a microgreen, mint + mango juice for one /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

these past couple of weekends have been so beautiful.  frank and i have got into a new, spring-y rhythm full of longs walks, afternoon picnics at the park, frequenting farmers' markets, taking our little pup to the dog park and sipping iced coffees!  as we spend more time outdoors we come into contact with all sorts of people - friends, neighbors, acquaintances, doggie friends, and also the random people that are not quite nice or respectful.  i guess i should be happy that more often than not, people in our little neighborhood are generally kind, but this weekend we came across a bunch of people at our local park who were disrespectful and (sorry, but) straight-up a-holes.  we were enjoying some time in the park when our space was rudely disrupted by a rather unprofessional yoga photo shoot.  they neither excused themselves nor apologized when we asked for some space, rather responded with disrespectful comments.  

whatever the case may be, i know these kinds of people are the exception and not the norm, but i would hope they would realize at some point, that no matter how important you feel your job is, people's personal space still matters; that practicing common decency and respect  on a daily basis is still a relevant thing!  

in an effort to rid my mind of these folks, i spent the next afternoon breathing deeply and sipping on this soothing and refreshing green juice.   green juices are a favorite around here.  as the weather warms up i usually purchase too many greens to consume during the week.  by week's end there are surely leftovers which make their way into the blender.  today i used microgreens.  i can't get enough of these beauties; i thought their soft leaves and subtle taste would be a satisfying addition to this juice.  i threw in some mint, lemon juice, mango and ginger, all for their therapeutic properties and a nutrient boost!  cheers to you all, friends! xo

microgreen, mint + mango juice for one 

| serves 1 |

i used microgreens here because i had a boat-load of them leftover.  however, you can use any greens of your choice, be it chard, spinach, or kale.  i give directions using a blender, but feel free to use your juicer, just skip the straining step below.

ingredients

  • 1/2 cup mixed microgreens
  • 1 large sprig mint (approx. 6-8 large leaves)
  • 1 mango, peeled and cut into chunks
  • a 1-inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped rough
  • juice from 1 lemon
  • 5-6 coconut water ice cubes (you can also use water ice cubes)

garnish

  • chia seeds
  • extra mint leaves

instructions

  • place all ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend for about 1 minute.  for a juice without pulp, pass the juice mixture through a fine mesh sieve over your glass.  garnish with chia seeds and mint, and drink immediately

to your health! enjoy!

this season's first soup: spring garlic + radish top soup (v + gf) /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

the first soup i ever made was a butternut squash number with apples, onions, and heavy cream (!) (waaay before i stopped eating dairy).  when my co-worker made it and brought in for us to have, it was super creamy and velvety - i basically told her that i wanted her to come home with me and make this for dinner every night.  she politely declined and gave me the recipe instead.  i had decided to make this soup for frank when we were first dating, i thought i would impress the hell outta him with this super-duper restaurant-worthy soup.   back then, i lived by myself in a studio apartment, my kitchen although small, was quite functional with everything i thought i needed.  i prepared the ingredients according to the directions, followed step-by-step, and finally, the soup was ready to be pureed.  however, as i surveyed my kitchen it came to my attention that i didn't own a blender, nor did i own a food processor (and i didn't even know what an immersion blender was at that time).  a few rather loud screams and some toddler-esque feet-stomping occurred at that moment, but i sucked it up and continued on with what i did have, a mini food processor - one that held about 1 cup of liquid at a time. as i stood there in my almost counter-less kitchen running batch after batch of butternut squash mixture through the tiniest of machines, i began realizing that the consistency was a bit thick, as my mini processor didn't accomplish a polished puree.  i ended up serving the mushy, baby food soup to frank anyway.  i can still remember his face as he ate the "soup", it basically looked like, 'wtf am i eating' but with a smile.  while it was  tasty, it wasn't one of my finest culinary moments.

since that time, i'm sure you'll be happy to know that i've acquired appropriate kitchen instruments, ones that can handle things like soup!  and because of my awesome in-laws, i've graduated to a 12-cup food processor!  all joking aside, i really love soup.  especially during these weeks where it feels like we're between seasons -70-degree temps one day, in the 40's the next.  and these days, after emerging from the cave of winter, market greens are all i want to eat and cook with.  my mom had given me the cutest bundle of radishes back in march that she bought from the Stone Barns greenhouse.  with them, i made a 2-serving radish top soup and absolutely loved the bitter/peppery taste it had.  i've been waiting (totally impatiently!) these past few weeks for radishes to show up at the market, and this past weekend they did!  i also picked up a bunch of spring garlic thinking their subtle flavor would pair really nicely with the greens.  i toasted up some cumin seeds, crushed them, and added it to the mix to break up all the earthiness going on here as well.  so, stop throwing away the greens on top of your veggies and go make this soup!

