almonds

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! 

honey, ginger + sesame roasted nuts /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

if you hadn't noticed already i'm completely and utterly obsessed with fresh ginger!  i've written about it, and cooked/baked with it for the past few weeks.  this week ginger made its way into a super easy, one-bowl recipe that lends itself to the autumnal season, the upcoming holidays, or at home on the couch watching 13 year old seasons of Survivor.  did i just say that? it 's true, frank and i have been completely obsessed with that show, but that's for another day and time.  back to ginger! i wish i could say my ginger kick kicked my cold's butt last week, but that would be a lie.  everything that ginger is good for (in my case, my immune system) didn't seem to help me out, as i am still recovering from the world's lousiest cold!  

in any event. i cannot take full credit for the honey and sesame part of this recipe, that was inspired by a vendor we happened upon when we went to the new amsterdam market by the south street seaport.  the market had so many wonderful vendors from new york state as well as some others.  there we met the individuals behind nuts+nuts , a small company that works with Indonesian cashew farmers and pairs them with their mother's recipes - amazing, yeah?  long story short, frank and i bought a couple of their sample packs and i devoured the honey sesame cashews in about 5 seconds.  i was determined to recreate them as best i could.  i threw in some almonds and ginger for good measure, and also some salt to give them that savory/sweet goodness.   there are so many different combinations to play with here, so explore and have fun with the possibilities :)

 

honey roasted ginger-sesame nuts

| makes 2 cups | 

ingredients

  • 1 cup raw almonds
  • 1 cup raw cashews
  • 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil, melted
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • 2 tablespoons raw honey
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon medium grain sea salt

instructions

  • preheat oven to 325°.  line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper
  • in a medium sized bowl, combine the almonds with 1/4 teaspoon of the coconut oil.  mix to coat the nuts evenly, and turn out onto parchment-lined baking sheet. bake almonds for 8-10 minutes.  while almonds are baking, combine the cashews with the leftover 1/4 teaspoon of coconut oil, mix to coat evenly.  when almonds are finished, place cashews on the baking sheet with them and bake for another 8-10 minutes - the nuts should be lightly browned and fragrant
  • in the same medium sized bowl, mix the honey and ginger together (if the honey you're using isn't runny, place in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds, until the honey is easily poured).  carefully, pour the nut into the honey-ginger mixture and stir to combine.  mix in the sesame seeds and combine once more.  turn nuts out onto baking sheet and sprinkle with the sea salt
  • place nuts in the center of the oven and bake once more for 8-10 minutes
  • let nuts cool completely before storing in an airtight container

enjoy! 

 

ginger + lemon zest granola w/ puffed quinoa /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

part of my morning routine includes drinking a mug full of warm lemon-ginger water each day.  years ago i had been told that drinking lemon water in the morning helps aid the digestive process for the day, helps to boost the immune system, and aids in the cleansing of the liver to boot.  for me, starting my day off like this has been a way to balance and maintain a healthy and more cleansed system.  after all that birthday celebrating last month, and eating foods with more sugar than i'm used to, i began incorporating grated ginger into my lemon water for its anti-inflammatory properties.  i began thinking of ways to incorporate these two flavor powerhouses into things i eat regularly and with autumn here, granola seemed like a good candidate.  

store-bought granola isn't usually my jam, but when i make it at home you can be sure that i down it by the handful.  for years i've made heidi's granola from her cookbook, Super Natural Everyday, and i have to say that it is my favorite by far!  granola is one of those things that lends itself to so many flavor varieties that it's hard to nail down which are your favorite.  i'm usually a fan of granola that's low on the dried fruit, high on nuts and seeds, and sweetened slightly with a touch of salt.  ideally, the texture is always crunchy, but here i decided to add more crunch, and dare i say pop (!), to this granola with the inclusion of puffed quinoa. while i never found the puffed version of quinoa in any health stores or grocery stores in brooklyn or the city, i did manage to find them online here .  i highly recommend this puffed version, as it has been making its way into just about anything and everything i can think of.   in any event, the ginger and lemon combination was pretty spot on and is a new staple in our household.

ginger + lemon zest granola w/ puffed quinoa - GF + V

  if you do not have puffed quinoa on hand, substitute puffed brown rice or 1 cup rolled oats.  if using ground ginger, reduce the amount to 1 teaspoon and taste to adjust to your liking.  

| makes about 5 cups | 

 

ingredients

  • 3 cups gluten free rolled oats
  • 1 1/2 cups puffed quinoa
  • 1 cup raw almonds, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • zest of one large lemon
  • 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup raw honey

instructions 

 

  • preheat oven to 300° and line two rimmed baking trays with parchment
  • in a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, puffed quinoa, almonds, cinnamon, cardamom and salt.  once mixed, add the lemon zest and fresh grated ginger, mix until combined - about a minute
  • in a microwave-safe bowl, heat the honey until warm and runny - 20-30 seconds.  add the coconut oil and let it rest until melted
  • add the honey mixture to the oat mix and stir thoroughly until combined - about 1 minute
  • divide the granola between the two baking trays and spread in a thin layer. bake, for 35-45 minutes.  stir the granola a couple of times until toasted and golden.  (you may want to rotate pans top to bottom to make sure the granola is cooking evenly.)
  • remove from oven.  let the granola cool completely (this allows the granola to get all clumpy!)  once cooled break up the granola into chunks and store in an airtight container at room temp  

sprinkle on yogurt or fresh fruit, eat as cereal with some almond milk.  it can also be used to top fruit crumbles, or eaten dry as a snack.  enjoy!