April 27, 2015 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

chickpea bowl w/ toasted breadcrumbs + dill tahini | dolly and oatmeal

me and frank are moving at the end of the week! we're only heading down the block, but among awesome things like that fact that the apartment is a little over 100 sq. ft. bigger than our current place, it also has a backyard! nyc's rents are insane, therefore we never thought we would find and be able to afford a place in our neighborhood with an outside space, so discovering this apartment was a very happy surprise! i can't wait to have a little piece of earth to dig around in, an area to make ours, and to have summer hangs with friends and family. frank, being brought up in north carolina is already plotting to slow-cook some of his favorite meals outside on the grill, as well as other projects that he will now have the room for. however, i'm a bit more excited for our pup, quint to have a space to run around in, dig about, and get curious in the outside elements, him being cooped up in an apartment for most of the day has always made me a bit sad. i'm hoping to come back here soon with an update, and some shots of the new place, and hopefully some backyard progress (especially since we haven't seen it since it was covered in about 2 ft. of snow!).

but on to more important things! today is a special, special post because it's in honor of bringing a tiny babe into the world! the lovely erin from naturally ella is having a baby boy(!), so a few of us are getting together to spread some internet baby shower joy!!! so on this special day, erin, i wish you all the very best in this momentous occasion!

if you're familiar with erin's awesome blog and her cookbooks, then you recognize that she's best known for her simple and delicious vegetarian meals. erin's recipes always inspire me to keep things simple and fresh; that meals with a short list of ingredients and seasonal produce can go a long way! in that spirit i thought i would share a springy meal that's good as a side, substantial for dinner, and plentiful enough for a soon-to-be mama! it's an easy-peasy salad with beans and peas, because a baby and mama are the essential pea (or bean) in a pod!

here's to erin, her family, and her first little one! big hugs to you, lady xo

and i can't wait to check out all the delicious recipes from everyone else who participated in erin's baby shower! go check them out!

chickpea bowl w/ toasted breadcrumbs + dil-tahini | dolly and oatmeal

chickpea bean bowl w/ toasted breadcrumbs + dill tahini (gf + v)

the dill-tahini adds an herby note, but if you're not a fan of dill substitute another herb like basil, tarragon or parsley. if fresh fava beans or shelling peas haven't made it to your neck of the woods yet, simply sub. in a frozen variety. and as far as gluten-free breadcrumbs go, my favorites are Ian's brand (italian seasoned), and a local brand, Aleias (also italian seasoned).

| serves 2-4 |

1/4 cup tahini paste
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped dill, more for serving
salt + pepper, to taste
1/4 cup water
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 pound english shelling peas, shelled
1 pound fava beans, shelled
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
handful of baby arugula
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1-2 tablespoons toasted gluten-free breadcrumbs, ground

method

make the tahini. whisk together tahini, garlic, lemon juice, dill, salt, pepper, and water. Set aside until ready to serve.
cook the beans and peas. bring an inch of water to a simmer and steam the fava beans for approximately 2-3 minutes, until just tender; run under cold water to stop them cooking. place peas in steamer and cook for 1 1/2-2 1/2 minutes, until just tender (cook time depends on freshness and size of peas); rinse under cold water to stop from cooking. remove outer layer of fava beans and discard.
in a serving bowl, toss chickpea, fava beans, peas, arugula, parsley, oil, vinegar, and a few pinches of salt and pepper. toss in breadcrumbs and a few tablespoons of tahini sauce, taste and adjust seasoning; garnish with leftover dill and serve.

enjoy!

more recipes:

asparagus + broccoli rabe saute w/ chive-chickpea mash

raw veggie + ginger rice bowl w/ sriracha tahini / September 24, 2013 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

last week frank and i did a lot of birthday celebrating (as our birthdays are 3 days apart), so like any good pair we celebrated with dinners out and a good amount of birthday sweets. needless to say, my body was completely whacked out in reaction to my consumption of bits of gluten here and there, and sugary treats. frank and i both came to a quick conclusion that we needed to get back to our old routine of cooking at home, and not eating desserts almost every night. since the celebrations have ceased i have been consuming a fair amount of ginger to help calm and balance this body of mine.

with that in mind, i wanted to make a healthful and soothing dinner, and this rice bowl was just the thing to help do that. the rice was cooked with ginger to infuse some of that anti-inflammatory goodness, and loaded with raw veggies as to not let any of those good nutrients escape. the tahini sriracha was inspired by the flavors in this blog post, and by my friend who had us over the night and made a delicious and simple bok choy salad with toasted almonds and sesame oil dressing - yummo! i'm a big fan of veggie rice bowls, and this is similar to one i made awhile back, but here i used veggies that were a cinch to slice thin, making them easier to chew and digest. and i think by now you've learned that i love, love, love tahini! and spicy sriracha...with the tahini...mind. blown. if you're not so into the spicy factor, don't use the sriracha, the tahini will still be delicious.

