Seitan Green Harvest Bowl – 37g Protein | Vegan Lunch

37 grams of protein. This is my highest-protein recipe, and it’s built around a combination I didn’t expect to love: crispy seitan with wilted greens and Brussels sprouts, all sitting on fluffy couscous mixed with sweet sun-dried tomatoes.

The avocado cream on top? It’s rich and silky, and the secret is mixing it with soy yogurt instead of just mashing plain avocado. That tiny addition makes it taste like something you’d get at a fancy grain bowl restaurant. I make this on Sundays and eat it cold from the fridge all week.

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📊 NUTRITION (per serving)
Calories: 530 | Protein: 37g | Carbs: 58g | Fat: 18g | Fiber: 12g
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⏱️ Time: 20 minutes (Prep: 5 | Cook: 15)
🍽️ Serves: 1
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INGREDIENTS:

• 70g (approx. 2.5 oz) seitan, sliced into strips
• 45g (¼ cup) dry couscous
• 150g (1 cup) frozen Brussels sprouts
• 150g (1 cup) frozen kale or spinach
• 4 sun-dried tomatoes (approx. 20g), chopped
• ½ avocado (approx. 70g)
• 1 tbsp (15g) soy yogurt
• 1 tsp lime juice
• Dried rosemary, to taste
• Porcini powder or mushroom powder, to taste
• Ground nutmeg, small pinch
• Black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Make the couscous: Measure ¼ cup dry couscous into a medium bowl. Pour ½ cup (120ml) boiling water over it – or use vegetable broth for more flavor. Immediately cover the bowl tightly with a plate or plastic wrap. Let it sit undisturbed for 5 minutes. The trapped steam cooks the couscous perfectly fluffy. Don’t peek.
2. Crisp the seitan: While couscous steams, heat a dry non-stick pan over medium-high heat (no oil needed if your pan is good quality). Add seitan strips with a generous pinch of dried rosemary and porcini powder. Let the seitan sear for 3-4 minutes, flipping occasionally, until the edges are crispy and deeply browned. You want actual texture here – crispy seitan is worth the wait.
3. Cook the greens: Add frozen Brussels sprouts to the same pan with the seitan. They’ll release some moisture as they thaw – that’s fine and actually helps cook everything. Cook for 3-4 minutes until tender. Add frozen kale or spinach and season with a small pinch of nutmeg and black pepper. The nutmeg is traditional with these greens and makes them taste almost creamy. Cook until the greens are completely wilted, about 2 minutes.
4. Make the avocado cream: In a small bowl, mash the avocado with soy yogurt and lime juice until smooth and creamy. The yogurt adds tanginess and makes the texture lighter and more “sauce-like” than plain mashed avocado. Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed.
5. Assemble: Uncover your couscous and fluff it with a fork – it should be light and separate, not clumpy. Fold the chopped sun-dried tomatoes into the couscous. They add concentrated tomato sweetness and chewiness. Plate the couscous first as your base, top with seitan and greens, then finish with a generous dollop of avocado cream.

PRO TIP: This bowl is excellent eaten cold straight from the fridge – the flavors actually develop and meld overnight. The couscous stays fluffy, the seitan firms up nicely, and the avocado cream acts as a creamy dressing. If you prefer it warm, reheat only the couscous and seitan separately in a pan with a splash of water, then assemble with the cold greens and avocado cream. The residual warmth will take the chill off the greens without overcooking them.

CHEF’S KISS: Mix a teaspoon of capers (roughly chopped) into the couscous along with the sun-dried tomatoes. The salty, briny pop of capers cuts through the richness of the avocado cream beautifully. It’s the kind of detail that makes people ask “what’s in this?” when they taste it. Impact: 5g capers = +1 calorie, +0g protein, but massive flavor impact.

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🌱 PLANT DIVERSITY: Seitan (wheat) • Couscous (wheat) • Brussels sprouts • Kale/spinach • Sun-dried tomatoes • Avocado • Soy yogurt (soybeans) • Rosemary • Porcini/mushroom powder (mushrooms) • Nutmeg

(If you’re tracking plants per week, this adds 9 to your count.)

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*Nutrition information is an estimate and may vary based on ingredients and brands used.* 

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ESSENTIALS

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You may find yourself in need of: 

Large Non-Stick Sauté Pan – even heat and a reliable surface allow you to dry-sear the seitan properly, creating golden, crispy edges without added oil.

Seitan – texture that crisps beautifully without turning rubbery. A good-quality seitan makes the difference between chewy strips and genuinely golden, high-protein bites.

Porcini / Mushroom Powder – small pinch adds deep, savory umami that makes this bowl taste restaurant-level instead of flat. It intensifies the seitan’s richness without adding extra salt or heaviness.

Missing something?

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