maple almonds w/ fleur de sel /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

things are finally starting to settle around here with our new pup - he's actually turning 1 in a couple days, but he's so tiny and still learning so much about his new surroundings that it feels like he's a baby.  he's really a delightful little guy; full of energy and kisses, and the little noises he makes when stretches kill us! but the best is when frank comes in the room, he gets so overcome with excitement that he does this little hop-dance where he jumps on all fours...so cute!  so, despite the runs to the vet late at night for ear infections, or accidents on rug, or barking at neighbors and other dogs, he's the best addition to our little family.

i wasn't sure if i should even post these - maple almonds w/ salt? they're not much of a "recipe" but i came to the conclusion that these are just too dang amazing not to share!  perhaps you have a favorite store-bought brand of candy nuts, honey-roasted nuts, etc., but i urge you to make these homemade sweet, salty, snack-y almonds that are super easy, and a lot more inexpensive than the store-bought kind (not to mention healthier because you can control the amount of sugar and sodium in these babies!).  they're so good that while i was shooting these photos i turned around to what i thought was my pup chewing his toy, but nope, he was chomping down on these tasty treats - however angry i wanted to be, i couldn't, i would've eaten them too! 

happy friday, friends! have a lovely weekend :) xo

maple almonds w/ fleur de sel

| makes 1 cup |

  • 1 cup raw almonds
  • 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon grade B maple syrup
  • ~1 teaspoon fleur de sel (more or less depending on what you prefer)

pre heat oven to 325° and line a small baking sheet with parchment

in a medium mixing bowl, combine the maple syrup, half the fleur de sel and almonds; stir to coat evenly. transfer almonds to the prepared baking sheet and arrange them in a single layer. bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until syrup is bubbly and almonds are a bit plumped.  remove the almonds from the oven and evenly sprinkle the remaining fleur de sel. let cool completely and store in an airtight container or jar at room temperature

enjoy! 

5-spice black bean salad w/ rocket greens + citrus dressing /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

call it a sensory issue or something, but up until last summer i never ever ate beans in their whole form, meaning i would eat them mushed, but never actually chomped a bean other than a chickpea. however, after honeymooning in costa rica last august my bean-thinking mind did a 180°! almost every meal was served with what the costa ricans call, gallo pinto (rice + beans), and they were some of the most epic pieces of food to ever enter my mouth.  i think the mixture of rice with the beans all together helped me get over my irrational fear of the the black bean, but also the red pepper, cilantro and in some cases chili pepper that was all super subtle but extremely tasty.  frank and i still dream about gallo pinto, and i hope one day i'll have more luck recreating it.  

this salad really just started out as an easy lunch for the entire week.  a lot of dishes/salads i make usually last me for a good 3-4 days; things that i can pack away in the fridge as leftovers and put them together easily the next day.  this salad has been my absolute favorite for a number of reasons: 1.) i cheat and use canned beans because i'm too lazy for the overnight soak sometimes. 2.) the 5-spice combo is insanely tasty, mixing savory and sweet spices to give the beans some serious depth of flavor. and 3.) all the flavors are super bright; mixing the spices with some citrus, acid, slightly bitter/peppery greens and sweetness from the mango all make it super well-rounded and packed with flavor.  i hope you enjoy as i seriously look forward to this easy little meal each day :)

5-spice black bean salad w/ rocket greens + citrus dressing (gf + v)

| makes 4 servings |

ingredients

  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (preferably no salt added + bpa free lining - i like Eden Organic brand) 
  • 1 small-medium red onion, chopped
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 cup low sodium vegetable stock
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cacao powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
  • pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, separated
  • 1/2 cup quinoa
  • 1 mango, peeled and sliced
  • 5 ounces wild arugula
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • juice from half of a lime
  • sesame seeds + hemp seeds to taste

easy citrus dressing

  • juice from 1 orange (navel, blood, cara cara, etc.)
  • 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • big pinch of salt
  • a few cracks of black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

