Home alone for 2 nights - what shall I have for supper?

[olderbutwiser]

DH is working, DCs at friends. What shall I have for supper? Preference for something dainty and on the lower calorie side as I am within a kilo of my target weight.

I eat pretty much anything and am happy to slave over a hot stove, or not, as the case may be.

A Thai salad.
Toasted sesame seeds, chilli soy and ginger dressing, some interesting leaves, crunch from bamboo shoots and grated carrots etc. sprinkle a few prawns if you want.
Dances on the taste buds and the range of textures is important to me to feeling like I've had a really fulfilling meal.

Follow it with a sorbet maybe to feel indulged.

This sounds amazing but I need more specific instructions as I have literally no imagination when it comes to cooking/preparing meals. An 'interesting' leaf to me is a fern. 😂

I hate cooking so I would always get a crayfish salad from marks or pret in this scenario

Poached salmon salad, with watercress and low fat yoghurt sauce. A fresh peach or some lychees for pudding.

Rice crispies and full fat milk

Crisp sandwich. Always default tea when alone

😁 I love ferns! My favourite non flowering plant!

So many options an internet search would be your friend cos it'd be a loooong list and depends on what your local shops stock, some have more limited ranges.
But Pak choi, finely sliced red cabbage and/or fennel, lambs lettuce, fresh coriander, water cress... The thing I love about leaves is the range of flavours, mild and slightly sweet or peppery, and textures crunchy or soft etc etc

Toast some cashews or pecan too 😋

Lol! My kind of dinner

I'm alone at home tonight and was just going to have a jacket spud and cheese. Now I'm having this. Thanks @IAmJohnMajor

Quartered mini plum tomatoes, St Agur cheese, pine nuts, sliced black olives, garlic, chilli, lots of olive oil, salt and pepper, fresh basil or pesto tossed through Angel hair spaghetti!

Steak, rocket salad with a little Parmesan sprinkled on top, a few baby plum tomatoes, and a grilled mushroom.

@IAmJohnMajor how do you make the dressing please? (Lunch for me is a Massive Mumsnet Salad and this sounds like an excellent upgrade)

Blimey I need to up my game, I would just have a picky tea or beans on toast.

IAmJohnMajor

Thank you, this Thai salad sounds delicious, will do that one night for all of us.

OP
To make the sauce I would chop the chilli and ginger then pour soy sauce over, I may add a little honey as well.

A whole baked Camembert with crusty bread and onion chutney.

I don't really have a recipe as such for it because there are various ways you could combine those flavours into something delicious.
So you could Google chilli soy and ginger dressing and pick one that looks nice or you have the ingredients for...

But if it was me, I would lightly fry in sesame oil chopped chilli and root ginger, stir in some soy sauce, a dash of honey and stir in toasted sesame seeds at the end.
If you wanted to go up a level you could add a teaspoon of powdered mushroom at the frying chilli stage to give a deep undercurrent of umami flavour which are like the bass notes to the bright flavours of ginger and chilli.

<Chefs kiss> 😋

My dh fucks off on holiday every year for a holiday and I always say I'm going to get some good food and wine in

the reality is I eat beans on toast, cheese on toast, cheese and beans on toast . Sometimes just toast. Lol

I also have 2 nights alone. I am going the OPPOSITE way to you. Tomorrow I am having beef short ribs! I have some in the freezer and no one else really likes that kind of thing so I'm going to braise them and enjoy them and then freeze in individual portions for me another day.

Tonight I am actually taking the gap to do some bulk cooking of bolognaise so I'll probably have that but on a jacket potato rather than pasta as that's what I feel like.

Neither meal is particularly light or low calorie.

Another favourite when DH and DC aren't here is a lamb chop but then with lots of fresh salads/sides - something with aubergine, always, and often something like a salsa or a tomato salad or something.

I made this week a sort of tabulleh salad, but with chickpeas.
Spinach finely chopped- around double volume that the chickpeas
Parsley, coriander, basil, mint finely chopped, a handfull
1 fresh tomatoe and 1 red onion, finely chopped
A can of drained chickpeas
A pouch of moroccan quinoa/ lentils, already cooked
Fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper
I topped it with smoked mackerel. It will go well with any other fish, or chicken

It was enough for 5-6 portions and I loved it!

From PP above, anything is delicios with soy sauce/ ginger/ garlic/ chillie flakes combo. Particularly fish.

Well, on the rare occasions I'm alone for dinner, I splash out on a fillet steak and some fancy oven chips and purple sprouting broccoli. That's my absolute favourite. Would be expensive for four, but I feel OK about it for one.

And I'd eat it in front of a good TV series with maybe a gluten-free brownie or chocolate cake after if I could fit it in.

Yep. Prawn cocktail for me!

Who's cooking when they don't have to? Failing that I'd get something no cook from M&S.

1. Smoked salmon salad with quails eggs. Salad of little gem, tomato, pepper, avocado and some pimento stuffed olives.

1. Grilled salmon fillet, asparagus and wilted spinach.

Puddings, half a galia melon with raspberries and raspberry sorbet. I think the above could be accompanied with a mini bottle of champagne.

This sounds delicious! 😋