I have greatly simplified this recipe. I just boil the beets until done. I cook Christmas Limas in salted water until they are done. I combine them and make a dressing of garlic olive oil, meyer lemon olive oil and whatever vinegar I'm in the mood for (red wine or sherry most of the time). If I have the beet greens, I blanch them, squeeze out the water, chop them and add to the salad. This last time that's all I did. It might sometimes get some green onions or fresh herbs if I have some handy. Recipes for Health Marinated Giant White Beans and Beets By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN Many Greeks love giant white lima beans. This recipe is an adaptation of a dish prepared by the Greek chef Jim Botsacos for a Clean Monday celebration to benefit the Gennadius Library in Athens. DonâÂÂt soak the beans or theyâÂÂll fall while they cook. Mr. Botsacos serves this with skordalia. For the beans: 1 pound dried large lima beans 1 large white onion, cut in half 4 garlic cloves, crushed 1 bay leaf Salt to taste 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup finely chopped celery 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow or red bell pepper 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion, soaked for five minutes in cold water, drained and rinsed (optional) 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill For the beets: 8 small beets, greens cut away, scrubbed 1/3 cup red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar Salt to taste 2 garlic cloves, cut in half 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1. Place the beans in a large pot. Cover by 2 inches with water, and bring to a gentle boil. Skim off any foam, and add the onion, garlic and bay leaf. Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Add salt to taste, and simmer an additional 20 minutes until just tender. Remove from the heat. Remove and discard the onion, garlic cloves and the bay leaf. Allow the beans to cool in the liquid, then drain through a strainer set over a bowl. Gently toss the beans in a bowl with the lemon juice, olive oil, celery, peppers, onion and herbs. If desired, add 2 to 4 tablespoons of the bean broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside. 2. Cook the beets while the beans are cooking. Place in a saucepan, cover with water, add 1/4 cup of the vinegar and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until tender, 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the beets. Remove from the heat, add the garlic to the pot and set aside to cool. Remove the beets from the pot (do not drain), slip off the skins and cut in wedges. 3. Combine the remaining vinegar, the sugar and 1/4 cup of the beet broth (discard the garlic). Toss with the beets. Arrange the beans on a plate or in a bowl and surround with the beets. If you wish, serve this dish with skordalia. Yield: Serves six to eight. Advance preparation: The beans and the beets can both be prepared up to three days before serving.

Like some of you have said, I don't consider myself a good cook. I am an OK recipe follower and I like to eat good food, so I cook. My aunt is a good cook. She can put together a meal out of nothing. It's really amazing, she goes in the kitchen, putters around and you really have no idea what she is doing in there and it seems like nothing, and then she pulls out an amazing meal. She has a great sense of taste and texture and what to make out of what. She is not a fancy, gourmet cook, her food just tastes good. I have also noted that she creates thing bit by bit, which is why it seems like she pulls meals out of nowhere. She starts a dish in the AM or the day before and does some aspect of cooking it and then just keeps going at odd times. She has a grand scheme of her kitchen and food and pantry in her mind. I'm always amazed by her, because she doesn't have fancy serving ware or antyhing, she can serve up the best dessert on a chipped dime store plate. And nothing fancy either, but she knows what pleases. Like when my dad or her son come to her house for a visit, blintzes will be made . . . On the other hand, practice makes perfect if you have a good palate. I am not too shabby with rice, beans, pasta and soup, because I make them constantly. I now have a tasty repertoire of taste combos and techniques in my mind. So some of it is just good taste, knowing what works for your tried and true favorites. That's my biggest problem actually, my sense of adventure. For every "Wow that was good!" concoction that I try, there are three or four "Meh's" and a sometimes a "Yuk." I dunno, perhaps a great cook never goes there . . . but it is my domain most of the time.

Salads are the obvious option. If you have a hotplate, you can make steamed dishes. Steaming is a great way to cook fish, veg, rice, etc. Pick up some bamboo steamer baskets. You can also braise - chicken, pork, some beef cuts. Lots of flavor potential with a slow braise in stock +/or wine. See the other thread about microwaving food. I also suggest getting a good toaster oven (everyone seems to love the Breville SmartOven, $250 I think?) which will let you bake, broil, roast and toast. And an electric kettle for boiling water. So, some feasible meals might be: Day 1 - steamed whole fish (a smallish flat one, like a little pompano) with a simple sauce (reduce some teriyaki to thicken) - roasted brussel sprouts or carrots with plenty of olive oil and salt/pepper - salad with a little piquancy (thin sliced cucumbers, marinated in vinegar) or microwave-heated edamame in the shell and sea salt - cold beer Day 2 - chicken parts, roasted then finish off with a little broiler time - steamed brown or wild rice, mix in some toasted almonds or chopped herbs for interest - roasted asparagus (put in when the chicken is part done so they finish together) - white wine Day 3 - gazpacho - Greek salad with plenty of feta - ceviche with fun toppings (minced garlic, toasted nut crumble, diced and salted tomatoes, etc) - bruschetta - a nice chilled rose wine Day 4 - make some sashimi! Or, steam sushi rice, mix with vinegar, sugar, and salt to approximate sushi rice, and make sushi! - miso soup (boil water, miso paste, tofu cubes, chopped green onions, a little chili sauce and ginger) - steam some veg (gai lan, then add plum sauce) - a salad of sliced citrus fruit (orange, grapefruit, kiwi) - some sake Day 5 - braise beef short ribs (or chicken thighs, or pork spare ribs, or oxtail, whatever is fun) in wine, stock, herbs, garlic, onions - baked potato with not too much cheese and sour cream - a pint o Guiness Day 6 - meat pies, dice and microwave the meat, mix with the veg and stock and milk, put in individual oven-safe bowls, top with crust or phyllo or puff pastry (store bought is fine) - there's just the bit of pastry on top, so this isn't very caloric - Caesar salad - more Guiness Day 7 - Go out to eat, splurge on the calories. You'll have eaten well and healthy, except for the booze but that's optional, and will be ready for more fun, improvised meals the next week! -