instructions

  • in a small saucepan, combine the quinoa with 1 cup of water and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, bring to a boil, stir and cover; reduce heat to low and cook for 12-15 minutes.  remove from heat with lid on the pot, set aside for later

make the beans

  • in a medium-sized sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat; add the onion, cook for 2-3 minutes, until soft and fragrant.  add the garlic and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. add the black beans and stock, bring to simmer.  add the 5 spices (cayenne optional) and salt and stir to combine.  let the beans simmer until half the liquid has cooked down, about 12 minutes.  turn off heat and set aside

citrus dressing

  • in a jar fitted with a lid, combine the fresh orange juice, vinegar, salt + pepper; secure lid on the jar and shake vigorously for a couple minutes.  take lid off and add olive oil, shake vigorously again until all ingredients are incorporated.  set aside if using right away, if not store in the fridge until ready to use

assemble salad

  • portion each of the 4 bowls with equal amounts beans, quinoa, greens, and mango.  drizzle dressing over the greens, and give the mango a good squeeze of lime juice; garnish with a healthy dose of sesame + hemp seeds

cardamom-toasted millet breakfast bowl w/ summer blackberry compote /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

we're talking breakfast again today, folks.  morning's are hectic, sometimes a little crazy. as such, my weekday breakfast repertoire (instant oatmeal w/ almond butter, honey, cinnamon + chia seeds) is kind of lacking in the department of originality.  there have been sooooo many mouth-watering morning meals out there that i thought it was time to up my breakfast game.  

first, there was sini's whipped lingonberry porridge, then kate's toasted oatmeal w/ strawberry chia seeds jam + whipped coconut cream + to top all that! grace's spiced millet porridge w/ dates and almonds!  to up the instant oatmeal game one must not use oats, and as much as i love quinoa, i'm not so much a sweet quinoa kinda girl.  rather, i lean towards the more savory quinoa breakfast, perhaps with sauteed greens and some runny eggs or something.  never having had millet for a morning meal, i took to pairing it with some spices and something a little sweet!  loving all the berry and nut action in these posts, i remembered there were summer blackberries somewhere in the depths of my freezer that i had ordered from good eggs awhile back.  i hadn't really missed summer berries yet, but when i opened that ziploc bag and peered in to see all their purple-y goodness, the warmth and smell of the coming season's bounty consumed me!  and now i'm ruined and all i want is to kick winter's butt right out and welcome spring with lots of xoxoxoxos!  

cardamom-toasted millet breakfast bowl w/ summer blackberry compote (gluten free + vegan)

| 4 sizable servings |

freshly ground cardamom is super amazing, especially here; it pairs so perfectly with the blackberry compote and millet! if using store-bought ground cardamom use the amount noted below - but taste as you go and add more if necessary. 

ingredients

  • 1/2 cup millet
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or 1/2 milk + 1/2 water)
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom, roughly 8 pods
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup blackberry compote
  • plain coconut yogurt to serve + bee pollen + chia seeds to taste (optional)

summer blackberry compote

  • 1 cup frozen (or fresh) organic blackberries
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup (or raw agave nectar)
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
  • splash of fresh lemon juice to taste

instructions

  • in a small saucepan on medium-low heat, add the coconut oil; to the oil add the millet, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and salt - stir to coat.  toast the millet and spices for 5-6 minutes stirring frequently until fragrant - you will hear the millet pop a bit.  add the almond milk, turn the heat up and bring to a boil; give a stir, cover and turn the heat to low.  cook the millet for 18-20 minutes.  remove from heat 
  • while the millet is cooking, make the blackberry compote.  in another small saucepan on medium heat, combine the berries, maple syrup, arrowroot and water, bring to a boil stirring frequently.  add the vanilla and lemon juice (adjust lemon juice to your liking), keep stirring until the berries are soft and the compote has thickened a bit.  remove from heat and set aside

serve the bowl

  • using a fork, fluff the millet; split between 2 bowls, serve with a healthy dollop of coconut yogurt, a large drizzle of compote and bee pollen + chia seeds
  • store leftover millet and compote separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator.  simply heat each back up for breakfast or a snack!

enjoy!