homemade pomegranate honey /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

i've recently made a small, personal resolution to take more photos, and by photos  i mean ones not taken on my iphone.  when i met my husband he was an assistant cameraman, part-time cinematographer, and a freelance film photographer.   as you can imagine i got schooled a bit on all things camera over the first few months we dated, and i loved hearing his firm stance on analog vs. digital.  a few months in, he took another part-time job at the Impossible Project (a company that bought and took over the Polaroid factory in the Netherlands.  if you haven't followed their story, they have formulated a new type of instant film to use in Polaroid cameras and their own device, the Instant Lab - Polaroid never gave Impossible the recipe for the film, so all the ingredients that went into the film had to be reformulated).  

on the weekends we would go out and shoot the instant film, totally making our dates together that much more fun and memorable.  over time (with frank's help) i started my own collection of film cameras and on trips we would often pack more cameras and film than clothes, but we loved it that way, and have a load of pictures that we're super thankful we took.  as life got busier we took less and less photos, we keep saying we need to get back out there, but i guess i'm starting without him.  i recently began using my facebook page as a space to post photos, it's been feeling way good to chill, and take a few minutes to watch a photo process and do its thing.  i'm really looking forward to sharing more with you all! xo

as for this pomegranate honey, i thought the two flavors would be lovely together, and that they totally are!  the sweetness of the honey gets cut a bit from the pomegranate's sour tones. it's also super fun and easy to make your own pom juice!however, if you're not into the pom-honey thang, i must urge you to blend up some pomegranate juice while these beautiful babies are still in season!

homemade pomegranate honey

makes 1/2 cup pomegranate honey

needed:

  • fine mesh sieve
  • blender or food processor
  • large spoon
  • 1 pomegranate (you will have pomegranate juice leftover)
  • 1/2 cup raw honey (or honey of choice)

directions

  • cut pomegranate open, move your fingers around the skin and pulp, pulling gently as to loosen the seeds
  • over a large bowl, flip pomegranate over into your palm and hit the skin with the back of a sturdy spoon.  the seeds should drop out, repeat with other half
  • place pomegranate seeds into your blender fit with a metal blade and blend until there are no longer any seeds with their flesh
  • over the same large bowl, take your fine mesh sieve and transfer pulsed pomegranate seeds into it.  use the back of your spoon once again to push down and extract as much pomegranate juice as possible; discard the leftover seeds
  • in a jar fitted with a lid, combine the honey and 1 tablespoon of pomegranate juice.  cover, and shake or stir contents until mixed together
  • keep pom-honey in your cabinet or pantry at room temp for a few months

enjoy as a savory glaze, on waffles, pancakes, in your morning porridge or oatmeal, or my favorite, in a cocktail!

a makeover! + brussels sprout kimchi tacos w/ (cashew) miso crema /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

happy new year, friends!  the new year is off to a good start as there were plenty of celebrations, tacos, time spent eating and drinking, and special moments with family.  hope you all had a wonderful start to 2014 as well :)

as you can see, a few cosmetic changes have been made here at dolly and oatmeal.  as this blog turns the big 0-1 later this month, and as the new year slowly makes its presence known, i thought what a better way to celebrate than by making some updates while also making it easier to search and find recipes and such.   it was a fun and creative process, hoping you all find it helpful!

onto these tacos.  kimchi was always something i wanted to make, but feared its fermentation process and foreign (to my eyes) ingredients.  i got acquainted with kimchi through a restaurant here in brooklyn, kimchi grill.  there they have a fusion-y thing going on with mexican flavors and ingredients: kimchi-chorizo, miso crema, kimchi burritos...you get the point.  this post is totally inspired by their kimchi tacos, but with a vegan/gluten free spin on it.  i added some brussels sprouts to the original kimchi recipe because i thought they would lend a nice texture in the taco.  it's quite an extensive recipe, but the good thing about this is that you make it in stages and you will left with plenty of leftover kimchi for other meals, win, win!

