cilantro

a pickled corn succotash salad + pure green magazine's hashtag project #pgminseason ! /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

the week is almost over (yay for wednesdays!) and i have a super duper salad here for you today.  normally a succotash is prepared by cooking most of the ingredients on the stovetop, and in most cases favas or other beans are involved.  today, i have prepared a pickled corn succotash that's super appropriate for a hot august day (although, temps around here have been oddly cool) and is comprised of most of what is available to me at my market - long beans, heirloom tomatoes, fragrant herbs, chili peppers, sweet juicy nectarines and veggie blossoms.  high-fives for in season fare!  

as many of you know laura, claire, and i have teamed up with the Pure Green Magazine blog to talk about our in season food ethics, share some recipes where we incorporate summer's produce, and be community leaders for their Instagram Hashtag Project: #PGMinseason.  so, today i'm over there talking about where i shop for produce in and around brooklyn, how i store produce to keep them at their most fresh, and why i think we and our communities are better off when we are able to buy in season, local produce!   and i'm also sharing the recipe for this tangy, herbaceous, slightly sweet, and crunchy, pickled corn succotash salad here! 

have a good one, friends! xo

(baked) purple kale, cilantro + spaghetti squash cakes /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

my spaghetti squash was lying on the kitchen counter for a little over a week before i knew what i wanted to do with it. sure i could have made some recipes that are the usual suspects around here when fall come into town, but i wanted to use the squash strands for something different this season.  spaghetti squash is my absolute favorite of the squash family.  yes, on the exterior it's a quite underwhelming: it has muted yellow skin, and a smooth and mundane surface.  i guess one could surmise that spaghetti squash, despite it's cool name, it somewhat lackluster judging from the outside.  but as soon as you cut them open, you recognize how major they are!  what plant or vegetable out there gives you perfectly shaped, noodle-like strands without the use of any sort of tool (unless a fork counts as a tool?  are tools and utensils the same?).   most. genius. veggie. everrr!  

like i said, i wanted to make something with the squash i never had.  so with a little exploring of what my mouth likes to taste and what my belly likes to eat, i decided to go the route of some form of burger, patty, cake, or fritter of some sort.  this made me think of my great-grandmother's german potato latkes that my mom would make around hanukkah.  my favorite thing about them was always the lone strands of potato that would make up the edges of the latke - those little crunchies alone were my inspiration for these squash cakes.  i thought the squash strands would be perfect to give the edges that crisp and crunch i was longing for, and they did just that!  the rest of the cake mixture is made up of some tasty seasonings as i was going for a latin-light vibe here.  i toyed around with pan frying them and making them thinner (much like my mom's latkes) but i opted for a lighter interpretation that cuts down the use of oil and keeps your kitchen free of frying-oil odor.  so in they went into the oven.  and they were some form of perfection - super crunchy on the outside, with a billowy, sog-free center.  there's a little bit of prep work involved in these, but once everything is chopped, they're a cinch to just throw in the oven.  and with just frank and i, we had plenty of leftovers for lunch and dinner throughout the week.

 

 

(baked) purple kale, cilantro + spaghetti squash cakes w/ sriracha avocado sauce | gf + dairy free |

 

| makes 10 cakes |   

inspired by Sprouted Kitchen

ingredients

for the cakes: 

  • 1 spaghetti squash, cut lengthwise 
  • 1 cup purple kale, ribs removed and roughly chopped   
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 2 small-medium shallots, minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup oat flour (ground from gluten free rolled oats in a food processor)
  • 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ancho chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) 
  • neutral oil for greasing baking pan (grapeseed works the best here)

*also needed: a clean tea towel or cheesecloth to wring out squash

for the avocado sriracha sauce: 

 

  • 1 ripe avocado, pitted
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro
  • 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (more or less depending on how creamy you want it) 
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 medium shallot (or ~2 tablespoons chopped red onion) 
  • 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
  • salt to taste
  • ~3-4 tablespoons water, to thin consistency

