garlic scape basil soup /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

the past few days new york city has seen and felt temperatures in the 90s.  and while making soup probably wasn't the smartest idea, it was totally worth it.  the sweltering temperatures were more reflective of summer than spring, but i still continued my pursuit of a spring soup.  it started a couple weeks ago when frank picked up a vegan zucchini basil soup from a local market.  was probably one of the most delicious soups i have ever had, and since then i had been researching and making notes of various zucchini basil soups (i honestly didn't know it was as popular as it was), and thought that i would give it a shot.  but i decided to put the idea on hold for another few weeks until zucchini season.

the story continues at the farmers' market the other week when i picked up garlic scapes.  i thought maybe i would saute them and use them in a rice or quinoa dish, perhaps i would slice them and fry them up for a salad.  maybe a garlic scape pesto..?  ding!  a lightbulb went off when i started thinking about the traditional flavors in pesto and also thinking about the basil in the zucchini basil soup that i had loved so much.  so, i thought of making a variation of the zucchini basil soup by replacing the zucchini with a heap of garlic scapes and voila, garlic scape basil soup was born.

the great thing about garlic scapes is that you get a great flavor and aroma, without the punchiness of regular garlic.  the first time i attempted the soup i only used 10 or so scapes.  i didn't really get the flavor i wanted.  the second time i used almost the entire bunch and achieved an outcome that was closer to what i had imagined.  the basil adds a lot of flavor as well, and in my opinion makes the soup even more tasty.    

garlic scape basil soup

 

| makes 4 servings

1 bunch garlic scapes (about 20 or so), chopped

1/3 cup basil leaves, packed

1 large shallot or 2 small shallots, chopped

1 small white yam (or potato), peeled, halved, and quartered

3 cups vegetable stock

1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

2 tablespoons pepitas, toasted

 

| directions

n a large pot, saute the shallot over medium-low heat - cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  add the chopped garlic scapes and saute for another 7 minutes or so - until soft.  add the yams and 2 1/2 cups of the stock.  raise the heat, and bring to a boil.  reduce the heat so that the soup cooks at a simmer.  simmer for 15 minutes.  remove from heat and let cool

while the soup is cooling toast the pepitas in the oven on 350° for 3 minutes.  let cool

in a food processor (or blender), pour the soup mixture in, add the basil leaves.  cover the basil with the soup (this helps to soften the basil leaves).  let the basil sit for about 5 minutes.  blend the soup.  depending on your preferred thickness, add the other 1/2 cup of vegetable stock.  taste, and season with more salt and pepper.  blend until desired consistency.  if serving immediately, heat the soup back up and top with a sprinkle of toasted pepitas. enjoy

potato salad | vegan | /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

it's been a little more than a year since my family has changed their eating habits.  it began when i was having really bad reactions to foods.  i didn't know what was wrong with me or what to do.  since i was little i knew i was sensitive to milk and other products that have dairy in them, but as i got older it seemed as though nothing was sitting well with me.  my mom had heard about a nutritionist who works with people with food sensitivities and we both made an appointment.  from that time on, i have cut out a lot of foods that were part of my every day diet.  foods such as: dairy, gluten, sugar, and certain starches.  many of the family dishes that my mom and i once prepared are now on the list of things that we don't eat.  potato salad was once one of these dishes.  the original potato salad was a dish my german great grandmother would make for her family, and my mom would make it at least once a week during the spring and summer.  a couple months ago, when my brother was visiting, he said that i should come up with a vegan potato salad using yams (since giving up potatoes we have all started substituting them with white yams).  i played around with the original ingredients my mother and great grandmother would use only substituting coconut milk for mayo, and white yams for potatoes.  the outcome tasted exactly like the original; a creamy sauce, with an added tang, and hint of mustard. 