brussels sprouts kimchi tacos w/ (cashew) miso crema | gf + v

makes 4 small tacos

kimchi barely adapted from The Kimchi Cookbook

ingredients

(makes 8-10 cups kimchi)

  • 1 medium savoy cabbage (or napa) cut into 1 1/2 - 2" squares
  • 1 pound brussels sprouts (roughly 4 cups) cut into quarters
  • 1/4 cup fine grain sea salt

seasoning paste

  • 1 medium onion, sliced thin
  • 4 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons peeled, finely grated ginger
  • 1/2 of one apple peeled and chopped
  • 2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons natural cane sugar
  • 1/2 cup Korean chili pepper flakes
  • 4 greens onions, green parts only, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1/4 cup water

 

cashew miso crema

  • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons non-GMO, gluten free white miso paste

 

tacos

  • 4 small corn tortillas (i like the sprouted ones)
  • 1 1/2 cups brown rice (or grain of choice), cooked
  • 1 green onion, sliced thin for garnish (cilantro would be good here too!)  
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

directions

make the kimchi

brine: 1 hour

fermentation: 3 days

  • in a large bowl, combine the cabbage and brussels with the salt and set aside for about 1 hour.  drain the liquid and rinse the cabbage and brussels to remove the salt - let them drain in a colander for about 20 minutes

seasoning paste

  • in a mini food processor, pulse onion, garlic, ginger, apple, salt and sugar until a paste forms.  transfer to a bowl and mix in the chili pepper flakes - set aside for 15 minutes
  • rinse the large bowl and combine the green onions, cabbage, brussels sprouts and seasoning paste; mix until thoroughly combined.  pack the mixture tightly into a 2-quart airtight container.  add 1/4 water to the mixing bowl, swirl water to collect remaining seasoning paste.  add the water to container,  cover tightly and set aside for 3 days at room temperature.  (make sure to either use a large container for the kimchi or place a bowl underneath container to catch overflow as the cabbage and brussels sprouts expand as they ferment.) refrigerate and consume within 6 months

make the cashew miso crema

(the crema can be made days ahead)

  • in a blender, combine the soaked cashews, water, garlic clove, rice wine vinegar, crushed red pepper flakes and miso paste.  blend until smooth, stopping every few seconds to scrape down the sides of the blender until fully incorporated.  transfer to an airtight container - refrigerate until used

assemble the tacos!

  • this totally depends on your preference, but i topped my tacos with about 1/2 cup brown rice, followed by 2-3 tablespoons kimchi.  if your tortillas are larger increase the amount of rice and kimchi
  • i enjoy the tacos warm (especially in the winter months) so i topped my tortilla with rice and kimchi, placed in the oven for 6-8 minutes and then topped with miso crema, green onions and sesame seeds.  alternatively, you can warm just the tortillas and then top with taco ingredients

enjoy!

salted dark chocolate nut bars /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

greetings friends! i hope you all had a lovely holiday are finding time to relax and chill a bit.  as the new year rolls in i offer you a seriously healthy and wholesome candy bar..? health bar..? nut bar!?  anywho, regardless of the name they're full of crunchy sweetness, and (my favorite) roasty, toasty, nutty flavor! i've been a long time believer in nuts, maybe not believer per se, but i love nuts in anything and everything.  i always thought my love of nuts would someday bite me in ass as i would surely wake up and hear that the calories and fat they contain are just too much for human body to handle.  

as it turns out, just the opposite is true!!!  according to 2 recent new york times articles, nuts are not just healthy and good for you, but they trigger the part of the "reward" centers of the brain (parts of the brain that are usually triggered by cookies, candy, and chips) that essentially tell the body that it is being rewarded with a super tasty snack! so win-win as far as i'm concerned: healthy AND my brain thinks they're yummy too!   (you can find these articles here and here.)  i'm sharing these bad boys over at Food 52, so hop on over there for the recipe :)  

peace + love to all of you in 2014!