Recipe: Vegan Lentil Mushroom Power Bowl

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of green lentils (235kcal, 18g protein, 40g carbs, 1g fat)
• 2 cups of vegetable broth
• 2 cups of white button mushrooms, sliced (30 kcal, 4.2g protein, 4.4g carbs, 0.4g fat)
• 1 cup of red bell pepper, chopped (46 kcal, 1.5g protein, 9g carbs, 0.3g fat)
• 1 cup of kale, shredded (33 kcal, 2.9g protein, 6.7g carbs, 0.6g fat)
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil (238kcal, 0g protein, 0g carbs, 28g fat)
• ½ cup of nutritional yeast (60 kcal, 8g protein, 5g carbs, 1g fat)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Total per serving (1 bowl): 642kcal, 34.6g protein, 65.1g carbs, 30.3g fat

Instructions:

1. Rinse the green lentils under cold water then place them in a pot, add the vegetable broth, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until lentils are tender.
2. While the lentils are cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a pan over medium heat, add the mushrooms and sauté until golden brown.
3. In another pan, heat the remaining olive oil, add bell pepper and sauté for a few minutes until they start to soften.
4. Add the shredded kale to the pan with bell pepper, sauté until kale is wilted.
5. Once all the components are ready, stir in the nutritional yeast into the lentils until well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Plating:

To plate the meal, start by placing a generous scoop of the lentil and nutritional yeast mixture at the base of the bowl. Neatly position the sautéed mushrooms, bell pepper, and kale beside each other over the lentil base, creating visually appealing sections of different colors and textures. Sprinkle a bit more of nutritional yeast on top if desired and serve immediately. The finished dish should showcase a rainbow of vibrant, fresh ingredients, making it as appetizing to the eyes as it is to the palate.