Partially Prepped VI: Crispy Quinoa Spring Salad with Lemon Pepper Tofu

+ the second round of Meal Prep Madness & the weekly 2-2-2!

My partially prepped series—where I share easy, nourishing recipes that can be prepped the night or morning before, then finished up before dinner time—was made to make your weeknights a little less stressful. I know traditional meal prep isn’t for everyone, and this is one way you can still do a little bit of prep ahead, leaving only assembly and reheating at meal time! Today’s edition is bringing all the fresh spring energy: Crispy Quinoa Spring Salad with Lemon Pepper Tofu. It’s fresh, crisp, protein-packed, and full of bright flavors—plus, the color of those thinly sliced radishes is stunning. You know I love a pink and green moment!!! 🩷💚 You’ll find instructions below for prepping ahead and ingredient swaps if you need them!

💫 AND it’s week 2 of Meal Prep Madness!! Scroll to the bottom of today’s newsletter to see the next round of match-ups and cast your votes to help shape our April meal prep plan!

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Crispy Quinoa Spring Salad with Lemon Pepper Tofu

GF, V, VG option, | serves 4 | prep time: 30-40 min | cook time: 45 min

INGREDIENTS

For the Lemon Pepper Tofu:

• 14 ounce block extra firm tofu (see recipe instructions for pressing instructions)

• 1 tablespoon tapioca flour or arrowroot starch (can sub cornstarch)

• 3 tablespoons coconut aminos (or reduced-sodium tamari or reduced-sodium soy sauce)

• Zest of 1/2 lemon

• 1 teaspoon dried basil

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the Crispy Quinoa:

• 2 cups of water or low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

• 1 cup of white or tri-colored quinoa

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1-2 generous pinches of kosher salt

For the salad:

• 3 green onions, thinly sliced

• 6 ounces asparagus, about 14-16 spears, ends trimmed, 1/4-inch dice

• 10 ounces whole radishes (about 1 1/2 cups), thinly sliced (swap for pre-sliced)

• 8 ounces sugar snap peas (about 1 cup), thinly sliced

For the dressing:

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 4 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, can sub apple cider vinegar

• Zest of 1/2 lemon

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

For serving:

• 3 ounces (about 3 cups) ounces arugula (omit if using for meal prep)

• 1/2 cup chopped basil leaves

• 3/4 cup crumbled feta

INSTRUCTIONS

Press the tofu: to press the tofu without a tofu press, wrap the block in a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. Place on a level surface with a large pot of pan on top for at least 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the water or broth to a boil. Once boiling, add the quinoa, stir, cover and cook for 12-14 minutes, until all liquid is absorbed.

While the quinoa cooks, prep the salad: combine the salad components in a large meal prep container or a large bowl.

Make the dressing: combine all ingredients in a jar or small bowl and shake or whisk together.

Drizzle half of the dressing over the salad and toss to evenly coat. If desired, add more of the dressing.

Cover with an airtight lid or wrap and chill for up to 20 minutes or overnight.

Meanwhile, prepare the tofu: remove the tofu block from the press and dice into 1/2-inch cubes and add to a medium bag or bowl, and set aside. Combine the tapioca flour, coconut aminos, lemon zest, dried basil, garlic powder, and ground black pepper in a small bowl. Add to the tofu and gently mix to evenly coat.

Note: If partially prepping, you can stop here and allow the tofu and salad to marinate in the fridge for up to 24 hours

Make the tofu and quinoa

Preheat the oven to 400F. Line two small sheet pans with parchment paper. Add the tofu and quinoa to separate pans and bake the tofu until crisp on the edges, about 25 minutes, and the quinoa until crisp, stirring once halfway through, about 30 minutes.

Assemble the salad

Add the marinated veggie salad to a large bowl, top with the arugula (see note), crispy quinoa, chopped basil, and feta cheese (if using). Toss well to combine.

get the printable recipe and notes here.

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Recipe Notes:

🌱 Radishes: Use a mandolin or veggie peel to thinly slice the radishes if you prefer a very thin slice.

🌿 Asparagus: You can blanch the asparagus if preferred. Place the asparagus, woody ends trimmed off, in a skillet or large pot filled water. Simmer over medium heat until light green in color, but still firm, 1-2 minutes for thin spears, 2-3 minutes for thicker spears. Immediately transfer to a large bowl filled with ice water (this will stop the cooking) for 2 minutes, then remove and pat dry.

🍃Arugula: You’ll want to omit the arugula if you’re using this as a meal prep or plan to use leftovers for lunches. Instead, add it in when you’re ready to pack your lunch or just before serving the leftovers. Chopped kale is a meal-prep-friendly swap!

🍗 Protein: If you don't like tofu or aren't plant-based, feel free to swap for your protein of choice. Lemon pepper chicken breast or thighs would be delicious, or cook up some salmon and make a lemon pepper rub! If prepping ahead, store the protein in a separate sealed container from the salad.

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For more like this, check out my previous Partially Prepped recipes:

• slow cooker buffalo chicken chili

• chipotle mango steak tacos with mango corn salsa

• baked feta, chicken and roasted veggie pasta

• sheet pan salmon with roasted potatoes, artichokes, and yogurt sauce

• one-pan tuscan inspired chicken and rice

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March Meal Prep Madness Round 2!

It was so fun to watch the results on the first round of meal prep madness!! Based on the results from last week, we’ve got our next round of meal prep madness ready to go! Choose your favorites—voting closes next Friday! In case you missed it, here’s the full low down on what this is all about.

💫 As a reminder, all of these recipes are on my site!! Go ahead and check them out if they caught your eye. I can’t wait to see the results. Check back Sunday for the next round of voting.

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what I’m prepping

1. Sweet and Spicy Cashew Chili Lettuce Wraps — I made these on Substack Live last week! So versatile and easy to adapt to rice bowls.

2. Banana Bread Protein Baked Oats — Inspired by the meal prep madness! also…dessert for breakfast never hurt anyone.

what I’m loving

1. Aerie Leggings — Love everything Aerie!! These are perfect and so smooth 🧈

2. Ankle Socks — These are called the “best ever” ankle sock and I have to agree.

what I’m recommending

1. Strawberry Milk Matcha — Blend 1 cup of almond milk and ~3 frozen strawberries to make the milk, loving frauth lately for my matcha.

2. A REALLY nice pillow — We spend SO much of our lives in bed, our pillows really do matter. Recently upgraded to this organic cotton pillow and it’s magical.

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📝 check out this week’s Round Up! including a recap of Wednesday’s live

🔪 a low chop dinner plan + where to start with meal prep

🍝 the easiest set it and forget it dinner for this week

The replay of Friday’s Grubstack LIVE — 3 high-protein meal preps!

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🚨 Want a free month of the eat goood newsletter?

If you make one (or all!!) of the recipes this week, leave a rating and review on my website & you’ll be entered to get a free month of the paid newsletter! All you have to do is leave your rating & review, then comment on this post letting me know you reviewed—it can be any recipe on the site! There will be 3 winners every month 💕

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I hope you all have a lovely week, and be sure to stay tuned over on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to see what I have for y’all this upcoming week!

Much love,

Jenn