Cooking for one

Cooking for two is already full of limitations, like I can't cook a whole chicken unless I'm prepared to eat the same dish, leftover for consecutively three days in a row.

How have I managed to survive cooking lunch for just myself alone for two months? Everyday is a struggle on what is the easiest and most hassle free way of cooking. And no one (a.k.a Rémi) to stoke my ego and praise my cooking except myself (hoho...maybe that's why I'm blogging now). Friends and even myself have questioned how long I can sustain. Dining out is still not an option: $15 a meal + $5 bus fare is just too much.

Here's my survival guide so far:
- Instant noodles with lots of veg has so far been kept to a minimum, perhaps once every week or fortnight
- Fried rice/noodles and the likes
- Pasta with ready or super easy sauce
- Cook more for dinner and reheat leftover for lunch the next day

New strategy:
- Salad (ever since we begin to stockpile a lot of fresh veg from Sunday marketing, and so that I don't grow fat)
- Entice Rémi to come back for lunch (He works nearby, I get more motivation to cook, and we save money)
- Get a job (to justify eating out everyday, but this has been unsuccessful so far)

The pictured salad was done for two (when Rémi came back to pick me up for my physiotherapy session during his lunch break), but the portion can easily be increased or reduced. It was adapted from my Ultimate Book of Fish & Shellfish by Kate Whiteman. Also be flexible in changing the type of veg use according to what is available.

Mediterranean Salad
Serves two

3 handfuls of chunky pasta
half cup of frozen green peas (original recipe uses fresh green beans)
2 large tomatoes
Half can tuna fish in oil, coarsely flaked
2 eggs
5-6 anchovy fillet
basil leaves
black olives and capers to garnish

Dressing:
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp chopped basil (fresh ones are always desirable, but until I grow my own basil, they are not so readily available)

Mix all the ingredients for the dressing together, season with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta in lightly salted boiling water with the frozen peas. Drain well and set aside to cool.

If you haven't thrown away the boiling water, use it to boil the eggs. If you're like me, who doesn't like overcooked hard-boiled eggs, then cook the eggs for just 5 minutes in the boiling water. The yolk will still be slightly semi liquid.

Slice tomatoes and arrange them on the base of salad bowl (or serving plate). Pour some dressing over and sprinkle with dried basil leaves. Toss the pasta with some of the dressing and the tuna and pour over the tomatoes. Arrange eggs on top with the anchovy fillets. Pour remaining dressing and garnish with olives and capers.

Serve immediately.

The original recipe uses a lot of fresh basil, which is always a good complement with tomatoes. So again, if you have them, would be good to use fresh basil instead of the dried ones.