I like to eat fairly basic meals. I don't have a palete for 'fancy' food, which is probably down to living alone and being bored with cooking, wasting products that I buy, and a little (maybe alot) of laziness. It's the scourge of the single person..."I can't be bothered".

Anyway, I can do the meat and potato thing, but I have a problem with the salads and veges, and how to prepare them, and what dressings/vinaigrette to use.

I prefer iceberg lettuce over the 'pick your own' leafy lettuces, but I don't like olives and avocado's.

Please can someone help this jaded and bored woman, start to enjoy food again, and enjoy the very simple preparation.

Thank you. Your ideas and suggestions would be most welcome and appreciated.

lindymf55 - 2019-11-02 13:52:00

Maybe a nice cheese to liven it up? I like to mix feta with yoghurt and a bit of mayo. I prefer iceberg also. Sliced or diced capsicum, sliced tomatoes, grated courgette is nice, diced or sliced red onion. Have a look at the supermarket at the range and let your imagination go wild. The blessing with cooking for one is if you don't like the meal, no one else moans, Do you roast chicken at all? I like a salad from leftover chicken. Pretty much add what you like and go from there. Honey and mustard dressing is nice with chicken. I know the feeing of cooking for one, Gets super boring at times.

jan2242 - 2019-11-02 13:58:00

Avocado Salsa

2 avocados chopped
1 cup diced tomato
1/2 red onion chopped
3/4 cup feta crumbled
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

rainrain1 - 2019-11-02 14:22:00

Water Melon, Cucumber and Mint Salad with Feta.

3 tablespoons lime juice
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
15 cups cubed watermelon
3 cups cucumber (I used a wide peeler to get long skinny slices)
1 8oz packet feta cheese crumbled
1/2 cup chopped mint
Sea salt

Dressing of your choice, or :-
Pour lime juice over onion and allow to marinate while assembling salad. Gently combine everything else in a bowl, then add the onion. Cover with plastic wrap and chill. Sprinkle with sea salt just before serving.

rainrain1 - 2019-11-02 14:27:00

jan2242 wrote:

Maybe a nice cheese to liven it up? I like to mix feta with yoghurt and a bit of mayo. I prefer iceberg also. Sliced or diced capsicum, sliced tomatoes, grated courgette is nice, diced or sliced red onion. Have a look at the supermarket at the range and let your imagination go wild.

I add tomato segments, grapes, strawberries, mandarin segments to salads, too - much as I loathe "creeping Americanisation" in the English language, I admit to enjoying the sharpness/sweetness and juiciness of fruit in my own salads, as the Americans do.

You might also enjoy this, lindy - lasts several weeks in the fridge, but rings the changes, too. It was originally for partly cooked carrot segments (which I still do sometimes), but this is the beans version.

BEAN SALAD
Barbeques are coming up – this is great to have handy in the fridge come summer – everyone likes it, and keeps several weeks in covered jar in fridge….

1 - 1.5 cups 4 bean mix (sun valley is good, or bulk)

Pour boiling water over to cover by about twice, soak overnight, boil next day until soft.

Into bowl place:
2 medium onions, finely sliced (I like the purple ones)
1 green capsicum
sliced celery (optional)
cauliflower florets (optional)

Dressing:
1 x 450 gm can tomato soup
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup good cooking oil
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 teaspn worchestershire sauce
1/2 teaspn salt
1 teaspn prepared mustard

Drain beans and place hot into a bowl with the sliced vegetables. Put all dressing ingredients into a pot, bring to boil, stirring until all dissolved and mixed, pour over salad. Serve hot or cold. Store in fridge, keeps for some time.

I use the same sauce for a carrot salad, 1 kg carrots (cut in slices or batons) Cook the sliced carrots in unsalted water until just tender, use as above.

Edited by autumnwinds at 2:28 pm, Sat 2 Nov

autumnwinds - 2019-11-02 14:27:00

I could happily eat Greek salad every day - tomato, cucumber, red onion and feta drizzled with olive oil. You can add capsicum if you like and although I serve it on salad leaves or baby spinach you don’t have to. Same salad can be served with tuna instead of feta and green beans or asparagus added. I also like minted pea salad - diced tomato, sliced red onion, diced capsicum and feta stirred into cooked minted peas while they’re still warm. ETA lite & free dressings are a great way to liven things up.

sarahb5 - 2019-11-02 14:52:00

Thank you all so much.

Clearly, I really have become lazy, because there are some very nice sounding salads here, that I could do.

Is there an alternative to feta? I have tried it, and I really don't like it.
I don't like tuna, but I could swap that for salmon.
I like the idea of fruit in a salad.
Honey and mustard dressing sounds good with chicken. (These are the sorts of things that I don't try, as I don't want to waste food, for a one off item that I end up not liking)
Never tried bean mixes, but would give it a go.

lindymf55 - 2019-11-02 15:13:00

That bean salad can be gently nuked and used to fill a jacket baked potato, with a little cheese on top....

autumnwinds - 2019-11-02 19:29:00

So just make stuff you do like, no need to try to be trendy.
Iceberg, tomato, a spring onion, mayonnaise.
Or cheat, buy a salad from the deli sectio. Supermarkets have laods of meals or stuff like that to whip together a meal now. New World, the bigger ones, have quite a selection, not the nasty microwave frozen stuff, this in the fresh section.
Haven't tried them, but an easy cheat meal is a few chicken pieces, hot, Pak N Save has that....a salad or two from the deli and chips or roast potatoes (also available at Pak n Save). Get a tiny amount, that way you can try something to see if you like it or not.

