Workweek Vegan Meal Prep Episode 21 🔪

Welcome back to Workweek Vegan Meal Prep, the series that gives you the roadmap for making 4 delicious vegan meals preps with just 20 core plant-based ingredients.

This week offers a variety of familiar dishes with fun twist, making them unique but still very delicious. If you’re a fan of any kind of peanut butter cup, then you must try these Raspberry-Pistachio Butter Cups 🍫, which feel like an upscale PB&J sandwiched between layers of dark-chocolate. The flavors of elote and crispy texture of smashed potatoes join forces in an Elote Smashed Potato Salad 🌽 that’s perfect for summer and great for sharing at gatherings. Butter chicken may be one of the most beloved foods worldwide, but this Butter Tofu w/ Coconut-Turmeric Rice 🍛offers vegan take on the classic with a fragrant golden rice that’s perfect for mopping up all those delicious flavors. And if you’ve been sleeping on charred scallions, then allow me to introduce you to my Charred Scallion Noodles w/ Air-Fried Tempeh 🌱, a vibrant green dish that feels like takeout yet requires minimal effort.

TIPS FOR THIS WEEK’S PREP

• The key to making the Raspberry-Pistachio Butter Cups 🍫 is to freeze them in layers as you go, first after coating the mold in chocolate, then after adding the pistachio butter, again following the addition of the raspberry compote, and once more after the final layer of chocolate. And if you don’t want to fuss with making your own pistachio butter in a food processor, you could just buy some at the store, or even use a different nut butter is pistachios aren’t your jam (although who doesn’t love pistachios?).

• The Elote Smashed Potato Salad 🌽 is very straightforward. Boil some potatoes, smash them on a tray to bake, whip up a creamy elote-style dressing, then throw it all together.

• The key to the Butter Tofu w/ Coconut-Turmeric Rice 🍛 is in the use of cornstarch for coating the tofu before cooking in the oven. This helps the tofu turn crispy golden brown as it bakes. And if you’re looking for a creamy smooth butter sauce, I’d recommend using an immersion blender while it cooks in the pan (or you could pour the contents into a standalone blender, then go back into the pan with the blended sauce).

• For the Charred Scallion Noodles w/ Air-Fried Tempeh 🌱, I highly recommend using a cast iron pan to char the scallions. It is summer time, so if you want to grill the scallions, by all means go ahead, but cast iron gets the job done, and done well. You could also use stainless steel, but I’d advise against charring anything i a nonstick pan, as those pans are not meant for cooking above medium heat on the stovetop. And if you don’t have an air fryer for the tempeh, there’s alternate instructions below for using making in an oven.

RECIPE LINEUP

• 🍫 Raspberry-Pistachio Butter Cups

• 🌽 Elote Smashed Potato Salad

• 🍛 Butter Tofu w/ Coconut-Turmeric Rice

• 🌱 Charred Scallion Noodles w/ Air-Fried Tempeh

20 CORE INGREDIENTS

18 oz raspberries

18 oz roasted & salted pistachios (I used Wonderful brand)

18 oz dairy-free dark chocolate (I used Enjoy Life brand)

3 pounds fingerling potatoes

2 cans (15.5 oz each) corn

2 red onions

4 jalapeños

2 bunches cilantro

1 container vegan feta cheese (I used Follow Your Heart brand)

2 cups unsweetened plain vegan yogurt (I used Forager brand Greek-style yogurt)

4 limes

2 cups basmati rice

3 cans (15.5 oz each) full fat coconut milk

3 blocks (16 oz each) super firm tofu

one 2-inch knob ginger

1 bulb garlic

48 oz tomato sauce (I used two 24 oz bottles)

3 blocks (8 oz each) tempeh (I used LightLife brand)

3 bunches scallions (6 to 8 scallions per bunch)

12 oz ramen-style noodles (I used A-sha brand)

Pantry items:

oils: avocado

spices: cumin, coriander, turmeric, chile powder, garam masala

organic sugar

soy sauce

cornstarch

Kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper

Tajin (optional)

FULL RECIPES

Recipe 1: 🍫 Raspberry-Pistachio Butter Cups (10 to 12 cups)

Ingredients

• 18 oz dairy-free dark chocolate chips (I used two 9 oz bags Enjoy Life brand)

• 18 oz roasted and salted shelled pistachios (I used Wonderful brand)

• 18 oz fresh raspberries

• Organic cane sugar

Preparation

1. Heat your chocolate chips in a double boiler on the stove so that they melt.

2. While the chocolate is melting, add the pistachios in a food processor and run on continuous process until the pistachios turn into a creamy green butter, 5 to 8 minutes. Load the pistachio butter into a piping bag and set aside (optionally, you can just buy pistachio butter at the store).

3. Place medium to large saute pan over medium heat and warm 3 minutes. Add the raspberries to the pan along with 2 to 3 tablespoons organic sugar and use a potato masher to break the raspberries into jelly-like mixture as they cook down for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir with a spoon as they cook down. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the raspberry mixture to cool, then pour through strainer into a separate bowl to remove the seeds. Set aside.

4. To make the cups, I’d recommend either a silicone muffin/cupcake tray, a metal cupcake/muffin tray with paper molds in each slot, or, in my case, individual silicone cupcake molds. Working one at a time, add 2 to 3 tablespoons melted chocolate to an individual mold, then pick up the mold and tilt from side to side to allow the melted chocolate to stick to the edges all the way up the sides. Place the tray/molds in the freezer 1 hour. Remove and add 2 tablespoons of the pistachio butter mixture, tap the cups on a table to flatten the pistachio mixture out, then go back into the freezer 1 hour. Remove and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the raspberry compote atop the pistachio butter, tap each on the table to flatten, then back into the freezer another hour. Finally remove the cups, pour melted chocolate over each to encapsulate the pistachio butter plus raspberry jelly, then place back in the freezer at least 2 hours (preferably overnight) to fully set.

5. Store in a lidded glass container or ziploc bag in the freezer up to 1 month. For serving, I’d recommend taking one out, allow it to thaw 20 minutes, then cutting it into quarters with a knife. NOTE: The raspberry compote will turn more liquid if the cups are left out on the counter longer than an hour. Still edible, but the optimal time to eat is about 20 minutes after coming out of the freezer.

Nutritional info:

Per cup (10 to 12 servings; I enjoy each of these in quarters):

• Calories: 530

• Protein: 13g

• Carbs: 50g

• Fat: 36g

• Fiber: 11g

Recipe 2: 🌽 Elote Smashed Potato Salad (8 servings)