Can you imagine what it feels like to be hungry?
On a normal day, Tom eats his lunch on the earlier side, because when he feels hunger creeping in, it’s harder for him to concentrate on his work. If I go too long between breakfast & lunch, I get nauseated because I am beyond hungry. These are our first world problems.
For many children in South Africa, this is an every day reality & that is why bloggers across the internet are teaming up with The Giving Table & donating their posts to bring awareness to this issue.
65% of children in South Africa live in poverty, many of them orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS. The instability at home & lack of food seriously affect children’s attendance & performance at school–setting them up for even more struggle & hard times later in life without a solid foundation of education.
FEED A CHILD, NOURISH A MIND
The Lunchbox Fund fosters education through nutrition. By providing meals to schools in underprivileged & rural areas throughout South Africa–oftentimes, the only meal a child may receive in a day–children are encouraged to attend school much more regularly. By providing children with the nutrition they need, they are much more likely to stay in school & build a healthier foundation for their future.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
It doesn’t take much. Our goal through this blog-wide campaign is to raise $5000, which will provide a hearty, nourishing meal for a day for 100 children for an entire year. Just $10 will feed a child for a whole month. Skip a few fancy coffees, a few beers out, or take your lunch to work a couple days this week & join us in donating to help those less fortunate.
This lentil soup is something simple to throw together, easy on the wallet & a wonderfully warming lunch for this time of year. With a strong foundation of aromatic vegetables, several cloves of roasted garlic & plenty of hearty lentils, it’s just what your afternoon called for.
LENTIL SOUP
serves 6-8
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
4 carrots, peeled & diced
4 stalks celery, diced
kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
2 cups lentils
6 large cloves roasted garlic
2 quarts vegetable broth
1 tablespoon cumin
1 bay leaf
6 sprigs fresh thyme, tied together with twine
In a large Dutch oven, or other heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots & celery, season with a big pinch of salt & freshly ground pepper. Sweat until softened & the onions translucent.
Add the lentils, garlic, vegetable broth, cumin, bay leaf & thyme & raise the heat to high. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, & let bubble away for 30-40 minutes, until lentils are tender. Pull out the bay leaf & bare thyme sprigs, ladle into bowls & serve.
adapted from Dinner was Delicious
