
To be honest with you, I don't like cooking for myself. To me, cooking is about sharing with the people that I love and care about. I cook because I like to feed people...and I love the feeling of sitting at a big table, eating, drinking and talking. Food is best when shared... in my opinion.
Last year I read an amazing and thoughtful book on this very topic. Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant examines the eating habits and thought process of people who are hungry....and alone. I think that when we're by ourselves - the comforting aspect behind the food that we eat really comes through. I think that we make choices based on what is going to make us feel good, and there's nothing wrong (or unhealthy-ish) about that.
When I'm alone, I usually turn to greek salad. Store bought or homemade it doesn't matter - as long as it's huge. I generally toss in some raw broccoli (gross? yes, it is - but who cares, it's MY dinner) and then completely overdress it in red wine vinegar (the feta cheese usually melts into it, turning it into a creamy salad dressing - and I swear to you, I love red wine vinegar so much I could probably drink it straight), add a tiny splash of olive oil and then I cover it in red pepper flakes. I eat it out of an enormous plastic bowl. It's not pretty folks, but it feels so right.
Other times when I find myself hungry and alone - I turn to one of my favorite foods of all time. Sauteed spinach. I saute a pound (yes a pound, but it wilts) with about 4-5 cloves of garlic, good olive oil and (you guessed it) red pepper flakes. Sometimes I toss that with rice, sometimes I don't - whatever I'm in the mood for.
I also love eating rice with with a handful of shredded reduced-fat cheese and fresh cracked black pepper.
And I call myself a foodie.
I'm curious - what do you eat when there's no one around? Why do you eat what you eat? Is there a recipe for it? Should I try making it and write about it here?
Leave your thoughts in the comments or email me