christmas

twice baked sweet potatoes w/ pumpkin seed dukkah /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

life's been a bit full-force these past few weeks, as i'm sure everyone feels the crazy holiday vibes out there. i'm finding it a bit hard to escape it all, even when i try.  i've been saying yes to a lot of fun projects, running myself a little thin, all with a wacky as heck sleeping schedule as of late.  weekends spent working have been awesome creatively, but i would be lying if i said that i didn't feel like it was taking something away from time with my husband and our pup.  getting consumed and overwhelmed easily is a problem of mine (or at least it can feel that way), so much so that i need someone to shake me out of that.  i love it more than anything when my husband, who is the most even, kind and gentle man, tells me i need to put it all down and relax.  i listen. and then i remember that balance is clutch, and tuning in to the present moment is what can be the difference between a freak out and and cool calm look at the world.  

balance, balance, balance.  to me, something that always need balance is the sweet potato.  as the sweet potato is already quite sweet, i find that the addition of sweet things this time of year is a little over the top for my personal taste.  in an effort to combat that problem, with all the sweetened sweet potato dishes out there, i took a family favorite from years ago and gave it an update.  twice baked potatoes were something my mom and i made each year around the holidays.  we would make tons of them, and subsequently have those stuffed spuds for days and days, after all the holiday craziness was over - a tried and true favorite we're talking.  if you've never had a twice baked potato, it's kind of like eating the creamiest, yummiest mashed potatoes inside a crisp, salty potato skin.  some people like eating just the whipped potato filling (hi, mom), and some love eating the whole shebang (hi, rest of the world!).  i started recreating this dish with sweet potatoes in mind as i've come to really love them - mostly for their nourishing properties, but also because white potatoes don't sit the best.  and since roasting acorn squash the other week with za'atar, and loving how the spice blend cut through the sweetness of the squash, i thought incorporating a super punchy dukkah spice blend would be great here with the sweet potato.  fragrant flavors of coriander, fennel, and cumin, some thyme, and my favorite: tangy sumac. i don't know how i didn't put these ingredients together sooner, definitely a power combo!

xo!

twice baked sweet potatoes w/ pumpkin seeds dukkah (v + gf)

dukkah is a nut and seed spice blend hailing from egypt.  most times it's made with hazelnuts, on occasion i've seen it with peanuts, and sometimes pumpkin seeds.  since it is pumpkin season, i only thought it was appropriate that they represent here, but feel free to add what ever nut or seed you like.  below i indicate more sumac for garnish.  

| makes 12 halves |

twice baked sweet potatoes

  • 6 medium sweet potatoes
  • 1/3 cup scallions or green onions, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 3/4 cup tofutti (or vegan cream cheese of choice)
  • 2-3 tablespoons hot, unsweetened almond milk
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, extra for greasing and cooking
  • fine salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • parsley, for garnish
  • sumac, for garnish
  • 3 tablespoons pumpkin seed dukkah (recipe below)

pumpkin seed dukkah

  • 1/4 cup hulled pumpkin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (1/2 tablespoon is using dry)
  • 1 teaspoon sumac
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

instructions

  • take cream cheese out to reach room temperature.  preheat oven to 350° and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.  grease and salt skins of potatoes; place on baking sheet and bake for 1 hour.  remove from oven and cool to handle, about 30 minutes.  
  • while potatoes are cooling, cook the onions and garlic.  heat a skillet over medium heat, add enough oil to coat bottom of pan, and saute the scallions/onions until soft, about 3 minutes.  add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant. remove from heat and set aside.
  • once potatoes have cooled a bit, cut in half and carefully scoop cooked potato into a bowl, being careful to reserve skins.  using an electric mixer, mash potatoes, cream cheese, 2 tablespoons milk, scallions, garlic, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper.  depending on your preference, add more milk. (2 tablespoons is usually enough to get a creamy consistency.)
  • using a spoon, carefully fill skins with potato mixture.  sprinkle tops with pumpkin seeds dukkah blend and place back in the oven for 20 minutes more.  serve hot with fresh parsley and extra sumac

pumpkin seeds dukkah

  • heat a heavy skillet over high heat - toast pumpkin seeds, until slightly browned and fragrant, 1-2 minutes. repeat with place coriander, cumin, and fennel seeds; remove from pan.  toast sesame seeds, then peppercorns.  allow spices to cool, add the peppercorns to a mortar and pestle, and crush.  add seeds, sumac, salt, and thyme, and grind until mix is crushed.  spice blend can be stored at room temp in an airtight container 

soda bread muffins w/ whiskey soaked currants /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

every christmas morning, for as long as i can remember my brother and i would wake up, go downstairs and find a full spread of cookies and fruit on the coffee table in our living room.  as a child i was so excited to rip through my presents and see what santa left me that i didn't pay much mind to what was on the table. but as i got older i appreciated the quiet morning with my family sitting around and enjoying each others company. through the years the cookie-filled coffee table transformed into a more substantial morning meal which included eggs and on occasion my dad's pancakes.  my mom and i looove irish soda bread, so much so that we have made it a new tradition to add it to our christmas morning routine.  last year i attempted a gluten free version of it using oat flour with a so-so result (i'm not giving up on this, it's still a work in progress!); it resembled a somewhat large disk, much like a hockey puck.   this year i tested a series of soda bread's all yielding a very dry and crumbly bread.  then there was one morning when i had all of 1 egg left, i thought to myself that if this didn't work i would wait until another time to attempt the bread again.  i mixed my wet ingredients into the dry, i stirred and stirred but the dough was more of a batter, i tasted the raw batter, and it was too good to throw away.  i knew that if something could contain the runniness of the batter it could possible be good.  so i grabbed my muffin tin, threw some liners in and baked those little effers up! 

