It was not long after I’d made the lifestyle change, when I found myself in the city one day in between appointments. I was hungry and had this idea of sitting somewhere quiet, having a nice meal and doing a bit of nothing before my next appointment.

I noticed a mild anxiety rising within me about where I would find such a place. I seriously did not expect to find a fast food outlet that served low-calorie vegetarian recipes. Then I believed that even if I did find one the prices would not be what I could afford.

I wanted low calorie vegetarian fast food on a budget vegetarian meals and whether it was going to cost me an arm and a leg. Vegetarian meals back then (about ten years ago) were noticeably more expensive then meat-based meals.

Anyway, as I walked along a tree-lined street that autumn day not terribly confident about my chances, I noticed a restaurant that I had passed many times previously. For some reason, I looked in and saw a large menu displayed on a stand by the door. I couldn’t help but peruse the menu not really expecting to find anything that would satisfy my needs, i.e. a low-calorie, low-cost, vegetarian lunch.

Well, blow me down! Was I in for a surprise! On the menu was a lentil burger for $6.99 and for an extra $2.00 you could have potato wedges served with sour cream. Naturally I passed on the wedges, but the burger screamed, “Eat me”.

A smiling waitress greeted me, offered me a selection of tables and proceeded to take my order.

To cut a long story short, it was a meal I thoroughly enjoyed, delighted at my find and especially delighted upon realizing that it was something I could easily make myself. And because good things are meant to be shared, here is the recipe! Enjoy!

Lentil Burger

• Low-fat pan bread, toasted
• Yellow/red lentils (pre-cooked with garlic, onion, ginger and some coconut milk)
• Fresh spinach or lettuce
• Tomato slices
• Sesame seeds
• Olive oil
• Eggplant slices (optional) (Precooked in olive oil and some vinegar)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Spread some olive oil over the bread. Layer with the greens, followed by the eggplant and tomato slices. Spread the cooked lentils over. (Use as much as you like as long as you can cover and hold your burger!). Sprinkle the sesame seeds over and add salt and pepper as required.