Lentil & Rice (Meal Prep)

Ingredients

• Uncooked brown rice, 1 cup
• Uncooked green lentils, 1 cup
• Vegetable broth, 2 1/2 cups
• Extra-firm tofu, 1 block (14oz)
• Tahini, 1/3 cup
• Red bell pepper, 1 large
• Zucchini, 1 medium
• Red onion, 1/2 medium
• Lemon juice, 3 tbsp
• Nutritional yeast, 2 tbsp
• Canola oil, 3 tbsp
• Smoked paprika, 1 tsp
• Cumin, 1 tsp
• Garlic powder, 2 tsp
• Salt, 2 tsp
• Black pepper, 1 tsp
• Water, ~5-6 tbsp

Tools

• Bake tray
• Parchment paper or baking sheet
• Two mixing bowls, one small and one large

Steps

1. Start the brown rice - I use 1 3/4 cups of water to 1 cup of dry rice, but the right ratio depends how you are cooking it. It will take between 45 min and 60 min depending on your method.
2. Wash the lentils.
3. Simmer the lentils in the vegetable broth - this will take 25-30 min but it depends on your lentils. Check them every so often for texture to tell when they are done.
4. Preheat your oven to 400F.
5. Cube the tofu, bell pepper, zucchini, and onion - aim for a roughly consistent size across all of them. Put them into a big bowl.
6. Add to the bowl: the canola oil, paprika, cumin, and half of the garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
7. Toss all that stuff around in the bowl by hand until it's well mixed.
8. Spread it on your bake tray (with parchment paper or baking sheet) and put it in the oven. After ~15min, you'll need to flip the tofu so it browns evenly. It will need to cook for 25ish minutes total.
9. Make the dressing: mix the tahini, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and the rest of the garlic, salt, and pepper in your small mixing bowl. Gradually add water, stirring continuously to incorporate it, until you get a good texture.

Serving

This makes roughly four portions. For each of them, lay down a bed of rice and lentils in a meal prep container, then lay some of the tofu/ veggie mix over it. Keep the tahini dressing separate until you're about to eat one of the portions so things don't get soggy.

Variations

• Any other kind of lentils or bell peppers works.