instructions

make the cakes

  • preheat oven to 400° and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  cut the squash in half, lengthwise and scrape out the seeds (reserve seeds for toasting! totally optional, but also totally yum).  brush the flesh with olive oil and place face down onto the baking sheet.  bake for 35-40 minutes until knife-tender.  remove squash from oven and let it cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes.  this is a good time to prep the rest of your ingredients)
  • preheat the oven back to 400°.  once the squash is cool, use a fork to scrape the flesh into long strands.  one half at a time, place the scraped squash strands into a clean tea towel (or cheesecloth) and wring out as much liquid as possible (i was actually amzed how much liquid the spaghetti squash contains!).  place wrung out squash in a large bowl and repeat with the other half.  place chopped kale, cilantro, shallots and garlic in the bowl with the squash and mix until thoroughly combined.  add egg and combine once more. set aside
  • in a separate bowl, combine the oat flour, ground flaxseed, salt, baking powder, chili powder, cumin and cayenne (if using) .  pour the dry ingredients into the kale and squash mixture, and mix.  set aside
  • oil a large rimmed baking sheet.  using a 1/4 cup measure, pack it almost to the top and press the cake mixture into the cup measure to make compact.  turn measure over and tap out onto the palm of your hand.  place on oiled baking sheet, use the back of the measure, or your fingers, and press the cake down just a bit (it should be just under an inch thick).  repeat with the rest of the mixture until you have 10 cakes  
  • place baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake for 20 minutes, rotating halfway through.  at the end of 20 minutes take cakes out of oven and flip them over to brown the other side.  place back in the oven for 5 additional minutes.  remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.  let the cakes cool for about 5 minutes, or eat them at room temperature.  top with avocado sriracha sauce and garnish with cilantro
  • store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days

 

 

 

 

 

make the avocado sriracha sauce

  • place all ingredients in a small food processor and blend until desired consistency.  (you made need more water depending on how thin you want the sauce.)

enjoy! 

 

charred corn salad with spicy cilantro vinaigrette /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

the thought of changing my last name was never a big deal for me.  i think it's rather romantic to share a name with the one you love.  but it was something i hadn't given much thought to.  over the past couple weeks, as i slowly wrapped my head around this whole marriage thing, i have given a lot of thought to not having the same name i grew up using.  it made me think about how much i love my name, and how special a name can be.  it is something that really identifies us - how we identify ourselves, and how others identify us.  to me, my name is not only is an identifier of myself, but my family, my extended family even.  names can also be something that solidifies and bonds individuals together.  not to say that names are the only things that bring us together, there are many other many other significant forces that drive relationships and bonds with one another.  but, if given enough thought, the severity of a name is something pretty cool and powerful.  i definitely see it as perhaps one thing i own; something that  is inherently mine without the cost of anything monetary.  

i'm not sure what category corn falls under.  it is certainly a versatile vegetable.  one that lends itself to both the sweet, and the savory.  whatever category it belongs to is besides the point.  freshly picked, sweet, crisp, crunchy, corn.  i would say that fresh corn is perhaps one of my favorite summer veggies.  i have fond memories of family bbqs, eating burgers, hot dogs, a big salad, and corn on the cob!  as my dad would get the grill ready, my mom would take day old newspapers, lay them out on the table, and we would peel the ears of corn, layer by layer.  my mom would boil the ears until they were just tender enough to be eaten. then, that first bite! when your teeth sink into the juicy kernels as they pop and crunch in your mouth.  this was the first corn of the season for us two married folk, and it was pretty amazing.  i chose to "grill" the corn on the stovetop for only a few minutes, keeping the crunchiness alive and well, and threw it together with a spicy cilantro vinaigrette.  i chose to leave lettuce greens out this time around, but feel free to throw them in for some extra nourishment.

| serves 2 | 

ingredients:

  • 2 ears fresh corn, grilled
  • 1 large heirloom tomato, chopped small
  • 1/4 of a small red onion, sliced thin
  • 1/2 of a ripe avocado, cut into small chunks
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro, torn into pieces 
  • 1 handful pepitas, toasted

dressing: 

  • 1 small garlic clove (or 1/2 of a large clove) 
  • 1/4 cup packed cilantro
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ancho chili powder
  • a pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

 

instructions

prepare the dressing

  • using a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic with a pinch of salt until you have a paste.  then add the 1/4 cup of cilantro; grind until the cilantro is crushed and fragrant.  in a small mixing bowl, combine the lime juice, salt, chili powder, and cayenne (if using), whisk until combined.  drizzle the olive oil while whisking.  add the cilantro-garlic paste, and whisk again  *if you do not have a mortar and pestle, use a knife and chop the cilantro and garlic together until minced.  alternatively, you could blend all the ingredients in a small food processor 

 

char the corn

  • because i don't have a grill (or an outside area) i grilled my corn on my gas top stove.  
  • over a low flame, let the corn cook in 20-30 second intervals.  using tongs, turn the ears of corn to cook and char evenly - you should hear a crackling sound (this is normal)  and smell the corn cooking.  cook until all sides are browned in spots
  • if using a grill, the same technique applies

assembly

  • once the corn has cooled, stand it upright.  using a sharp knife, start from the top of the ear and cut straight down to dislodge the kernels from the cob.  rotate and repeat on all sides of the ear
  • in a large bowl, combine the corn kernels, chopped tomato, sliced red onion, chunked avocado, toasted pepitas, and torn cilantro, mix until combined
  • using a spoon, dress the salad with the vinaigrette to your liking 

enjoy!