October 19, 2017 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Athena's Creamy Cauliflower Soup W/ Dukkah & Watercress Pesto | dolly and oatmeal

i wasn't always very keen on cooking. the truth is, that until i met frank, and he and i started dating, i didn't really enjoy the process of cooking that much. but as our relationship progressed, the notion of cooking for someone else and pleasing their tummy and tastebuds really appealed to me. so much so, that while frank and i grew a relationship and fell in love with each other, i simultaneously cultivated a little love affair with cooking as well.

before we moved in together, we would take turns cooking at our respective apartments. he would generally "cook" sandwiches, which were seriously good. and i would plan some sort of intricate dinner like a ricotta gnocchi recipe that i had ripped from the pages of the new york times. but saturday and sunday mornings were reserved for getting up a bit early to make a batch of scones or muffins that i had bookmarked and printed out weeks before. i would scotch tape the recipes to the my kitchen cabinets where they would become one with my little kitchen - splatters, drips, and all! maybe you would have guessed, but as mine and frank's connection grew stronger so did my love for preparing our meals.

cooking and developing recipes for a living has its considerable perks, but the past year that drive has waned a bit with having a baby. and i have often felt that love and connection to food disipate. i've talked to some other moms about this, and i know it's not just me. but that continual tug in two completely different directions of wanting to the best, most present mama, while also striving to be the best at your career has taken its toll. which is why every time a new cookbook shows up on my doorstep i am eternally grateful for the wonderful authors who share their stories, hearts, and kitchens with us every time fall and spring roll around.

so, today i'm cooking from a new book, cook beautiful, by athena colderone of the blog, eyeswoon. the recipes are organized by the seasons of the year, so i flipped right to the fall chapter and gathered a load of east coast autumn inspiration. i chose to make this creamy cauliflower soup to really welcome fall into my kitchen (although, it's literally 90 degrees in LA as i'm writing this), and give you all some chilly-weather meal inspiration as well. this cauliflower soup is a wonderfully delicious blank canvas - and you could certainly serve and eat this as is. but athena paired it beautifully with a pistachio dukkah (a middle eastern spice and nut/seed blend), and a zesty watercress-pistachio pesto. the dukkah added a flavorful crunch, while the pesto added a perfect bit of brightness to make an unassuming soup really shine. just like the title, states this book is beautiful in every way. i could see my younger self being too intimidated to cook from it just from its shear beauty, but i think it really beckons you to cook your most beautiful, push your boundaries a bit by introducing you to new ideas, and different ways of preparing a typical meal.

big cozy hugs! xo

creamy cauliflower soup w/ dukkah & watercress pesto

recipe from Cook Beautiful by Athena Calderone

*my notes: athena's recipe calls for heavy cream. if you don't handle dairy well, like me, then you can replace it with 1/4 cup tahini which i added to the blender during step 5.

| serves 4 |

1 large head of cauliflower (about 2 pounds/910 g), cored and cut into bite-size florets
1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
kosher salt
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, cut in half lengthwise and rinsed clean
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces (225 g) yukon gold potatoes (about 3), peeled and quartered
3 cups (720 ml) chicken stock
2/3 cup (185 ml) heavy cream
2 lemons, zested and juiced
freshly cracked pepper
watercress pistachio pesto, for serving
dukkah, for serving

watercress pistachio pesto | makes 2 cups

1/3 cup (45 g) unslated pistachios, toasted, plus more for garnish
1 1/2 cups (60 g) packed watercress
3/4 cup (45 g) packed fresh parsely
2/3 cup (165 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup (75 ml) lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
zest of 1 lemon
kosher salt

dukkah | makes 3/4 cup

3/4 cup (95 g) unsalted pistachios
1/4 cup (40 g) sesame seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon kosher salt

method

soup

preheat oven to 425°F (220°C)
spread the cauliflower florets on a baking sheet. drizzle the generously with oil, season with salt, and toss to coat. roast for 15 minutes, tossing the cauliflower halfway through. continue to roast until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
while the cauliflower is roasting, chop the leeks crosswise into roughly 1/4-inch (6-mm) slices. in a medium saucepan, heat the oil and thyme over medium heat and saute the leeks until they are slightly softened, about 2 minutes. add the garlic and cook until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes more.
add the potatoes, stock, cream, 2 cups (480 ml) water, and the roasted cauliflower to the pot. bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat and cover, cooking until the potatoes are fork-tender, 15 to 20 minutes. once the potatoes are tender, remove the thyme stems from the mixture (the leaves should have fallen off during cooking).
transfer the mixture to a blender and cover the hole of the blender top with a towel. blend until the mixture is very smooth. stir in the lemon juice and season with 2 teaspoons salt and some pepper. divide the soup among four bowls and top it with lemon zest, a swirl of the watercress pesto, and a sprinkle of dukkah.

pesto

in a food processor, pulse the pistachios, watercress, and parsley until coarsely chopped, about 10 pulses. add the oil and lemon juice and process until a smooth, loose paste forms, about three 10-second pulses. transfer the mixture to a bowl, stir in the melon zest, and season with salt. covered in the refrigerator, with a layer of olive oil on top, the pesto will last 3 to 4 days.

dukkah

in a small skillet over medium-high heat, toast the pistachios for minutes, until warm. add the sesame seeds, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds. continue to toast for 2 to 4 minutes, or until the seeds are fragrant. transfer the mixture to a mini food processor, along with the peppercorns and salt. pulse until the pistachios are coarsely chopped the dukkah can be used immediately or stored in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 1 week.

