I'd like to start a new section of the website devoted to Simple Meal Ideas, meaning not quite recipes but more inspiration to help you decide what to eat at those times when you just can't think! I'm planning to invite customers and friends to add theirs also so we all get to share each others' tasty, quick and easy meals.

Tonight I made a warm Puy lentil rice salad with caramelised onions and loads of herbs, with veggies and feta cheese. The veggies could be roasted (for example peppers, aubergine, onions, courgette) or sauted (leeks, kale, cherry tomatoes and butternut squash) or any combination you have to hand - it's nice if they are juicy and seasonal. If you wanted to dress it up you could make an aubergine gratin in a rich tomato sauce...it goes really well with the lentils and rice. You could leave out the feta then.

For the lentils and rice I cooked 1 cup of brown rice (with 2 cups of water in a pan with a lid for 35 minutes) and 1/2 a cup of puy lentils (in lots of water until al dente) and mixed them together with some caramelised onion (4 small red onions with a little oil over a low heat for 20 minutes). You drain the lentils before mixing them, and the rice should be cooked through. Then add a few handfuls of chopped parsley and corriander, a glug of olive oil, a little balsamic and lots of soya sauce and pepper.

Serve with a generous amount of crumbeld feta. The salad is great the next day also, just check the seasoning. Enjoy! By Hannah