Rice Bowl with Mushroom Gravy and Kale

This is the second all-vegetarian recipe I've tried and honestly, the first turned out so bland and seriously not good. I ended up throwing in all the vegetables from it into my stir fry I made this week. The couscous and yogurt sauce from the attempt had to be tossed. In my defense, there wasn't very much left of it, I tried to eat it...OK I forced myself to eat it. I just couldn't do it anymore. If I'm going to eat I want it to taste good at least.

This second one turned out so so well though! I actually achieved a successful gravy/ vegetarian dish all in one! Oh She Glows had this beautiful recipe, I actually adapted it a bit. Oh She Glows uses millet as the grain, but I have no idea what that is so I just used the left over brown rice from the stir fry. Stir fry was a life saver this week apparently. Anyway, the mushroom gravy could be put over anything from pasta to quinoa, your choice.

Rice Bowl with Mushroom Gravy and Kale

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown rice (use package instructions)
• 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups chopped sweet onion (1 medium onion)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups sliced crimini mushrooms (300 grams)
• 1.5 tbsp minced fresh rosemary
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (found at a health food store)
• 1.5 tbsp low-sodium tamari (soy sauce)
• 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 & 1/4 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup fresh chopped kale, stems removed
• Freshly ground black pepper & kosher salt, to taste

1. Make the rice according to the instructions on the package. You can have it cooking while you make the gravy, or you can make minute rice and just set it aside.

2. Meanwhile, grab a large skillet and heat oil over medium heat. Add in chopped onions and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes.

3. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté for about 12 minutes longer, stirring as necessary. Now stir in the rosemary, nutritional yeast, and tamari. Cook for a few minutes.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the broth and cornstarch until clumps are gone, and then stir into the mushroom mixture. Stir in kale. Cook for another 5-6 minutes or so, until slightly thickened. Portion rice into two bowls and serve the mushroom gravy on top.