Arnold - Best simple suppers for two: fast and foolproof recipes for one, two, or a few

Front cover, from top: 3sbworld/iStockPhoto.com; avs/Shutterstock.com; ac_bnphotos/iStockPhoto.com; bonchan/Shutterstock.com; Brent Hofacker/Shuttestock.com Spine: Elenathewise/iStockPhoto.com Back cover, from top: bhofack2/iStockPhoto.com; Elena Veselova/Shutterstock.com Pages 2, 118: Olha Afanasieva/Shutterstock.com; pages 8, 43, 53, 85, 98100: bhofack2/iStockPhoto.com; pages 11, 51: rez-art/iStockPhoto.com; pages 1213, 17: Olha_Afanasieva/iStockPhoto.com; pages 15, 121: nata_vkusidey/iStockPhoto.com; page 19: Floortje/iStockphoto.com; page 21: Anna Hoychuk/Shutterstock.com; page 22: Edith Frincu/Shutterstock.com; page 25: Elena Trukhina/Shutterstock.com; page 27: sbossert/iStockPhoto.com; pages 28, 45: rudisill/Shutterstock.com; page 31: Lesya Dolyuk/Shutterstock.com; page 32: ziashusha/Shutterstock.com; pages 3435: Sea Wave/Shutterstock.com; pages 37, 87, 113: Elena Veselova/Shutterstock.com; page 39: Elena Shashkina/Shutterstock.com; page 41: Elena_Danileiko/iStockPhoto.com; page 47: Joshua Resnick/Shutterstock.com; pages 48, 110: farbled/Shutterstock.com; pages 55, 57, 6869, 73, 91, 95, 96: Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock.com; page 59: sarsmis/Shutterstock.com; page 61: LauriPatterson/iStockPhoto.com; page 62: Ekaterina Kondratova/Shutterstock.com; page 65: jjpoole/iStockPhoto.com; page 66: from my point of view/Shutterstock.com; page 70: Megan Betz/Shutterstock.com; pages 75, 88: Timolina/Shutterstock.com; page 77: kcline/iStockPhoto.com; page 78: Mariha-kitchen/iStockPhoto.com; page 8081: Anna_Shepulova/iStockPhoto.com; pages 83, 123: zi3000/Shutterstock.com; page 92: sf_foodphoto/Shutterstock.com; page 103: manyakotic/iStockPhoto.com; page 104: Nataliya Arzamasova/Shutterstock.com; page 107: bonchan/iStockPhoto.com; pages 109, 114: Lisovskaya Natalia/Shutterstock.com; page 117: chrisbm/iStockPhoto.com Copyright 2017 by Laura Arnold All rights reserved For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, The Countryman Press, 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110 For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact W. W. Norton Special Sales at specialsales@wwnorton.com or 800-233-4830 The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows: Names: Arnold, Laura, author. Title: Best simple suppers for two : fast and foolproof recipes for one, two, or a few / Laura Arnold. Description: New York, NY : Countryman Press, a division of W. W.

Norton & Company, Independent Publishers Since 1923, [2017] | Includes index. Identifiers: LCCN 2016058131 | ISBN 9781682680360 (pbk.) Subjects: LCSH: Quick and easy cooking. | Cooking for two. | LCGFT: Cookbooks. Classification: LCC TX833.5 .A76 2017 | DDC 641.5/12dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016058131 ISBN 978-1-68268-037-7 (e-book) The Countryman Press www.countrymanpress.com A division of W. W.

Norton & Company 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110 www.wwnorton.com FOR MY MOM
THANKS FOR BEING
THE SOUS-CHEF OF MY LIFE

Whether its date night, youre having a friend over for dinner, or youre cooking for you and your roommate, cooking for two comes up all the time. The only problem is that most recipes yield four to six servings. Not only does this make cooking more expensive, but it leads to leftovers when you may prefer to have none. Best Simple Suppers for Two solves these problems by providing quick, easy dinners for two, designed to get you in the kitchen without the cost, hassle, and time of cooking a four- to six-person meal. Even better, cooking for two is fun and can bring friends and couples into the kitchen to share time together. This book provides recipes that are just as effortless as ordering takeout or going to a restaurant.

It is possible to get dinner on the table on a Tuesday evening after a stressful day at work because these simple, fast, and easy recipes allow you to cook a meal in less than an hour. On the weekend, date night becomes a shared experience in the kitchen, a time when you can learn how to make a healthier and cheaper meal at home. These five basic chapters make it easy for you to find a recipe that will satisfy your cravings. Hungry for chicken? Try Quick Roasted Chicken Thighs with Garlic Potatoes. Or shrimp? Try the Shrimp Salad Roll. Several recipes also call for only one pan or pot, which makes cleaning a dream! Cooking for two can be simple as well as fun.

It is not only cooking for two thats essentialso is cooking for one. And cooking for one is always a challenge. Immediate questions come into my head when I am cooking for myselfhow much food should I buy? Am I really going to eat all of these leftovers? What if I just want to make two servings of this recipe that serves eight people? These are all common problems that come with cooking for yourself. When you make these recipes for one, you get to cook once and eat twice, which I find to be the perfect compromise. One serving of leftovers comes in handy during any given week. You also wont break the bank by buying excess ingredients.

So get in the kitchen and make a home-cooked meal in the same amount of time it would take to order takeout, but at half the price.

The recipes in this book are simple and easy. As a result, the amount of ingredients is fewer than the amount you would need for a normal recipe. This book was designed to use similar spices, produce, and proteins in multiple recipes so that you can shop once and then cook two to three different meals. With that in mind, you can look for similar recipes throughout the book when meal planning for the week. This will keep your costs down and also minimize food waste.

The cooking equipment you need for these recipes is not complicated. Regular-sized cooking equipment is fine even though the amounts of ingredients are quartered or halved in these recipes for two. Equipment that is essential for cooking with this book: Cast-iron skillets, 8-inch, and 10- or 12-inch 8-inch square baking dish Saut pan and nonstick saut pan Grill or grill pan (preferred, but you can use a cast-iron skillet instead) Large pot Most important, have fun and enjoy your time in the kitchen!

Grill any fresh veggie to add to the salad for new flavor! Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes FOR THE SALAD 2 ears corn, shucked bunch scallions 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 head romaine lettuce, thinly sliced cup cotija cheese, crumbled 2 avocados, pitted, peeled, and diced cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped Tortilla chips, crushed, for serving FOR THE DRESSING 1 lime, juiced 2 teaspoons honey teaspoon cumin cup olive oil 1 teaspoon kosher salt teaspoon freshly ground black pepper To make the salad: Preheat the grill or a grill pan over medium-high heat. Add the corn and the scallions and lightly char on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and allow to cool slightly. Cut the kernels off the cob and thinly slice the scallions.

Place the kernels and scallions in a large bowl. Add the cherry tomatoes, black beans, lettuce, cheese, avocado, and cilantro to the bowl. To make the dressing: Add the lime juice, honey, and cumin to a small bowl and whisk to combine. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and whisk again. Drizzle the dressing around the outside of the salad and toss to combine.

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