July 14, 2015 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

i've had a very loose summer "to-do" list, and i'm actually making progress on it (which is really encouraging because i'm the biggest procrastinator and lists rarely ever keep in line)! some items are coming along, while others are more of a long-term kind of deal:

plant a wild flower/meadow garden (and keep it alive) - so far ✔
work on toning my arms a la linda hamilton in terminator 2 - ✔ still a work in progress ;)
grill (gf + v) pizza! - ✔ we did this the other night, and while the grill was too hot, and the bottom of the dough was black and charred, it was still awesome. i'm planning a major post for this recipe when we get it just right!)
a designated no-social-media-day - eh, i have good weeks and not so good weeks with this one.
read more books, like real tangible books - half-✔. am i the only one who has my nose in the middle of about 5 books for the past 2 years? halp.

speaking of schedules and lists, the opposite can be said for what we've been eating recently. i've been on this kick of preparing easy peasy meals with familiar pantry items and whatever i pick up at the market that the weekend. there's always some sort of grain or legume, a punchy sauce to make things exciting, and little extras like fried capers or toasted breadcrumbs for added crunch and flavor. since the development side of my cookbook has wound down, i'm feeling like i have a surplus of quiet energy that's insisting to just go with the flow. for a while it was a non-stop schedule of recipe testing, styling, and shooting. and while it's been a really fulfilling project, it was also mentally and physically exhausting. so laying back and letting food, and cooking be breezy is what life is dictating at the moment, and i'm just going with it! this socca salad recipe is very much in line with what meals have been looking like around here this summer, veg-heavy, super gratifying, and importantly, low key.

my husband has always been on board with socca since i first began making it a few years ago. it was one of the first bread-y things (since going gluten-free) we could partake in and enjoy together, and it's been a wrap since then. this recipe is a very basic socca recipe, one that i've been making and tweaking for years. it's one of those tried and true recipes that i love preparing for lunch, dinner, or as an appetizer for when we have friends over. socca is so good that sometimes it's best when left plain and topless, but it can also be a blank canvas for just about anything you want to pile on top of it; in this case a simple summer salad. there's a bit of easy prep required but nothing that's tiresome or laborious, just some mixing, roasting, baking, and serving, all for an uncomplicated summer meal!

big hugs! x

summer socca salad w/ burst tomatoes + roasted zucchini (v + gf)

i make this socca 2 ways. the first one is using the entire batter in a 10-12" pan for 1 large, slightly thick round. the other way is to divide the batter between 2 pans and make 2 smaller soccas with a crispy texture. both variations are great, but i tend to like a smaller crispier socca when served with a salad. the toppings can of course vary to include different grains or vegetables, and the yogurt or hummus can be substituted for creme fraiche or labneh if dairy is your thing.

| serves 2 as a main |

socca

1 cup chickpea flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup + 1-2 teaspoons water
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2-3 garlic cloves minced

salad

5-6 small vine tomatoes
1 medium zucchini (about 1 heaping cup), sliced into 1/4" thick slices
olive oil
salt + pepper
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
2 cups mixed baby greens
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3-4 tablespoons hummus or tahini yogurt sauce
herb flowers or torn squash blossoms, for serving (optional)

method

socca batter

in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper; whisk in 1 cup of water - batter should be similar to thin pancake batter (but not as thin as crepe batter), if batter is too thick, add water a teaspoon at a time until batter has thinned out. drizzle in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and the garlic, whisk until thoroughly combined. let mixture sit for 30 minutes or up until 12 hours lightly covered with a dishtowel.

salad

preheat oven to 400° F and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside. in a small bowl toss together the tomatoes, zucchini, and 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, season with salt and pepper. turn out onto the lined baking sheet and bake until tomatoes are burst and zucchini is tender, about 12-14 minutes. (if you're using smaller tomatoes like grape or cherry, cook time may be less.) remove from oven and let cool. combine the quinoa and greens in large bowl, then add the cooled roasted vegetables, set aside.

assemble

when you're ready to make the socca, place a 10-12" cast iron skillet (or an oven proof skillet) on an oven rack in the bottom third of your oven, then preheat to 450° F.
once the oven is preheated, carefully remove the skillet from the oven, pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil into the skillet and gently swirl the pan to distribute the oil. give the socca batter one last whisk and then pour it into the skillet, swirling to evenly cover the pan. quickly place back into the oven and bake for 12 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned; turn oven temperature up to 500° F and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until edges are crisp and browned and top of socca is golden.
remove skillet from oven, and let it rest while you dress the salad. drizzle salad with 3 teaspoons olive oil, and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper. use a spatula to lift the socca from the pan and place on a large cutting board. slice the socca in half, or serve whole and top with hummus or yogurt, and the burst tomato and roasted zucchini salad.

enjoy!

**to make a smaller, thin socca (like the one pictured). heat two 10-inch skillets in the oven. once oven is preheated, remove pans one at a time; add 1-1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and swirl to cover pan. add half of the socca batter and swirl to cover the bottom of the pan; place back in oven and repeat with other pan. cook until edges are golden and crisp, about 10 minutes; turn oven temperature up to 500° F and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until edges are brown and top of socca is golden. remove from heat and serve with hummus/yogurt, and salad.

