Dinner for One

Dinner for One includes everything from soup to…yes, nuts. As an outgrowth of her book, “Divorce, Empowerment, and Attorneys…What You Need to Know”, Ms. Larsson has put together a cookbook that makes even this author want to spend some single evenings alone. She shares her experiences with gluten-free flours, varied and intriguing salts, and with Young Living Essential Oils in cooking and baking. For the gal or guy who’s just found themself alone, or who’s been alone for a while—or, for anyone who wants to still enjoy eating as a single, or for a couple—this cookbook is the one to have on your kitchen counter. You’re going to want to reference it over and over. Most of the recipes can be prepared in thirty minutes or less. The instructions are clear and concise, and suitable for both the experienced cook and the beginner. There are instructions for using both gluten-free flours and wheat flour. Ms. Larsson makes it seem so easy and fun to work without gluten, it would be a shame not to take full advantage of her expertise. Either way, gluten or gluten-free, the recipes are delightfully different and sumptuously satisfying. Eating alone isn’t generally talked about as an enjoyable experience—but it can be. Even if you don’t enjoy cooking, this book has something for you. As part of the transition to living alone, there were some changes Ms. Larsson needed to make from the inside out. This brought her to gluten-free flours and essential oils. In Ms. Larsson’s words, “My daughter Alexis was a vegetarian for the last several years she lived at home. This was an interesting and challenging experience for me. Through her, I was exposed to different spices, and to different ways of doing things. I think it's that exposure that has helped me to think outside the box and has allowed me to feel more adventurous in the kitchen. I bring that to the table—pun intended—with Dinner for One.” "I want meal time--and especially dinner time--to be a relaxing experience," says Ms. Larsson. "I want to digest my food joyfully and appreciate my surroundings. And now, we have the additional variety of gluten-free flours, who knew life without wheat could be so tasty? Think of all the grains in the world. Grind 'em up and you've got either a whole grain or a starch flour. Either way, it makes for a different taste. I really enjoy purposefully choosing the flour for my dishes." Creating experiences for oneself as a single is very important to Nadine. Although she loves being with people, whether it's on or off the dance floor, she knows how to honor her whole self. She hasn't always. This is something she's learned, pretty much since her divorce, and something she practices every day. You can learn this too. For Ms. Larsson, cooking is a ritual, a ritual of honoring her beliefs. Ever thankful for dirty dishes because it's meant there was enough food available to dirty a plate, she finds the experience of enjoyably eating another way of giving thanks for her bounty. "I buy most of my produce at the local farmers market," says Ms. Larsson, "I like knowing where my food is coming from whenever possible." Although some of the ingredients in this book might be new to some cooks, most items are available in local grocery stores. Where this availability is questionable, Ms. Larsson has included sources. "Lifestyle is a choice," says Ms. Larsson. "Slowing down. Tuning in to one's environment. Those are choices. I think they're good choices, healthy choices." Maybe it's an audio of The Power of Joy and the voice of Dr. Christiane Northrup wafting through the room along with the scent of orange created from her Orange Beef. Or, it could be a dining experience spent with Rumi as translated by Coleman Barks in his Voice of Longing CD, paired with Vegetable Coconut Curry with Egg. If that doesn't call you, how about Metropolitan Pizza with It Happened One Night? Either way, passion for living pours from these pages. Find your passion today.