Victoria L. Meyers

In my experience to date, back of the can recipes are usually a let down and on the ordinary side. But recently I discovered one that I am now so excited about and class as one of my favourites. I found it when I was starving, hopelessly fumbling around a desolate cupboard. This is usually a time when impatience and hunger override any desire to eat healthy. But I rode through the pain as I reached for a can of lentils that had been sitting there for months, maybe even years. Scanning the recipe on the back, I had all the ingredients: a carrot, an onion, garlic and some herbs. Hooray, I would be eating in a matter of minutes. It was a golden moment, the food equivalent of finding a diamond in a puddle. Since that time, less than a week has passed and I have had the same recipe more than five times either for lunch or dinner. The lentils were the Woolworths organic label and contained just water and salt. Using a frying pan, I sautéed the onion and two garlic cloves in olive oil, added the drained lentils, a grated carrot and I substituted the recipes’ coriander for chopped basil, Italian parsley and a sprinkle of marjoram leaves. I showered it in glistening lemon juice and A.Vogel’s Herbamare (a salt made with organic herbs and vegetables). The lemon juice gave the meaty lentils a citric burst and the flavour of the garlic and onion came through every colourful bite. One humble and half-forgotten can of lentils turned into a hero by serving a hearty vegetarian meal and preventing a large binge on junk food.