I used to feed Spoutnik II a small can of wet for breakfast, the rest of the day he had unlimited access to dry. There were days when the weather was particularly non-cat-friendly I would comfort him with another can of wet
(the half-size!)
Cats generally prefer having food available all day, as they are nibblers (unlike dogs who will gobble up everything in sight, hungry or not; cats know to stop when their belly is full enough).
If she was rescued from the point of starvation, she may never get really fat, or feel full enough. No real comaprison maybe, but I knew a guy who was rescued from a concentration camp just barely more than a walking skeleton with skin and blood. He never managed to get his weight over 50 kilos!! And he ate, believe you me, all day and just about anything. Never got fat.
So her metabolism could be messed up if she had been starving for too long. Leave her one of those dry-food dispensers so she knows there's food (even if it's not her favourite type) and don't run out of what she likes
Another thing, note how people shop for pet food at the supermarkets? Dog owners just grab something (dry or wet) and keep going. Cat owners choose carefully, debating whether to maybe try this flavour this week or stay with the same or try a mix
cats are just a lot more finnicky than dogs (remember the commercial with Morris
)