Well folks, it’s been quite the few months. Though you wouldn’t know it by my social media profile or even my regular demeanour for that matter, life’s been rather difficult. Actually, it’s been shit. Life’s been shit. There I said it.
Though there are more reasons then I want to get into, things are finally turning around. Slowly, I’m regaining my life. Through a few job changes one thing became glaringly apparent, food is my life. Though it may not be our own restaurant space – and sadly I’m not sure it will ever happen – I am finding opportunities that make me feel whole again, that will allow me to do what I’m meant.
So, while it’s been a few years here at eathalifax, only now do I feel I’ve found my place. I want to be here, really here, rather than popping in and out, whipping up recipes on the fly, scrambling to get posts up. What was enjoyable became stressful, tangled up in life’s struggle. This is supposed to be about passion, about falling in love with cooking, and maybe inspiring you to do the same.
Hopefully, day by day, post by post, I’ll get there.
In the meantime, I’ll be eating lentil salad. Oh, you don’t like lentils? I beg to differ.
- 1/2 cup dry green or brown lentils
- 1 1/2 cup stock
- pinch salt
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 dates, chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoon capers, chopped
- 2-3 anchovies, chopped
- handful arugula
- 2 green onions, chopped
- salt and pepper
- lemon zest, optional
- Combine lentils and stock in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until tender, about 20-25 min.
- Whisk together the shallot, mustard, vinegar, and olive oil. Combine with lentils, dates, anchovies, and capers. Season to taste with salt and pepper and if desired, lemon zest. Serve with arugula or another green and green onions.
- Canned lentils can be substituted for the dry. Simply omit the first step and be sure to rinse the lentils well.