these are truly my favorite muffins, like ever!  they're a little different than a traditional soda bread in that a) they're in muffin form (duh), and  b) they're super moist.  the coconut milk lends a rich and velvety texture, while the apple cider vinegar gives them that buttermilk tang.  while i'm not a big fan of fried fruit, i do love me some currants, especially when they've been soaking in bourbon whiskey and get all plump and boozy. we have a distillery just around the corner from us called Cacao Prieto, and they've got some pretty epic liquor.  we have a little bottle of their house-made bourbon sitting around for special occasions. what's a better occasion than to use it to booze-up christmas morning baked goods!?  i know these cannot compare to some of crazy beautiful cookie or holiday cakes out there, but if you share my appreciation for soda bread you may understand my utter excitement over these! wishing you all a very happy holiday! peace + love xo

soda bread muffins w/ whiskey soaked currants (gluten free + dairy free)

makes 10 muffins

  • 1 cup brown rice flour
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1/2 arrowroot flour
  • 1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • 1 organic egg
  • 3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 dried currants
  • 1 tablespoon bourbon whiskey

instructions

  1. place dried currant in a small bowl with the whiskey, soak for at least an hour, until currants are plump and most of the liquid is gone
  2. preheat oven to 350°, grease or line muffin tin to hold 10 muffins
  3. in a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients until combined
  4. in a large measuring cup combine the coconut milk with the vinegar and let the mixture rest for 5-7 minutes - until bubbles form on the surface.  once bubbles have formed, whisk in the egg and the soaked currants
  5. add the wet mixture to the dry and stir to combine.  fill 10 muffin holders 3/4 of the way up.  bake in the middle of the oven for 30-35 minutes, until tops are lightly browned and a cake tester comes out clean
  6. let the muffins cool a bit, eat while warm and enjoy with a cozy cup of tea (or some more bourbon)

miso-yam soup w/ sesame roasted carrots /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

ok, before the holiday season gets out of control, with all the cookies and treats that are popping up all over the place, let's get our nutrition on!  i've somewhat been off my regularly scheduled eating patterns with traveling, and the recent holidays.  so whenever i'm looking for a boost, be it when i'm sick or my stomach is dysfunctional, my go-to is miso soup.  it's easy to make, suuuper soothing, and has (magical) healing benefits.  personally, i'm a fan of miso's beneficial bacteria that helps aid digestion as well as maintain a healthy immune system! one could go on about everything else that miso is good for, but i'll leave that to the experts.  

i recently came across a super-duper ipad app, Uniqlo Recipe.  not usually one for recipe apps, i was interested in it because i'm a fan of the photographer who shot it.  i came across a recipe for butternut squash miso soup and was instantly obsessed. the original recipe came from Brian Leth, a chef who runs an awesome restaurant here in brooklyn, Vinegar Hill House.  most miso soups i've eaten come in broth form, so i loved the idea of a creamy, slightly sweet miso soup, and i loved how the ingredients seemed subtle enough to not outdo the miso flavor.  using what i had available in my kitchen, i swapped some ingredients for others using white flesh yams in place of the squash, and roasted carrots instead of sautéed apples and brussels sprouts.  the soup was a cinch to make and so darn yummy; a total winner!

miso-yam soup w/ herb + sesame roasted carrots | gf + v

| makes 4 cups |

i used white flesh yams but feel free to use any sweet potato, potato, or squash (except spaghetti squash) here  

adapted from Brian Leth via Uniqlo Recipe

ingredients

  • 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch chunks
  • 1/2 tablespoon red miso paste
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • approximately 3 cups filtered water
  • salt to taste
  • one bunch of baby carrots (~4 ounces), washed and cut in half (alternatively, you can use larger carrots and cut them into smaller pieces)
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon mirin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh chives, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons fresh cilantro, minced
  • pinch of salt
  • toasted sesame seeds and extra chives for garnish

instructions

 

make the soup

  • place the yams in a stock pot with the miso paste and 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil.  cover with 2 cups of the filtered water (or until yams are completely covered).  give the ingredients a stir to dissolve the miso.  bring to simmer, cover and cook the yams until tender; about 20-25 minutes.  carefully transfer soup ingredients to a blender, puree soup until smooth - thin with water until you reach your desired consistency.  season with salt and transfer back to stock pot
  • ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with carrots, toasted sesames and chives

 

roast the carrots

  • preheat oven to 375° and line a baking sheet with parchment
  • in a mixing bowl, toss carrots with sesame oil, mirin, chives, cilantro and salt.  spread out onto baking sheet and roast until lightly browned, 12-15 minutes