Friday, May 16, 2008

Living alone.

I have a glut of photos that I haven’t posted, and with a few big things coming up (like a vegan meet-up on Saturday and Andy coming home on Sunday) I want to clear them out.

I know I’m not really living single or anything, merely spending a month by myself. But, it has been good because I’ve never ever lived alone. I went from home to the uni dorms at 17, then back home for six months after I finished uni, and then I moved straight in with Andy when I moved to Australia two years ago. So this month has been a complete change for me, and although I’ve been a bit lonely, I have really enjoyed some aspects of it.

Here are a few of the things I’ve loved about living alone:

+sleeping in the middle of the bed.
+being the sole object of Nacho’s affection.
+cutting recipes in half and still having enough for lunch the next day.
+less weekly groceries (less expensive and not so much to carry home).
+watching the same movie repeatedly (Andy gets bored, and we don’t always have the same taste in movies. Looking for Alibrandi and Amelie were on repeat this month, usually it’s The Royal Tenenbaums or The Life Aquatic).
+getting work done in the evenings.
+eating whatever I want, whenever I want, with no worries about pleasing someone else. Like all this food…

Turmeric rice, sweet potato mashed with brown sugar and coconut cream, and ‘Black Eyed Peas Dhal’ from Alternative Vegan (p. 126), with added coconut cream. The dhal was really great, and tasted smoky, deep and different. I would make this for guests.

Borlotti bean patties, based on ‘Chickpea Cutlets’ from Veganomicon (recipe here) but made with Italian-tasting things (like basil, oregano, and balsamic vinegar), served with ‘Spiced Potatoes’ from La Dolce Vegan (p. 191).

A very quick but somehow very satisfying dinner—dry fried tofu triangles and raw capsicum with a sauce made from peanut butter, sweet chilli sauce, and soy sauce.

Quick dinners usually lead to no leftovers for lunch the next day, so on those days I had to get creative. This lunch was a Granny Smith apple (a variety which originated in Australia, for a bit of trivia), carrot sticks, a bagel and banana bread. The bagel and banana bread were both made about a month ago, but I stuck them in the freezer (after slicing, in the case of the bread) and have been snacking on them ever since.

Mini-crustless chickpea flour quiches, based on SusanV’s tofu quiche recipe. I was working on the logic of the great-ness of Kumudha’s Indian Vegan Omelette, but what works on the stovetop isn’t quite as great in baked form. These were a bit heavy, but still pretty good.

Soba noodles tossed with hoisin sauce, served with ‘Sautéed Cabbage with Mustard Seed’ from the Pythagoras chapter of Famous Vegetarians & their favourite recipes (p. 8). The cabbage turned out surprisingly sweet and delicious.

Even with all the good things about living alone, I think it’s obvious that I’m really looking forward to having Andy come back!

12 comments:

Lisa S. said...

heh heh, I just pointed out the Pythagoras cabbage to my husband & he said, "no wonder he was such a wind-bag." [rolls eyes]men!

All this food looks amazing! I lived alone for 3 months after graduating college & did not eat nearly this well. But like you said, I enjoyed sleeping in the middle of the bed, but I really liked the solitude. I was glad when it was over, but during that time I cherished rather than resented it.

Unknown said...

Delicious food there! I'm such a dork in that I thought Pythagoras was the man before I knew he was veg, now he's even cooler!

You sound happy that Andy will be back. I don't mind short stints alone but when you're not used to it, it can certainly be tough to not come home to someone.

Groover said...

Sorry to hear that you felt a little lonely but I'm definitely with you on the "sleeping in the middle of the bed" bit. :-) I like time for myself but a month is quite a long time. Oh well - absence makes the heart grow fonder - isn't that what they say?

Love your lunch box.

Alicia said...

I like sleeping in the middle of the bed too :-)
You made me realize I've never lived alone! I lived at home till I went to Germany, and there I lived with students, and then in a students flat where I met my boyfriend (he lived there too), and then we moved in together... As a kid I always thought I would love to live alone, and now it feels weird.

Lily on the Road said...

Hi, I love your blog!

I saw you on Groover's blog and if you don't mind I'm linking you to mine.....thank you so much for your wonderful recipes...and I love little Nacho....so cute!

DJ said...

The dhal looks amazing and served with two of my favourite things - turmeric rice and sweet potato! And you're becoming a bit of a chickpea cutlet master modifier, eh?

Amy said...

I totally agree that one of the best things about living/cooking alone is that you can make a few things and they last for a whole week. Also, there are fewer dishes to wash!

Unknown said...

I'm a SAHM with an 18 month old son. My dinner ideas sort of match with yours. I guess its because we often look out for quick meals when we are pressed for time. I also read about some quick dinner ideas on http://mybaby.com/playground which has made my life easier. But I would like to add more veggies to eat healthy but also not spend much time preparing. Is there a way I can get the best of both worlds?

Theresa said...

Thanks for visiting my blog, Benjibaby! I don't know if I can offer much help, but we've recently started cutting up veggies and putting them straight into the freezer. A bit of work on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon saves a lot of time on weeknights. So far we've done it with capsicum (bell pepper), broccoli and pumpkin.

My other tip is to maximise oven time. Last night we baked potatoes and roasted pumpkin for later in the week, and at the same time we cooked dinner for last night (veggie pot pie). Pre-baking and roasting saves lots of time and is more nutritious than boiling.

Good luck with you baby and let me know if you come up with the secret!!

Unknown said...

Hey, thanks for the reply. I shall try your ideas and let you know if it works for me. Honestly I'm looking for some quick tips which does not involve much preparation time ahead, like I read on http://mybaby.com/playground. Do you have any suggestions?

Anonymous said...

benjibaby,

I'd ask the community over at mybaby for more tips. They seem better able to answer just what you are looking for.

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