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a midsummer cherry + amaranth panzanella salad

green mojitos / July 1, 2015 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

so i didn't have a backyard garden market this weekend (darn you torrential rain!), BUT i did make use of lots of the kale and mint we've grown back there to make some major green juices, and then there's that bulk-sized batch of kale-basil pesto i made that we're still eating our way through. we also managed to clean up more of the yard, mainly the part all the way in the back that was composed of dirt, bricks, more dirt, and a really overgrown but charming potting table. frank leveled out all of that dirt, covered it with mulch, and hung the outside lights that we've been itching to get up since we got here, making it all a bit more cozy :) while frank was busy taking on the dirt, i planted a bed of meadow flowers and beach grass, with some herbs and lavender weaved throughout. right now it's looking a little stark, but hopefully after a few more rains and some hot summer sunshine it'll fill out and give off that easy breezy, wild flower vibe i'm going for :) we've also got another patch of dirt right outside our door that we've attempted to grown grass on. after the grass grew in patchy with a ton of weeds, we realized we didn't want to buy a lawnmower for a 6x6' lot of grass. so we scrapped the whole idea and plated creeping thyme that we're hoping will grow and spread - fingers crossed!

some of you may know the tess masters from her blog, The Blender Girl, her app, or her new cookbook! i was lucky to receive a copy of her latest book which has 100 smoothie recipes ranging from light, mild, exotic, and leaving you with some high vibe dessert smoothies (the peach crumble smoothie is totally on my summer to-do list!). this green mojito (sans liquor - i know, i totally should have spiked it), is incredibly light, fruity, savory, and tangy all in the same sip. all of the ingredients are easily found in your pantry or at the market, and you don't need a super crazy high-speed blender, which i know is a plus for a lot of folks out there. the lime and mint really shine through in this drink, and truly makes it reminiscent of a traditional mojito - minus that buzz ;) ;)

happy july, everyone! xo

green mojitos (v + gf)

the recipe below states 2 cups of frozen pineapple, however since i'm not the biggest fan of pineapple, i substituted it with 1 cup of frozen mango, and 1 cup frozen peaches. i also didn't have liquid stevia, so i replaced that with 1 teaspoon maple grade B syrup. as for tess's "optional boosters" i added about 1/2-inch worth of ginger, and 2 teaspoons coconut oil; i also reduced the amount of limes from 3 limes to 2.

| serves 2 |

1 cup coconut water (or water)
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
3 limes, peeled and quartered
1 cup curly kale leaves (1 or 2 leaves with stalk removed)
1/2 cup firmly packed mint
2 cups frozen pineapple
5 drops alcohol-free liquid stevia, plus more to taste

optional boosters

1 teaspoon wheatgrass
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon coconut oil

method

throw all of the ingredients into your blender and blend in high for 30 to 60 seconds, until smooth and creamy.

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herbed black beluga lentils w/ garlic scapes + yogurt sauce / June 23, 2015 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

herbed black beluga lentils w/ garlic scapes + yogurt sauce | dolly and oatmeal

life seems a bit more settled these days as i've finished the development portion of my cookbook, and am now focussing more on shooting the images for it. it's all so super surreal and exciting, and i cannot wait to share more about the development process with you all in the coming weeks!

frank and i have also been having more free time on weekends to tidy up our apartment - we actually hung a mirror the other day, and that seemed like just enough for the time being. i think we're really trying to ease into this space, seeing where things will end up, or coming to decisions about where we'll put the bookcase, etc. organically. the backyard, as i've talked about, was a complete mess. we've basically been overhauling what we can without spending too much. we did however splurge on a fence, as it was a shared backyard and we really wanted that extra privacy. we planted some kale, basil, leafy lettuce, and arugula back in may, and it's shot up in the past week or so, and i'm either seeing a purely green juice diet in our near future, or holding some sort of backyard market thingy to get some of this produce off my hands!

all good things are happening over here, and i usually try to keep things light, but i can't but help feeling all sorts of sadness over the awful event that took place in charleston. while i know there is so much good in this world, these kinds of recurring (and all too common) acts of hate, ignorance, and gun violence have hit us all a little too close to home in one way or another.

here's to calmer and more peaceful days, more forgiveness, laughs, and good food! xo's!

herbed black beluga lentils w/ garlic scapes + yogurt sauce (v + gf)

there are so many awesome dairy-free yogurts on the market these days, which is both really encouraging, but also can be confusing - there's nothing i dislike more than excitedly making a grocery store purchase and coming home to find out that it wasn't that great. so my go-to savory yogurt these days is the unsweetened (unflavored) cultured coconut yogurt from So Delicious, it's got that perfect tang and is quite simply the best! i use it in savory dishes like this one, but also in fruit crumble breakfast situations, to pair with granola, in smoothies, etc.!

| serves 4 as a side |

yogurt sauce

1/4 cup unsweetened unflavored yogurt (i use this brand)
1 tablespoon tahini paste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
Sea salt and ground pepper

lentils

1 cup black beluga lentils, rinsed and picked over
3 cups water
sea salt
zest from half of 1 lemon
1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped basil
2 teaspoons chopped mint
1 teaspoon chopped dill
1 bunch garlic scapes
extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground pepper
dill flowers, for serving

method

in a small bowl whisk together the yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, and garlic, season with salt and pepper, then set aside.
bring the lentils, water, and a big pinch of salt to a boil; once it reaches a boil, turn heat to low and simmer lentils uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender. drain leftover water if needed. toss the lentils with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and chopped herbs, season with salt and pepper; set aside.
while the lentils are cooking, preheat oven to 400°F, toss the garlic scapes with enough olive oil to lightly coat, and season with course salt and pepper. cook scapes for 10 to 12 minutes, until tender. remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes, then roughly chop the garlic scapes and add them to the pot with the lentils. give everything a good toss, taste and adjust any seasonings if needed.
tops lentils with dill flowers, or basil flowers, and a good dollop of yogurt sauce.

enjoy!