Make something like shepherds pipe, but into individual ramekins, not a big dish. Freeze the others for sometime later.
Ditto soups and other casserole type meals. I used to do that for husband when I worked long hours. He was a non-fancy eater....

lythande1 - 2019-11-02 19:56:00

Instead of soaking the beans, try some ready to eat tinned mixed beans. Most brands are good. I mix mine with some frozen corn a chopped tomato, cucumber and celery. Add lemon pepper and garlic salt and a little olive oil all to taste. I like adding chopped parsley and garlic to freshen. This salad is good made and eaten either straight away or made the morning or night before.
I would recommend FOOD magazine. Lots of good ideas for seasonal foods.

bisloy - 2019-11-04 18:09:00

Very basic salads
Grated cheese and grated carrot, mix with a good quality mayo.
Finely chopped apple and finely chopped onion (red or white) mix with good quality mayo. Make in advance to dilute onion overpowering salad.
Optional to add to either seeds (pumpkin, sunflower), chopped celery, a few more.

Cook orange, gold or purple Kumara serve with sour cream and sprinkle garlic herb and salt.

Edited by catsmeat1 at 11:06 am, Tue 5 Nov

catsmeat1 - 2019-11-05 11:04:00

Autumnwinds…..a very yummy Bean Salad. Next time I would use 2 cans of 4 Bean Mix (Craigs) . I halved the sugar and used my own homemade tomato soup, which I had in the freezer. Thanks for the recipe....

susieq9 - 2019-11-05 13:02:00

You also mention dressings for salads - I use raspberry vinegar and olive oil a lot (great for salmon, bread and a simple lettuce salad).
Aoili is good for chicken, fish and salads. BBQ is a nice alternative to tomato. Look up some recipies for making your own mayonnaise and alter the quantities to suit your taste. A different sauce or vinegarette can make the same salad 'new' for a few meals.

bisloy - 2019-11-10 16:58:00

A mix of roasted Veges tomato capsicum yellow courgettes with a piece of salmon

sticky232 - 2019-11-16 23:00:00

1 chicken breast, rub a little oil , Chinese five spice and garlic salt on it and roast. Salad, use lettuce, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, roasted cashews, crispy noodles, chopped coriander leaves. , make a dressing 2 tbs Hoisin sauce, 3 tsp sesame oil, 1 1/2 tbs rice vinegar, 1/4 tsp brown sugar, pinch Chinese five-spice, toss salad ingredients together in serving bowl leave nuts and noodles until ready to serve slice chicken and add to salad , pour over dressing . I make this a lot in the summer , crunchy , healthy and tasty . I have also used chicken tenders instead of a chicken breast

meg9 - 2019-11-17 13:03:00

Definitely making this tonight for my lunch tomorrow, am getting so many new ideas!!

meg9 wrote:

1 chicken breast, rub a little oil , Chinese five spice and garlic salt on it and roast. Salad, use lettuce, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, roasted cashews, crispy noodles, chopped coriander leaves. , make a dressing 2 tbs Hoisin sauce, 3 tsp sesame oil, 1 1/2 tbs rice vinegar, 1/4 tsp brown sugar, pinch Chinese five-spice, toss salad ingredients together in serving bowl leave nuts and noodles until ready to serve slice chicken and add to salad , pour over dressing . I make this a lot in the summer , crunchy , healthy and tasty . I have also used chicken tenders instead of a chicken breast

bailey25 - 2019-11-19 10:49:00

I'm on my own too..... know what you mean about it being boring cooking for one.
Lately, I've been using all sorts of things in my salads....grapes, chopped apples, celery, finely chopped onion, leftover rice cooked veges and meat, pears, strawberries, chopped canned peaches, nuts, raw cauliflower and broccoli.The thing is, anything goes, and you don't have to make a whole salad to work out whether combinations work or not. Just put a piece of each ingredient in your mouth and chew.....
Also, I find basic bought mayonnaise and dressings a bit boring, so I liven them up with extra herbs,mustard, lemon or lime juice, grated parmesan, sweet chilli sauce, hoisin sauce, asian plum sauce, a little spice (not all at once) - whatever takes my fancy at the time. I just dollop a tablespoon of dressing into a cup and add my extras according to taste before adding it to the salad.
Have fun trying out combinations you already have, lurking in your pantry. Try out the specials at the supermarket. The beauty of it all is that you only have to please yourself. Good luck and good cooking.

punkinthefirst - 2019-11-23 15:19:00

lindymf55 wrote:

I like to eat fairly basic meals. I don't have a palete for 'fancy' food, which is probably down to living alone and being bored with cooking, wasting products that I buy, and a little (maybe alot) of laziness. It's the scourge of the single person..."I can't be bothered".

Anyway, I can do the meat and potato thing, but I have a problem with the salads and veges, and how to prepare them, and what dressings/vinaigrette to use.

I prefer iceberg lettuce over the 'pick your own' leafy lettuces, but I don't like olives and avocado's.

Please can someone help this jaded and bored woman, start to enjoy food again, and enjoy the very simple preparation.

Thank you. Your ideas and suggestions would be most welcome and appreciated.

Get yourself a man that can make coffee and cook

toyboy3 - 2019-11-23 16:21:00

I love roasted garlic broccoli, spinach leaves, toasted almonds grated feta sliced cherry Tom's and sliced red onion, seasoned well and a drizzle of lemon juice. You can add chopped apple too.

ruby19 - 2019-12-17 20:33:00

Adding chopped fresh mint to lettuce salads takes it up another level.

vomo2 - 2019-12-28 20:15:00