The Perfect Cookbook For One

Cooking for just yourself can be problematic.Dinner usually consists of something frozen or taken out. It's even harder when you have diabetes.A lot of frozen and fast foods can play havoc with the body, especially if they're laden with hidden sugars and transfats.Now there's a new cookbook out that can help single home chefs.

Nancy S. Hughes, a recipe developer and consultant,  as well as being the author of other  diabetic recipe books, .has written a punchy and informative cookbook ,Designed For One (American Diabetes Association 2018) geared for those who live alone. This book really isn;t just for those who have diabetes.It can be for anyone living solo. The recipes are designed for just one person so there's no  dealing with overage.There is a chapter  about cooking for two in case a friend or family member drops by.The introduction has priceless shopping, prep information and tips. Novice home chefs will appreciate the tip on why fruits and veggies should never be stored in the same crisper as well as the one about how to wash ans store freshly cut herbs.There are also some good tips on shopping and food prepping too.Even experienced chefs may not know about the tip regarding spraying measuring spoons with cooking spray when measuring honey or syrup or the one about beating eggs in a jar The chapters are divided into dishes as opposed to breakfast , lunch and dinner,They're split into sections from fruits and vegetables to potatoes, pastas and whole grains to meats and seafood to accompanying sides. There is even a section geared to vegetarians under the heading of Meatless Mains, Yes, there is a section on extra easy desserts for one, without any tempting leftovers.

One of the biggest pluses that each recipe has is the chart abut how much fats, sugars, cholesterol and fibers are in them. Most of the dishes are low in fat and carbohydrates so there's no worry about going over any limit.The dishes are easy to whip up and they're perfect for novice chefs. A great lunch would be a Spring Green Pea salad where peas and chopped onion are blended with Spring greens , mayo, and hot pepper or even the super easy tomato avocado salad. An evening dinner or even Sunday lunch could be a pan roasted salmon with mango chutney and a side of tomato quinoa with pesto.A quick dinner could be a chili lime ear of corn with a coffee rubbed skillet steak. Vegetarians will love the Powerhouse Kale salad, made with the leaf of the moment, hard boiled eggs and chunks of low fat Swiss cheese.There's also a creamy rotini pasta with cauliflower and peas. A dinner for two  section has the perfect meal for a guest. Try the slow cooker chuck with veggies, an easy slow cooker meal that's spiked with instant coffee granules and Worcester sauce.Another great dish for two is pork tenderloin with roasted squash along with chicken spinach couscous. Of course there has to be dessert for one (or two). Ms. Hughes give us the super easy but super tasty skillet roasted pineapple and pear which is a snap to make.. A fun sweet snack is the no bake peanut butter oat balls that just require a quick microwaving. There's even yogurt dishes , such as the Anytime Banana Split Yogurt and the Raspberry Softie made with good for you yogurt and fruit, (and chocolate chips for the banana split yogurt )

Designed For One is the perfect cookbook for any solo home chef. It's  full of healthy and tasty recipes that make cooking for one fun.The food is so good  that you wouldn't want to share it.

Baked Pastas Winter Comforters

Cold weather calls for hearty pasta dishes. The problem is that now that  it's February , everyone is kind of tired of th e usual spaghetti or fettucine. Ravioli doesn't cut it anymore either.It's time to step it  up a bit with baked pasta. This is just as fillingand delicous as the boiled but with added texture and flavor.

The most popular and well known baked pasta dish is lasagna. Every southern italain has their own family recipe handed doen for genrations. A true lasagna is made with not a pure tomato sauce but a bechamel one with butter and cream Tomato is added later for flavor and color. It is made usually with chopped beef and spinach along with the creamy ricotta cheese. This last is used a a binder.The dish is then layered with boiled lasagna noodles or sheets and baked.Lasagna can have variations. It can be made with a combo of beef and pork or strictly vegetarian. This  last  can have layers of zucchini and eggplant  interspersed with the noodles and cheese.

Manicotti is another baked pasta that's perfect for a winter's dinner. These are giant shells (not to be confused with lumarche - the snail shaped pasta from Italy) that are filled with a mix of ricotta  and again ,spinach. Chopped onion is also thrown in to give it more dash.For another variation, nix the  spinach and add chopped Italian sausage and herbs such as rosemary and oregano.  For a less troublesome pasta dish consider baked ziti, . This is layered tubular pasta , combined with ground beef  and a mix of beaten egg and ricotta altough some recipes call for sour cream instead. It is then topped with spaghetti sauce and grated Parmesan  cheese before baking for 45 minutes . Ziti is a great covered dish to bring to anyone's house or to a church supper.

Winter calls for hearty pasta dishes. Instead of making the traditional boiled,  take it a step further. Bake a pasta dish that's not only nutritious but satisfying and warm.