here is to being mindful of what we put in our bodies - to healthful meals, and veggie-love!

raw veggie + ginger rice bowl w/ sriracha tahini

| serves 4 |

ingredients

for the rice bowl

1 cup black forbidden rice
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 bunch bok choy, chopped (about 2 cups)
4 large carrots, cut into matchsticks
1 large zucchini or 2 small zucchinis (i used 1 small zucchini and 1 small summer squash), ribboned, cut into matchsticks, or julienned with a peeler
1 bunch scallions (about 6), sliced thin
1 ripe avocado, sliced
2 tablespoons thai basil, chopped small
1/3 cup raw almonds, toasted and roughly chopped

for the sriracha tahini

| makes about 2/3 cup |

1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon tahini paste
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sriracha sauce (or more depending on how spicy you want it)
water to thin consistency

instructions

combine rice with ginger in a medium sized saucepan, cover with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. once water boils, stir once, cover and turn down heat to low. cook for 25-30 minutes. set aside
while rice is cooking make the sriracha tahini. in a medium sized bowl, combine tahini, sesame oil, rice vinegar and sriracha. one teaspoon at a time, thin sauce to desired consistency. set aside
in a large bowl, combine ginger-rice with the bok choy, carrots, zucchini, and scallions. serve and top with sliced avocado, basil, almonds and scallions
dress the bowl with a couple dollops of sriracha tahini and enjoy!

roasted garlic hummus / January 29, 2013 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

a few months ago a new cookbook came out called, jerusalem by yotam ottolenghi. i had been able to preview parts of the book through a website i follow, 101cookbooks, and the beautiful images are what initially caught my eye. each page illustrates the every day lives of jerusalem's inhabitants and how food perhaps is one thing that unites them. here is one part of the introduction that has stuck with me:

"although jerusalemites have so much in common, food, at the moment, seems to be the only unifying force in this highly fractured place...it is sad to note how little daily interaction there is between communities, with people sticking together in closed, homogeneous groups. food, however, seems to break down those boundaries on occasion. you can see people shop together in food markets, or eat at one another's restaurants...it takes a giant leap of faith, but we are happy to take it - what have we got to lose? - to imagine that hummus will eventually bring jerusalemites together, if nothing else will."

i used the recipe from jerusalem in combination with the smitten kitchen variation of it. seriously, best. hummus. ever! however, achieving this totally-worth-it-hummus was no easy task. in deb perelman's (smitten kitchen) hummus post, she gave up the trick to smooth, creamy hummus: skinless chickpeas! who knew!? whether you are using dried chickpeas or ones out of the can, deb insists that one has to "pop" each chickpea individually out of its shell/skin. tedious? yes! worth the aggravation and work? yes!

adapted from jerusalem and smitten kitchen

makes a little under 2 cups

1 3/4 cups cooked, drained chickpeas (from a 15-ounce can) or a little shy of 2/3 cup dried chickpeas 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (for dried chickpeas only) 1/2 cup tahini paste 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste 8 cloves roasted garlic 1/2 teaspoon table salt, or more to taste approximately 1/4 cup water

::for dried chickpeas::

in a bowl soak dried chickpeas with water that is twice their volume (just make sure the there's a few inches of water covering the chickpeas). leave them to soak overnight. the next day, drain the chickpeas. in a sautè pan over medium-high heat, combine the chickpeas with the baking soda (apparently this reduces the gassy effects of dried beans!). stir constantly for about 3 minutes. add 3 1/4 cups of water - bring to a boil. once it boils turn down to a slow simmer (i had my heat up too high, my beans got quite mushy and were hard to peel later on). use a slotted spoon to skim the foam from the surface. they will cook for 20-40 minutes. you will know that they're ready when they break easily between you thumb and finger.

drain the chickpeas. you can either let them cool on their own, or run them under cold water.

::for dried and canned chickpeas::

here is the important part: peel your peas! place the chickpeas between your thumb, forefinger and middle finger and pop them out one by one.

in a food processor or blender, blend the chickpeas until clumps form. next, add the tahini, lemon juice, salt, and roasted garlic, blend until pureed. add water by the tablespoon until you get desired consistency.

transfer the hummus to a bowl and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. let it sit longer if possible to let the ingredients marinate.

::enjoy::