Sunday Fun Time Prep Time

Here's how I produce home cooked plant-based meals all week without losing my mind.

A lot of people will tell you how easy it is to make everything you eat from scratch. I’m not really one of those people. I can’t pretend I don’t spend a lot of time every week chopping vegetables, managing the refrigerator inventory, and stirring at the stove. 

But years ago, I decided that time spent cooking is worth it to me not only in terms of the health benefits but also the enjoyment I get out of making and serving home-cooked meals. I love to cook, but I want to do it on my own terms, not just because I’m hungry and it's dinner time.

On Sundays, I usually dedicate most of the afternoon to cooking and prepping things for the week ahead. I catch up on my podcasts, collect my thoughts, jot things down in my kitchen notebook, and taste things as I go. It’s fun for me. 

This week, I’m walking you through what I did on Sunday and why. 

I start at the farmers market and/or grocery store and I fill my online cart at Philly Food Works. 

Here’s what I bought this week:

• Radishes

• Bok choy

• Lacinato kale 

• Cauliflower

• Tomatoes

• Cucumbers

• Scallions

• Oyster mushrooms

• Bread

And here’s the meal plan I sketched out:

Sunday: Dan dan noodles with steamed bok choy

Monday: Leftover dan dan noodles with steamed bok choy

(I made an adaptation of this recipe. My take has more vegetables and less oil.)

Tuesday: Kale, carrot, radish, and snap pea salad with tofu bites & roasted potatoes

Wednesday: Cauliflower shawarma with garlic-turmeric rice, tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives

(Here’s the cauliflower shawarma recipe I use, again cutting the oil in half!)

Thursday: Defrosted frozen tofu-mushroom burgers from Veggie Burgers Every Which Way (I made them last Sunday) with kale salad

Friday: Whole wheat pasta with tomato-lentil bolognese (recipe coming soon to a Cruciferous newsletter near you) and … even more salad

Here are the things I prepped:

Salad veggies

I prepped my radishes to keep them fresh for the long haul. I cut off and composted the greens, trimmed both ends of each radish, scrubbed them, and then submerged them in a container of cold water in the refrigerator where they will stay fresh and crisp for two weeks. 

I love having radishes on hand to add to salads and dress-up tacos or beans. I only recently discovered this method of storing radishes and it makes me so happy to know they will never go wilted and soft on me again.

Then, I stemmed and finely shredded my kale. Prepping kale isn’t my favorite chore, but I’m always happy to have salad-ready greens waiting for me. Kale can be tough, so I always either slice it thin, massage it, or dress it well in advance to tenderize it. 

With radishes, kale, and scallions handy there’s only one more thing I need for fast salads.

Dressing

I make a wide array of dressings, but this is the one I’ve been making the most lately. I got this recipe via the Miss Rachel’s Pantry Patreon, so if you want instructions or the volume-based measurements, go sign up.

This dressing is quite sweet—but it’s the perfect match for bitter greens like kale. It really makes me happy to eat my salads. 

Tofu bites

I had ½ block of tofu in a container so I made a quarter batch of my favorite tofu bites. The only thing I do differently than the recipe is I use Bragg’s Liquid Aminos instead of soy sauce because Bragg’s has a slightly smoky note that I think tastes a little better. 

Tofu bites will be a great addition to any salad I make during the week and I also just sometimes snack on a few. I’ve never made them for anyone who didn’t love them. 

Lunch 

This cauliflower is a little under-browned because I’m going to cook it more before serving it later in the week.

I also try to figure out lunch for the week on Sunday because I usually have meetings running through the middle of my corporate-content-editor workday. And to be honest, weekday lunch is not creative. I make either the chickpea frittata recipe I’ve shared with you or a quart of hummus. 

This week, I made hummus. I also roasted the cauliflower I still had from last week because I didn’t want the cauliflower to go bad, it adds vegetables to lunch, and it feels more special. A well-topped hummus is a thing of beauty.

Roasted Cardamom-Spiced Cauliflower

Serves 6 as a hummus topping; 4 as a side dish

1 large head cauliflower, broken down into small florets (about ½-inch to 1-inch pieces)

1 tablespoon olive oil

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cardamom

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1 pinch cayenne 

A few grinds black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425℉.

In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower florets, olive oil, salt, cardamom, garlic powder, cayenne, and black pepper. Toss to coat the cauliflower pieces well in the oil and the spices and spread out on a sheet pan. Place on the lower rack of the oven.

Roast for 10 minutes. Stir the cauliflower and rotate the sheet pan. Roast for another 10 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender and charred in places. 

To serve over hummus, bring it to room temperature or reheat it in the microwave, toaster oven, or air fryer.