It's really hard to suggest something without having some idea of what types of things he likes. My dad was a very fussy eater. When my mother died there was a similar situation. Not motivated is a good way to put it, but let's face it. He's probably still grieving and just doesn't really feel like eating and I assume cooking is a foreign concept to him. I know some people go crazy at the idea of convenience foods but isn't it better than nothing? What about a local deli? Get a rotisserie chicken and some side dishes. Pick up (or make) a turkey breast, small ham, roast or something and have some nice sandwiches. There's some decent canned soups, stews, chili, etc, even canned potatoes, veggies and the like. I take it he never has had to cook for himself? Perhaps therein lies the problem. Too often people try to force someone to make overly fancy "nutritious" meals when it's far better to start slow with something he'll feel confident making for himself. Maybe it's nothing more than a fried hamburger, a bagged salad, some instant potatoes and the like. Then maybe someone can show him how easy it is to take that hamburger, mix it with some cooked pasta, add some tomatoes and seasoning and you have a completely different dish. Then sometime, now that you know how to cook pasta, take some of the leftover chicken, mix it in instead of hamburger, etc. Another thing comes to mind is a crockpot or a Nesco roaster. Pot roast, potatoes, onions, carrots... chicken, or a turkey breast (or drumsticks if he likes dark meat, a small ham. Many people are apprehensive about a microwave. If you know how to use one, they're useful, but I don't rate it as a great cooking appliance. It's a utensil. I think a crockpot, Nesco or even a good set of cookware (non-stick - easy to clean) is a far better investment. But if you go with a microwave, definitely get the dial version. Someone new to cooking will be intimidated by having to program in the software code for Mecroshaft Wanders in order to heat a can of soup! An idea for an appliance that I use a lot is a convection oven. Mine is one of the simple little ones that's like a big glass dutch oven and the heat unit is in the cover. You set it on top and set the time and temp, flip down the handle and you're cooking. This is a mini oven. It bakes fabulous potatoes, makes pizza rolls in 6 minutes, warms things and you put a few quarts of water in it, add a couple drops of dish liquid and turn it on warm for a few minutes and it splashes ir around and pretty much cleans itself. OK, you do scrub it a bit if something is burned on, but especially when it's new it's not a problem and you can always line it with foil. I do that and cook bacon in it. It came with a second level rack to do 2 things but the hot stuff will be on top. I use it on one level. I've been known to use this together with the microwave and the stove to make a meal. One of my points that's maybe getting lost is to sit down and figure out what things he likes and doesn't like. How much time does he have, how much experience he has, etc. Then work on fitting some things in. And the first time you have one part of a plate cold while the other side is overcooked in a microwave, you'll soon quit using a microwave for cooking. Low and slow and you can keep an eye on things. And run less risk of burning, overcooking or failure in general. I'll say from experience, a SIMPLE, home made, or semi-homemade meal is FAR superior than the McDonald's drivethru. Tater tot hotdish may send chills up some peoples' spines but compared to what Mayor McCheese puts out... I'll take tater tots! Another thought, bacon & eggs? Omelets? Fritatta? Even a platter of sausage, cheese, veggie sticks and the like can be an enjoyable meal. There's times I just don't feel like cooking. But I will slice some sausage and cheese. Or take some bagged salad, add some cheese, tear up some deli meats and have a pseudo chef's salad. Especially with summer here pasta salads are good eats. Don't overlook good quality hot dogs or sausage. Brown & serve sausage and eggs, with a side of Simply Potatoes? Another thought for ideas is to look at the TV dinners he's getting. That should give an idea of what he likes. And you're more willing to learn to make something you LIKE than something you SHOULD eat. Again, I think it's more important that he get a start than to worry about it being the nutrionally perfectly balanced meal. Face it, this country doesn't eat right and we won't change that overnight. BTW, does he take vitamins? That might be a good idea. I've been cooking for one person for over 30 years. (OK occasionally 2 and for a little while more but that wasn't long). Groceries aren't sold for one person cooking but it's getting better. You can buy potatoes, onions and some things individually now but a head of cabbage, head of lettuce, stalk of celery, etc, and of course the 20# turkeys, 5# roasts, meat sold in bulk packs, etc, get real. But I digress. I'm just trying to say that for a first time cook it can be intimidating. Nuff of that. I'm hoping this is some help. I'll go through some of my menu idea lists and post back some of the things I have on there for ideas. Good luck!