy recipes at the end that everyone can use, so don’t forget to check back through the comments and see what’s there!
Arwen
11 June 2009
Please don’t die of malnutrition on day 13!
I think there are lots of pasta possibilities for you. You can grate the zucchini and lemon rind and stir it through pasta with basil, pepper and cheese (no cooking required for the topping).
A good way to get protein without meat is serving stuff with an egg or two on top (or a hard boiled one on the side). If you have a sauce in a pan you can crack the eggs on the top at the end and they should poach in the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Manggy
11 June 2009
Oh man1 I’m not sure I can really live without meat meat, even if it’s just a bunch of chicken breasts! I tend to think a fry-up is easiest (even if most people find it stressful). In any case, now seems like a great time for you to come up with 12 different quick pastas! The savior of college students!
Lorraine @NotQuiteNigella
11 June 2009
Soups! Soups are great and don’t require a lot of ingredients and you can make them vegetarian too
I have quite a few soup recipes oh my blog but the easiest is definitely the 3 ingredient pumpkin soup.
Have fun while your parents are gone-are you going to have parties?
alloronan
11 June 2009
Actually, yes I am going to have a party, since it’s my birthday while they’re gone!
Soup is a great suggestion, thanks. The only problem is that it will last me at least a week- soup is one of those ‘make in bulk’ foods. I’m more looking for once off meals. That said, once I finish the current pot of corned beef soup off, I’ll probably make another pot of something since it’s such a great entree or snack.
FFichiban
11 June 2009
Haha sorry can’t help since all the recipes I think of involve a giant hunk of meat -__-! Have fun while your parents are away tho whheeeee XD
Betty
12 June 2009
Can’t help as I’m not really a throw-whatever-you-have-together cook, or even a cook at all, for that matter. And when I do venture into the kitchen, I do have a problem of making way too much! But salads & pastas are always easy to make
Y
12 June 2009
I confess I’m pretty lazy when it comes to cooking for 1. It’s usually rice with pickles and tinned tuna. Something boring like that, that somehow manages to keep me going for days.
Alexandra
12 June 2009
Here’s a dish that is yummy and can be eaten as a light meal…it’s something the french love to make…and I adore it! A large bowl of grated carrots, add some chopped parsley(since you don’t like it much u can try it with cilantro if you have it), minced shallots, squeeze some lemon juice in, add some olive oil, salt, pepper…and voila! My mom tells me that when she was in her 20s living alone and trying to save money she used to eat huge bowls of this as a meal in itself…hehe…
alloronan
12 June 2009
That sounds excellent, and it uses heaps of things I already have so I won’t have to go shopping. Many many points for you!
foodcreate
13 June 2009
Soup and Bread will do it nice and easy recipe
Welcome~~~
http://foodcreate.com
Cynthia
13 June 2009
If you like seafood, I’d cook a lot of that because they make for fast cooking and can be flavoured with lots of fresh herbs.
Howard
13 June 2009
If you need a chicken fix, can’t go past some grilled lemongrass chicken! Tasty and cheap too.
Maria@TheGourmetChallenge
15 June 2009
Herb omelet on lemon grass rice. Method, cook rice, then either stir through some lemon grass of fry it in a pan. Chuck a whole heap of herbs into some eggs and make an omelet. Surely it would be difficult to make to big a quantity of this….might want to cook just enough rice though!
Just remember not to watch any scary movies while your at home alone! hehehhe
alloronan
15 June 2009
Hah, just watch me, I can make anything huge! That being said, sounds like a fantastic meal, definitely going to try this one.