Living On My Own, The Ultimate Comfort Food: Fried Polenta bites and Butternut Squash / Living On My Own, il cibo coccola per eccellenza: Cubetti di polenta fritta e zucca butternut

Autumn is finally here, with its warm colors and scent of damp earth, burnt wood and hot soups. Even though it is my favourite season I can’t deny its characteristic cold weather and leaden skies can have a melanchonic effect on the mood. Today’s recipe is mostly a remedy against autumnal melancholy, the ultimate comfort food for singles. Something you might want to eat on one of those lonely nights when you feel a bit down after a bad day at work, when its cold all around and inside your heart too. As a single woman sometimes I speculate about relationships, especially on those cold and lonely nights, envying a bit my friends who have a partner waiting for them at home.

Living on my own: Swiss Chard, Beetroot and Feta Salad / Living on my own: Insalata di coste, barbabietola e feta

I’m back with a fast, healthy and tasty recipe for you single friends! Swiss Chard is a vegetable rich in vitamins, fiber, folic acid and minerals. The higher concentration of vitamins and carotene is in the green outer leaves, but that does not mean that this vegetable can not be consumed entirely. In fact the stem is my favorite part, it’s so crisp and fresh! Beetroot is one of the vegetables I love the most because of its versatility.

Living on my own: Spelt and spicy eggplant salad / Living on my own: Insalata di farro e melanzana speziata

And here we are for the second episode of my new blog section, Living on my own, which collects simple, healthy and fast recipes especially thought for people who like me live alone and want to have a varied diet without having to spend too much time at the stove. This time the main ingredient is spelt, one of the most ancient type of wheat which has been in use in the human diet since the Neolithic times. Spelt is low in fat, rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals and iron. It is also one of the less caloric type of wheat, in short, it is a very healthy alternative to the usual pasta dish. The eggplant, a vegetable originally from India, is distinguished by its slightly spicy flavor and a soft pulp which contrasts with the crispiness of the skin. Its flavor goes well with sumac, a spice very much in use in Middle Eastern cuisine which has a light sour taste (slightly lemony). It will take you very little to make this simple but tasty dish, you will not be disappointed I promise!

Living on my own: Vegetable and Spices Latkes / Living on my own: Latkes di verdure speziati

A food blogger eats consciously: five a day, proper amount of protein, an eye on carbs just not to over do it, even if bread baking obsessed. Reasonably a food blogger does not smoke, the tongue is a special tool that must be quite respected. I have been recently told so, as the urge for a cigarette hit me and I simply asked one to the quite shocked interlocutor. “Never I had thought you’d smoked, isn’t it bad for your sense of taste?”. Well I do not smoke that much, simply it’s hard to resist the sensual and tempting aroma when someone around me is dragging on a fag. And besides I hate clichés.