Cooking for one (or the joy of asparagus)

I have to admit that cooking for one is quite a difficult feat. I usually end up with tons of leftovers and (unfortunately) vegetables that I cannot finish before they start turning into black slime. As a single woman, unless I decide to eat large salads for lunch and dinner for 3 days straight, I am not going to be able to finish an entire head of lettuce by myself. So, to avoid throwing out perfectly good produce, I have recently gotten into the habit of going to the grocery store and buying only 2 or 3 vegetables and eating them all week (it is really a budget-friendly solution). Now, this may seem quite boring but it is really quite interesting. It makes you think about all the different ways you can cook vegetables to bring out their rich and complex flavor.

As asparagus is beginning to sprout up in the grocery stores at quite attractive prices, I decided to make asparagus one of my main vegies for this week. I also picked up some mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. Since asparagus tends to lost its freshness after a few days, I knew I would have to eat quite a lot of asparagus to finish the 2 pounds I bought. You would think I would get sick of asparagus after a few days, but I found quite a few ways to incorporate this versatile vegetable into my evening meals.

Here is a sample of my asparagus-centered week:

Sunday- blanched asparagus tossed in olive oil and topped with feta cheese and sun-dried tomatoes

Monday – Chopped blanched asparagus spears in a cheesy pasta salad with peas and sun-dried tomatoes

Tuesday – Oven roasted asparagus with garlic and parmesan

Wednesday – Crepes filled with asparagus, mushrooms and cheese topped with cilantro

Thursday – Asparagus and ham quiche

Friday – Udon noodles with sauteed asparagus, brocolli, cabbage, chicken and garlic

What can I say? I like asparagus!