similar recipes:

chipotle cauliflower rice & black bean enchiladas

Turmeric Carrot Apple Soup / January 4, 2017 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Turmeric Carrot Apple Soup | dolly and oatmeal

happy 2017! i hope you all had a wonderful beginning to the new year :) frank and i made our yearly tradition of mole sauce, except this year we kinda cheated by using a starter! basically it had all the spices, chiles, and nuts/seeds all ground up and made into a paste so that all we had to do was add sautéed tomatoes, some stock, and salt! somehow it still took 2 hours to make in between soothing our babe, playing with him, stopping to feed and change him, all that good stuff ;) i also took some time to reflect a bit on the past year. it was grand in so many ways. having my cookbook published, being pregnant and having a baby! in many ways it was the most fulfilling year, but also super rough as well. there were quite a few personal hurdles, the emotional suck of the presidential election and its outcome, and the curious world of hormones post-baby. it's been an interesting year to say the least.

when i was about 2 1/2 months postpartum i began waking up with pretty bad joint pain in my fingers, and enough back pain where it was hard doing much of anything with amesy aside from sitting down with him. so, in an effort to combat the pain and inflammation, and my weakened immune system (i hadn't had a cold in about 2 years, but have had 2 colds in the past 3 months!) i began increasing my intake of turmeric. most recently i made turmeric paste which i add to smoothies, teas, warm nut milk, soups, etc. there are a lot of recipes out here for it, but the one i made was a simple blend of ground turmeric, water, black pepper, and coconut oil, which i really love. it's soothing and pungent in all the right ways. some days are better than others, but the pain i was experiencing in the morning has eased significantly and my back is definitely on the mend. in my experience, food has always been the best medicine and while i’m not saying it’s a cure-all for everything, it is always my first go-to in order to heal and repair my body.

i've been meaning to share this soup with you all for quite some time. i made and shot it 3 days before i delivered amesy knowing that i would welcome a warm, replenishing bowl upon coming home from the hospital. as life would have it, it was the last dish i made before having him, and the first thing i ate after having him, so it's a bit of a sentimental recipe to me.

this soup is definitely one of my favorites flavor-wise. i make a version of this with winter squash each year but decided to swap the squash for carrots. the carrots make for a more subdued sweetness and a thinner consistency which is a nice change. mixed together with the tart apple and the earthy turmeric, makes for a beautiful flavor that only gets better the longer the soup sits and the flavors marry. i hope you all enjoy it as much as i do :)

big love to you all for your continued support of this space throughout the years. i hope we continue to grow together in 2017! xo

turmeric carrot apple soup | v & gf

| makes 4 servings |

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large apple (honeycrisp or another tart apple), peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 pounds carrots, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
1 bundle thyme, tied with string
1/2 cup unsweetened cultured coconut yogurt
sea salt and fresh pepper, to taste

method

heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. add the onion and apple and cook until both are soft, about 6-8 minutes. add the garlic, turmeric, and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. then add the carrots, stock, and thyme and bring it all to a simmer. cover and cook until the carrots are tender, about 20-25 minutes. remove from heat and let the soup sit for 10 minutes.
remove the thyme bundle and carefully blend the soup in a blender or food processor. add the yogurt, season with salt and pepper, to taste. then blend it once more.
transfer the pureed soup back to the soup pot and bring to a simmer. serve soup hot and garnish with toasted pecans, drizzled oil, and thyme sprigs (optional).

similar recipes:

fennel-roasted carrots & shallots w/ shaved apple

Golden Sunflower Gazpacho | V / August 10, 2016 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Golden Sunflower Gazpacho | dolly and oatmeal #vegan

i try to balance the recipes out on this blog. so when i go to my recipe index and see there's a void, where in other categories there's not, i try to remedy it. the soup category, despite me loving and making it year round, inevitably gets neglected. most times when i make a soup i'm just throwing together what i have leftover in the fridge, or something i have too much of. generally, it's not a full baked concept, but more an off-the-cuff idea. i also tend to keep the ingredients to a minimum. so, depending on the season, some sort of allium is sautéed with garlic, then there's the star veg, some herbs and/or spices; and lastly, a creamy element: tahini paste, coconut yogurt, soaked seeds/nuts, or a good full-fat coconut milk. there are usually less than 10 ingredients involved and not much work, mostly just standing around a pot stirring, and then the final blend. i think this is where my brain comes in and says, this recipe is too basic to post!

but today i'm not listening to my brain because my mouth is way happy with this gazpacho not to share it! it's full of the golden-hued beauty that makes up late summer: sweet corn, yellow & sungold tomatoes. i've combined these two before, but to make it all a bit thicker and creamier, i added some soaked sunflower seeds which transformed a generally thin, runny gazpacho into a more full-bodied and substantial gazpacho, which clearly, i'm all about today! it makes all the difference between a gazpacho that can sometimes taste like a purified salad, and a cool, creamy summer soup.

wishing you all a bright summer week! xo

golden sunflower gazpacho | v

| makes 4 servings |

1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds, soaked for at least 4 hours
1 1/2 pounds yellow or sungold tomatoes (or a combination of both)
3 ears fresh corn (about 2 cups)
1 small onion (about 3/4 cup), diced
1 large garlic clove, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
fine sea salt & fresh pepper, to taste

toppings:

unsweetened coconut yogurt
fresh cilantro leaves
toasted sunflower seeds
nasturtium flowers
fresh pepper

method

drain and rinse the sunflower seeds and set them aside.
core the tomatoes and place in the container of a high-speed blender (if you're using sungolds there is no need to core them). cut the kernels away from each corn cob, and place in the blender as well. to the blender add, the onion, garlic, vinegar, oil, sunflower seeds, and salt and pepper to taste. blend on high for 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides as you go until you get a silky smooth consistency. taste and adjust the salt and/or vinegar.
refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
serve chilled with a dollop of yogurt, toasted sunflower seeds, cilantro, and a nasturtium bloom (optional).

enjoy!