Cooking for One

I thought it might be fitting to periodically write about my cooking experiences with the specific focus of food for one. I realize that for some, this may be a hard area of life--when you only need to focus on feeding yourself, it might seem pointless to make a meal, and easier to throw something in the microwave. But you deserve to eat well everyday. So my hope is to share some tips and recipes that are perfect for the solo eater. It is my goal that each recipe I share will follow at least some of the following principles:

• Time--save time-consuming recipes for entertaining and special occasions; you can have dinner ready in minutes. I will try to share recipes that take less time than heating up a frozen pizza.


• Ingredients--you shouldn't have to spend time shopping when you could be cooking. When it's just me, I almost always cook only from what I already have on hand.


• Cost--it seems silly to spend tons of money when you're just cooking for you (though sometimes it's nice to treat yourself!); I try to share recipes that won't break the bank!


• Portion size--for me, the hardest thing about cooking for one is ending up with too many left-overs! It is my goal to share recipes that serve one, and only one, or with leftovers that can easily be reincarnated!

I'm kicking off this series with a very fun and very quick little recipe--Spicy Carrot Fritters

As I mentioned in a previous post, I've really been looking around the globe for my cooking inspiration. These fritters were inspired by the cuisine of Morocco. These are probably more of a snack than a whole dinner, but you could always supplement them with some couscous or grilled chicken.

You'll Need:
1 large carrot, grated
2 T red onion, diced
crushed red pepper, to taste
1/3 c flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 large egg
vegetable oil, for frying
lemon or lime

Preparation:
After preparing the vegetables, begin to heat the oil in a small pan over medium high heat so it will be hot when the fritters are mixed (you don't need much oil, just enough to completely coat the bottom of the pan).

Put the carrot, onion, and crushed red pepper in a bowl. In another bowl, add all dry ingredients and whisk to blend. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the carrot mixture. Stir to coat. Add the egg. Begin stirring the mixture so the dry ingredients become wet from the egg. At water, one teaspoon at a time, until the mixture is bound, a kind of thick, carrot-y batter. It will look something like this:

Using your hand, make small patties with the mixture by taking a golf ball size bit and then flattening it. Drop patty into the hot oil. Cook about two minutes per side. Make sure to cook the patties enough--the batter will not cook through if you leave them in too long. Turn the heat down if the fritters are getting dark brown.

As you take the fritters out, put on a paper towel-lined plate. Squeeze lemon or lime juice over the fritters, and enjoy!

Note: I realize that calling for half an egg may seem bizarre. To get half an egg, crack egg into a cup, whisk it, then pour half into your mixture. Save the other half in your refrigerator to use another day! When making food portions sized for one, half an egg isn't so odd!

The finished product: