huevos rancheros + black bean puree / April 11, 2013 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

as i've gotten older i have come appreciate different flavors and textures coming together in one dish. that said, for a long time i stuck to eating a limited amount of food because of my dislike for so many things out there. so, if you asked me a few years ago if i would eat eggs with beans and avocado, my answer would be "absolutely not!" this dish is composed of a bunch of ingredients i wasn't too familiar with, mostly black beans. i'm not a bean person. i don't like them cooked, baked. fried, nothing. but i really liked the idea of making a puree out of them, much like making hummus out of chickpeas. but i wanted somewhat of a molé sauce flavor, kind of like the sauce frank and i get at our favorite mexican restaurant. therefore, i added nuts, seeds, some garlic and shallot, and even cinnamon to bring out the molé tastes and tones. the puree has quickly turned into one of my favorite things. it has a distinctly sweet and savory flavor which i look forward to pairing with other dishes.

i chose to make the huevos rancheros with poached eggs. my blogger-friend, edelyn over at egeedee.wordpress.com, posted an amazing looking poached egg recipe. since then i have been honing my poaching skills and i think they've gotten good enough to offer the rest of the world some advice on egg poaching. anyhoo, you can scramble your eggs, fry them, soft boil them, whatever makes you happy. it will all taste good with what's going on here.

·· black bean puree ··

2/3 cup dry black beans, soaked and cooked

1 shallot, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon sliced almonds (if you're using whole almonds you may want to toast them in the oven)

1 tablespoon pepitas

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (add more or less depending on your preference)

3-4 peppercorns

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup reserved water from the beans (if you're using canned beans lukewarm tap water will work)

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for sautéing

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

fine ground sea salt

·· directions ··

soak your bean overnight (in a bowl, cover the black beans with a couple inches of water. they will expand and soak up some water, so use more water than less.)

drain and rinse the soaked beans. place them in a saucepan with a couple inches of water covering them. bring the water to a boil and simmer the beans until they are cooked through and tender - about 20 - 25 minutes (it might take longer depending what kind of beans you are using.) drain beans and let them cool. *don't forget to reserve 1/4 cup of cooking water

while the beans are cooking, heat a skillet on medium heat. once hot, add a layer of olive oil. add the shallot - cook for 3-4 minutes stirring often. next, add the garlic - cook 2-3 minutes, stirring often. add the almonds, pepitas, and sesame seeds. cook until the nuts and seeds are lightly toasted and fragrant (you may need to adjust the heat on your stove, as you don't want the shallot or garlic to burn) about 7-10 minutes. remove from heat

in a food processor, combine cooled beans, shallot and nut mixture, olive oil, lemon juice, and spices. as the mixture is blending, drizzle the reserved water in a little bit at a time until you have reached desired consistency. add salt to taste

transfer the puree to a bowl and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, more if you can

·· huevos rancheros ··

// serves 2

2 mini tortillas

2 eggs, room temperature

1/4 cup black bean puree

1 ripe avocado, sliced

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

sea salt

fresh ground pepper

hot sauce to taste

·· directions ··

pre heat oven to 350°

prepare a baking sheet with parchment or tin foil

toast tortillas in the oven for 5 minutes. remove from oven, turn down the temperature to 200°. slather the tortilla with black bean puree. transfer back to baking sheet and keep warm in the oven

bring a pot of water with about a tablespoon of vinegar to a simmer. while the water is heating crack each egg into a small bowl or cup. just before the water starts to boil, use a spatula to make a vortex. (the spinning water helps the egg white to form a "shell" around the yolk.) gently slide the egg into the water, let it simmer for a few minutes. i don't like my eggs too runny, so i poached them for about 4-5 minutes. if you like yours runny, poach for 3-4 minutes. remove the egg with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain. repeat with the other egg

remove tortillas from oven and top with poached egg, sliced avocado, cilantro, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. enjoy :)

cocoa banana bread / April 8, 2013 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

yes, i know, not another banana bread recipe. but this one, at least for me, is different. i have yet to see, or come up with a gluten free banana bread using nutrient rich flours. unlike most gluten free flours, oat flour, buckwheat flour, and almond flour, are easier to digest, and have nutrients and minerals that are beneficial to your body. health aside, i really enjoy a good banana bread. there's a place across the street from us that has a chocolate or cocoa banana bread that is insanely good. frank would often get a slice, and give me some bites. since then i have been thinking about that bread and trying to recreate it. this is the closest i've come, and i hope you enjoy it.

the original recipe does not include cocoa powder or chocolate, so i made some changes. since i was adding cocoa powder (which is quite dry) i reduced the amount of flaxmeal by a tablespoon. also, i used agave in place of honey, and used a little less than what was called for. in addition, i reduced the amount of vanilla extract because i was adding chocolate. if you're wanting to make cocoa banana bread and you aren't gluten free, or don't have the flours listed above, you can easily add cocoa powder and chocolate to your go-to banana bread recipe.

recipe adapted from Edible Perspective

makes one loaf

·· ingredients ··

1 cup oat flour

3/4 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup almond flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder (reserve one tablespoon for dusting)

1 tablespoons ground flaxmeal

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

2 ripe/overripe bananas, mashed

2 eggs, room temperature

1/4 cup raw agave nectar

1/4 unsweetened almond milk

3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1.5 oz dark chocolate (70% cacao), chopped

·· directions ··

pre heat oven to 350º

grease and line a 8x4" loaf pan with parchment paper

in a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients and mix until combined (walnuts and dark chocolate excluded)

in a medium bowl, mix the wet ingredients until combined

mix the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix until combined. fold the walnuts and dark chocolate into the batter

using a spatula, guide the batter into the loaf pan and evenly spread to edges

bake for 35-40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out semi clean - some spots will come out more chocolatey than others because of the chopped chocolate

let it cool on a baking rack for at least 30 minutes. dust with cocoa powder, serve and enjoy

ring dings, revisited / April 3, 2013 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

growing up my parents would rarely let my brother or i eat anything with the label "drake's cakes" or "hostess" probably because those words were synonymous with junk food. as a kid i never understood why they were so opposed to twinkies, ring dings, ding dongs, what have you. however, as an adult who cares what i put in my body, i totally get it. but, like any other person, i still crave a moist chocolate cake - perhaps with some cream - and a chocolate shell. in order to get a slightly (dare i say) healthier version, i combined a couple of recipes. the cake is gluten free, and grain free, and is made with coconut flour. similarly, you can use your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe, or chocolate cake recipe, to make these. i covered only the tops of the cakes with a chocolate shell because i didn't want it to be too sweet or heavy. but if you like it more chocolatey by all means cover the sides of the cake. these are really simple to make, and needless to say, really yummy.

· for the cakes ·

recipe adapted from Elana's Pantry

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3 eggs, room temperature

1/4 coconut oil, melted and cooled

1/2 cup agave nectar

· for the cream ·

adapted from Comfy Belly

6 tablespoons vegetable shortening

2 1/2 - 3 tablespoons agave nectar (honey or confectioners sugar will work as well

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

· for the chocolate shell ·

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (65% - 70%)

1 teaspoon coconut oil

· directions ·

pre heat oven to 375º

line a cupcake tin with 10 liners, or coat with oil/butter

in a medium sized bowl, combine the coconut flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda

in a large bowl, combine eggs, melted coconut oil, and agave. add the dry ingredients to the wet - mix until thoroughly combined

using a spoon or ladle, fill the cupcake tins with the batter using a little less than a 1/4 cup measurement

bake for 20-24 minutes, rotating the tin halfway through. allow to cool

while the cakes are cooling, use a spatula to combine the shortening, agave, and vanilla - combine until fluffy

in a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips in 20 seconds intervals, making sure the chocolate doesn't burn. once the chocolate is melted, add the coconut oil and mix until combined

fill a piping bag with the cream. fill each cake, you will know it's enough when the cake gets a little plump (a bit may squeeze out the top, that's ok, just wipe it off before you coat with chocolate)

*if you don't have a piping bag: use a small spoon, scoop a coned shaped portion from the bottom of the cake. using the small spoon, fill the hole with the cream. replace the cake that was scooped out. repeat with the other cakes

using a pastry brush, top each cake with as much of the melted chocolate as you prefer, let chocolate set at room temp, or in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes. serve and enjoy