* a note on coconut milk: i used Native Forest full fat coconut milk with great success.  I tried Thai brand coconut milk and found that the potato salad dressing comes out a little sweeter.  If you can find Native Forest i suggest using this.  my great grandmother never used measurements in this recipe, and neither did my mom.  rather, they tasted as they went along.  here i provide scant measurements that should be tasted along the way.  if you feel you need more of one ingredient then add more, if you want less of something then decrease the amount.  

| vegan | potato salad

serves 4, with leftovers

3 large white yams (or yukon potatoes), halved and quartered into 1/2 inch slices

3 tablespoons chopped onion

3-4 radishes, thinly sliced

1/2 cup unsweetened full fat coconut milk (i used Native Forest brand)

2-3 teaspoons vinegar

2-3 teaspoons good dijon mustard

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

| directions

bring a large pot of water to a boil, dd the potatoes.  let the water come back to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover.  time the potatoes for 10 minutes.  after 10 minutes, check to see if they are ready by stabbing them with a sharp knife.  if the potato does not slide off the knife, time for another few minutes.  drain the potatoes and let rest

in a large bowl, combine the coconut milk, vinegar, mustard, and onion.  whisk the mixture until combined.  adjust the mixture - depending on the day and what you feel like, you may want a bit more vinegar or mustard.  add salt and pepper to taste

add the potatoes, radishes, parsley, and dill to the mixture.  using a spatula, gently fold the ingredients together.  let the potato salad chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve

enjoy!

lemon-thyme strawberry galettes /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

making pie crust is something that is completely scary to me.  there are quite a few steps in the pie crust making process that i feel like unless the stars are aligned the whole thing could go wrong.  summer, in my childhood home would inevitably be pie season (even though i never liked or ate pie until i was in my 20s!).  for many of those years we didn't have air conditioning, and i would watch my mother pray to the pie gods that the day wouldn't be too hot or humid.  of course there were a couple occasions where it was in fact hot and humid and she made pie despite the gnarly weather.  i would watch her get frustrated, and sometimes curse the sticky dough that wouldn't come together correctly.  sometimes there would be a tear or two, and sometimes she would throw up her hands and say 'what will be, will be'.  no matter what though her pies were amazing and beautiful, and always tasted delicious.  

galettes are similar to pie, they're a free form pie if you will.  you don't need a pie dish or tart pan, just a baking sheet.  the galette i attempted here does not come anywhere close to how delicious my mother's pies are, but in the end it tasted quite good!  i would say that the one day i attempted to make some semblance of a pie, was the one day that we had a short heat wave in nyc.  the dough came together fine, and i even refrigerated it longer than usual because of the heat, but it didn't really help.  i was trying to take pictures of the dough, for this here blog, but i could tell the dough was not feeling my apartment's 86° temperature.  i quickly threw it in the oven to bake.  the result was a little flat, the taste however, was spot on.  perhaps the galette wasn't meant to be, maybe i chose the wrong day, maybe my pie-stars weren't aligned...but in the end i would like to believe that i was attempting to recreate and re-live a little memory i shared with my mother.  

lemon-thyme trawberry galettes

| makes 4 small or 1 large galette

adapted from: Gluten Free Fix

dough:

4 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

3 tablespoons honey

1 egg white

2 cups almond flour

1 tablespoon coconut flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons poppy seeds

filling:

2 pints strawberries, washed and sliced (hulled if necessary) 

1-2 teaspoons lemon-thyme leaves (depending on how much you like)

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon coconut flour

glaze for fruit:

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted

 

 

| directions

in a large bowl, combine the coconut oil, honey, and egg white

in a smaller bowl, combine the almond flour, coconut flour, salt, baking soda, and poppy seeds.  mix the dry ingredients into the wet - mix until combined

turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper; shape the dough into flat disk and cut into 4 equal pieces. (if you are making a large galette do not cut.) place the pieces onto a plate or platter, cover with parchment paper, and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes

in a large bowl carefully mix the strawberries, coconut flour, lemon juice, and lemon-thyme.  let the mixture sit for about 30 minutes

in a small bowl, combine the coconut oil and honey for the glaze

pre heat the oven to 325°

remove the dough from the refrigerator.  roll out the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper to a 6-7 inch round.  arrange the strawberries leaving a 1-inch border. using a pastry brush glaze the strawberries (be careful not to use too much, you don't want to saturate the dough) using the back of a spatula, fold up the sides of the dough, pinch together any dough that overlaps.  if your dough cracks, like mine did, don't worry, just pinch it back together

bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown

cool slightly, and serve