i want to thank any of you who voted for me for Saveur's Best Food Blog Awards, being nominated was so beyond anything i could have ever dreamed of, especially when i was in the company of SO many women i look up to and am inspired by each day!  so, the biggest of congratulations to the lovely winners: Jeanine from Love & Lemons, Stephanie from i am a food blog, Sarah from The Vanilla Bean Blog, Izzy from Top With Cinnamon, Beth from Local Milk, Emma from My Darling Lemon Thyme, Ashlae from Oh, Ladycakes, Sarah from My New Roots, Laura from The First Mess and Valentina from Hortus Cuisine! you ladies rock! xo

this season's first soup: spring garlic + radish top soup (v + gf)

inspired by Deborah Madison, Vegetable Literacy

| serves 4 |

if you can't find/don't want to use radish greens, a good replacement could be dandelion greens, mustard greens or arugula - or a mixture of these that totals the amount i indicate below.  additionally, if you can't find spring garlic, regular garlic will totally work, just reduce the amount to 2 small cloves worth.  i added millet here just for more substance and weight - feel free to add quinoa, rice or any other grain you like.  

ingredients

  • 2 bunches radish top greens (approx. 2.5 ounces), washed and stems trimmed
  • 1 bunch spring garlic, white parts chopped in half-inch pieces (alternatively, 2 small cloves garlic, roughly chopped), reserve green parts for garnish
  • 1 medium waxy potato, scrubbed and cut into quarters, about 1/4-inch thick
  • 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and crushed 
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • fine grain sea salt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 cups filtered water or vegetable stock

garnish

  • cooked millet
  • fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • radish sprouts
  • sliced garlic greens
  • radishes, sliced thin

instructions

  • heat the olive oil in a dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat.  add the onion slices and lay them flat; sprinkle garlic evenly over onion, then lay potato slices over them.  cook for about 3 minutes without disturbing while the pan heats up.  add the crushed cumin and give it all a good stir. cover, and cook over a low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring the vegetables every so often (the bottom of the pan should start acquiring a brown glaze - this is good!). in the last few minutes, add the wine and let about half of it cook off.  next, add water (or stock) and 1 1/2-2 teaspoons salt, bring to a boil - scraping the bottom to loosen the glaze.  lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until potatoes are tender and falling apart - 15-20 minutes
  • add radish tops to the pot  and cook for about 5 minutes - until wilted and dark green.  let soup cool.  then transfer the mixture to a high-speed blender and puree
  • divide the soup evenly, and garnish with cooked millet, radish sprouts, garlic greens, sliced radishes and a squeeze of lemon juice

enjoy!

cacao nib, coconut macaroons (gluten +dairy free) /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

something i've learned in the world of making coconut macaroons, it could possibly even be a rule: use coconut chips and not shredded coconut, especially if you're making egg-white based macaroons!  last year i made 3 variations of macaroons to take to my parents house for passover.  they were kind of meh, except for the chocolate-chocolate ones - those were bomb.  this year, i'm bringing over just these because they're super, and sweet and everything that i've ever wanted out of a macaroon - sweet, crunchy, toasty with a bit of chew in the center.  i found with this recipe the coconut chips provide a significant amount of structure and texture, where as last year's shredded coconut sadly didn't.  i thought about going the chocolate route - dunking, drizzling, chocolate chips - but i thought the cacao nibs would add a subtle chocolate-y-ness, without being too sweet (as these macaroons are a bit on the sweet side for me).  make them for passover, make them for easter, or make them just to eat and enjoy :)

*today is the last day to vote for your favorite food blog over at Saveur's Best Food Blog Awards, and if you haven't already, you can still vote for dolly and oatmeal, as well as many other blogs!  

cacao nib, coconut macaroons (gluten + dairy free)

| makes 24 macaroons |

macaroons are inherently versatile, feel free to add what you like, whether it's chocolate, jam, fruit or nuts. also, i halved the recipe here and also made the macaroons smaller than the original recipe - feel free to make them larger but just adjust the cook time if you do. 

recipe from Food 52: Alice Mendrich's New Classic Coconut Macaroons

ingredients

  • 2 large free-range egg whites
  • 1 3/4 cups coconut chips
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons natural cane sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • scant 1/8 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • 1/4 cup cacao nibs

instructions

  • in a large heat proof bowl, combine all ingredients except the cacao nibs.  set the bowl directly onto a skillet with barely simmering water - if the bowl is buoyant then pour some water out, you want the bowl to touch the skillet.  stir macaroon mix with a spatula every few seconds to prevent the bottom from getting burned - 5-7 minutes, until the egg whites look thick and frothy, and the mixture is hot to the touch.  set aside for roughly 30 minutes to let the coconut absorb the liquid
  • preheat oven to 350° and line two baking sheets with parchment.  once the mixture has cooled, add the cacao nibs and stir to combine.  using a spoon, scoop about 1/2 tablespoon - 1 tablespoon worth of mix.  using your fingers, turn the mix clockwise until you get the shape you like (you could also just plop mounds too, but i thought this gave them a more defined shape).  gently slide the macaroons off the spoon onto the parchment keeping about 2-inches between each cookie
  • transfer macaroons to the oven (my oven is a bit funky, so i baked each sheet of cookies separately, but feel free to bake them together - just make sure they cook and brown evenly), bake for 5 minutes. turn oven temp down to 325° and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the macaroons are golden brown, rotating halfway through for even baking.  if your macaroons are browning too quickly, lower temp to 300°
  • let cookies cool on a cooling rack.  these are best eaten the day they are baked, but can be stored in an airtight container, at room temp for up to 3 days

enjoy!