epicurious.

allow me to start out with this: i love living alone. love. there is just something about it that is hugely attractive to me. i may grow out of this stage - in fact, someday, i hope i do...but for now? i'm young and unattached, and i love living alone.

however. it has its downsides.

i hate cooking for one person. it's a constant chore to have to be the one every night who decides what is going to be for dinner. cooking for one is not a fun job most of the time, because you're the one who has to do all the work. just you. the cooking, the eating, and the cleaning up. highly annoying.
because i hate cooking for one person, i don't do it as often as i should. i'm a big fan of the heatitupandeatitrightthen sector of food - aka frozen crap in a box (or bag, as the case may be). also a big fan of takeout. i'm trying this week to eat my lunch "in" because food is downright expensive, and i'm spending too much on takeout. AND frozen crap in a box is not, shall we say, the healthiest of alternatives. this undertaking is harder than you might think...in addition to planning dinner, i have to plan lunch, too?!?!?!?!? whose idea was this, anyway???? i know, i know. mine.

the point of all of this useless drivel is to present to you my most recent culinary adventure, inspired by a lunch brought by one of the secretaries last week (stuffed peppers with salmon) that i swooned over whilst trying to enjoy my carboard subway sandwich. this is one experiment that actually turned out QUITE tasty.

I present to you:

Stuffed Tomato Salad

1 can garbanzos (chick peas, gringos.) - drained
1 carrot, chopped
1 can tuna (I prefer in oil)
1 large tomato, top cut off, insides scooped out
herbes de provence


dressing:
1 tsp. grey poupon
red wine vinegar
salt
pepper
olive oil

Mix garbanzos, carrots, tuna, and any of the insides of the tomato (chopped) that you want. Sprinkle with herbes de provence (this is the secret - I am not kidding).
Make vinaigrette using dressing ingredients (if you need directions, tell me. it's not hard). toss garbanzo mixture in dressing.
Spoon salad into tomato, packing it in as you go. Let the tomato sit overnight in the refrigerator - it takes on the taste of the dressing, and it holds together really well.
I had enough stuffing for 2 tomatoes, possibly 3, depending on their size.


This, along with some cottage cheese, was one of the better lunches I've had in awhile. And everyone at the office was jealous. True story.

My next stuffed tomato adventure (I'm on a big tomato kick, can you tell?) is going to involve avocado...stay tuned.

Oh and suggestions for lunch are most welcome.
Love to those who listen.