For the Love of Lentils!

On this cold and dreary Saturday morning I headed to our local super market, to buy those things that are required. A simple list to enhance the store cupboard and possibly tempt my teenager into another taste of meat free cooking, this was the plan at least.

Now being a sandal wearing lentil muncher, I am not adverse to the odd pulse, from Dahl to Mental Lentil soup (my own recipe) these little spheres of veggi joy are included in many a meal. Much to the teen’s dissatisfaction. Indeed the young man of the house only has to hear pop of the kilner jar to decry “I ain’t eating that stuff” this is normally followed by a mumble about meat, a short compromise later and there are two dishes being prepared, one with the much worshipped flesh that he chooses the problem solved.. or is it?

I used to eat meat and indeed I was partial to a rare steak or indeed a good bacon sarni. When almost a decade ago I made the choice to change to a more vegetarian diet (I still eat some fish) Daniel was given the option to, making an informed choice is something that is welcomed in this home.

Over the years we have baked and roasted souped and curried cooked all kinds of ingredients in endless ways, but the lentil rebellion persists. Not a pulse will pass that boys lips. I thought I had struck a golden idea some years back when Dan delighted in a good curry. Excellent I thought and set about preparing a fine mushroom dasak for our dinner table... just as those little disks of orange deliciousness were to about to hit the cooking pot in he strolls, the curry phase was over!

There does come a time in every mother’s life when you can no longer avoid a fad with down right trickery. The dislike of broccoli cannot be overcome with a swift rebrand to “green cauliflower” and this is the point that we reached about 10 years ago but cooking twice still makes me a little sad.

So to today while in my heart I would love Dan to at least try something before he decides it is unpalatable I see him as the man he is becoming and will make a ham pasta bake alongside the lentil gardeners pie ... I just hope that as he goes through life he only applies the “bean there done that attitude” to lentils.