February 4, 2016 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Black beluga lentil hummus w/ roasted fennel + garlic | dolly and oatmeal

me and frank generally wake up super early - he likes to get the gym before it turns into a madhouse, and i basically like to get up with the stars, the earlier the better, most times. i'm not a big gym person, something about the fluorescent lights, music blaring, metal machines, and various personalities makes me want to scratch my eyes out first thing in the morning. but this also could have to do with the fact that i'm also very much a me person; i like alone time, personal space, and proper chill time all by my lonesome. so, my early mornings are centered around my yoga mat, our bedroom window, the morning stars, and the first bits of light that appear on the horizon.

because frank is the most easy going, go-with-the-flow dude i've ever known, we tend to do things that i want to do or that i like. the only things he gets super opinionated about are the movies we go see and in what format, and technology in general. almost everything else is up for grabs. so usually the conversations surrounding most weekends are: me: whatcha wanna to do this weekend? frank: whatever you want to do, babe. and mostly it's me mentioning some restaurant, or park i want to check out, or driving upstate to see trees. so when he told me, somewhat adamantly, that his home state's football team, the panthers, made it to the super bowl this year, and that he wanted to watch it, i was like, YESSS! yes, i would love watch it with you because you're the best, most patient soul there ever was! and i'm going to make you some hummus, too!

where do i even start with hummus? it's basically a food group in our house. i usually cook up some chickpeas, mung beans, etc., freeze half the portion and make hummus with the remaining bit so that i have easy access to preparing it later on. while i love chickpea hummus, it hasn't been loving me back lately - no matter how much i soak them for or how much baking soda i add. so, heidi's mung bean hummus is my go-to since they're a lot more digestible. but a few weeks ago i had some leftover black lentils, a hankering for hummus, and an empty freezer with zero frozen beans/legumes! in went the lentils. i was surprised by how tasty and creamy they became when blended up with usual hummus suspects. it made me want to try it with some other flavors to jazz it up. i love fennel, especially when it's roasted - that caramelization is just so good. and even better when providing some elemental flavor to this solid hummus. :)

winter xo's and.... go panthers!!!

black beluga lentil hummus w/ roasted fennel + garlic | v + gf

if you don't have black lentils on hand, i imagine that any lentil would prove to work just as well here (red lentils might have a thicker and creamier outcome), or feel free to use chickpeas, or another bean of choice.

| serves 4-6 |

1/2 cup black beluga lentils, soaked and rinsed
1 large fennel bulb, fronds reserved
4 cloves garlic, skins on
1 tablespoon olive oil, more for serving
salt + fresh pepper
1/2 cup tahini paste
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2-3/4 cup water

toppings:

crispy lentils
fennel fronds
chopped parsley
olive oil
flaky sea salt

method

preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
place the drained lentils in a small saucepan, and cover them with about 2 inches of water. place over high heat, and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer; cook for 15-20 minutes, until tender. remove the lentils from the stovetop and drain off any remaining water, set aside and allow to cool.
cut the fennel in half, then in fourths; cut core through the bottom and discard. slice the 4 pieces in half. place the fennel pieces and garlic cloves on the parchment, drizzle the oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper; use the paper to toss it all together. roast until edges of the fennel are sufficiently caramelized and garlic is tender, about 25-3o minutes. once cool, peel the skins from the garlic, discard, and set aside.
in an upright blender or food processor, add the lentils (reserve a handful for serving), fennel, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few cracks pepper. blend a bit, then add the water and blend on high until for about 1 minute, until the hummus is smooth and creamy. refrigerate for at least 2 hours, then serve with crackers, bread, vegetable spears, or whatever you prefer.

enjoy!

similar recipes:

black lentil , sweet potato + kale chili w/ kabocha biscuits

mole black bean tacos w/ cabbage + cilantro slaw | v + gf / January 27, 2016 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

mole black bean tacos w/ cabbage + cilantro slaw | dolly and oatmeal #vegan #glutenfree

our backyard is currently under about 5 feet of snow in some places. the blizzard this past weekend tossed around a fare bit of snow, not to mention our little 9-pound pup, quint. while this winter hasn't been much of a winter so far, it seems as though it's just lingering; the thought that there are basically 2 more months of these winter-ish days are enough for me crawl under the covers until spring. but then i remind myself of warm spring and summer days and try to summon some of those vibes in ways that i eat. over the summer me and frank made sara's grilled halibut sandwiches with jalepeno slaw, and it was somewhat of a transformative experience, as far as slaw goes. the slaw was cool, and crunchy, fresh, and spicy; and tossed with a good amount of a slightly creamy dressing. i had been discouraged by previous slaw experiences where there was a big globby mess of mayo with some hint of veg hiding in it.

aside from this slaw, mole sauce is another thing that makes heart pitter-patter. me and frank both have a deep love for it and its slow, intentional method. after making mole for new year's eve 2 years in row, it's become our tradition of sorts. this year, we made alex stupak's mole poblano from his new book, tacos, and it was super! it had a really interesting spice blend of anise seeds, coriander, cloves, peppercorns, and more; it also had a thick, chile base, without being too spicy, and a mix of nuts adding to its deep flavor. i tweaked the recipe a bit, omitting the lard, and replacing it with vegetable oil (which no doubt changes the flavor a bit), subbing in gluten-free bread, as well as vegetable stock. so if you have a hankering for loooong, slow cookin' this is a must-try sauce. there are some really good ones, like this one that we tried last year, if you're looking for a good online version. if not, my go-to brand (for all things non-homemade sauce) is sky valley.

wishing you all the cozies! xo

mole black bean tacos w/ cabbage + cilantro slaw | v + gf

for a slaw with less spice, substitute the jalapeño with half of a poblano pepper. also, this makes more slaw then you will likely use for the serving size below; leftover slaw can be stored in a lidded container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

slaw adapted slightly from sara's jalapeño slaw

| serves 2-3 as a meal |

1/2 head red cabbage, thinly shredded (on a mandolin or with a knife)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro,, plus more for serving
1 small red onion, sliced paper thin
1 jalapeño pepper, some seeds removed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dairy-free cultured coconut yogurt (i use this one)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons maple syrup
salt + fresh pepper
1 15 oz. can black beans (preferably with a BPA free lined can and no salt added), drained and rinsed
1/4 - 1/3 cup mole sauce (homemade or this one)
6 small corn tortillas, toasted
toasted sesame seeds, for serving
lime wedges, for serving

method

to make the slaw. place the cabbage, cilantro, red onion, and jalapeño in a large bowl and give it a good toss. to the bowl, add the vinegar, yogurt, oil, syrup, and salt and pepper to taste. toss again to dress, and set aside for at least 15 minutes. (slaw can be made up to 1 day in advance.)
in a medium pot over medium-low heat, combine the beans and 1/4 - 1/3 cup of mole sauce, depending on how much sauce you want. stir until heated through and steaming. turn heat to low, and toast your tortillas.
portion the mole beans among the tortillas and top with a good amount of slaw, toasted sesame seeds, chopped cilantro, and a few squeezes of lime juice.

enjoy!

similar recipes:

beet tacos w/ beet green salsa verde + spicy pickled onions

warm fingerling potatoes w/ garlic-turmeric sauce

garlic + spice market carrots w/ tahini yogurt / January 21, 2016 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

garlic-spiced market carrots w/ yogurt sauce | dolly and oatmeal

garlic-spiced roasted market w/ yogurt sauce | dolly and oatmeal

weather this year has been straight up strange - thanks, el nino! we've had weeks of warm temps, freezing ones, and now snow. the markets have been reflecting this shift as well. there have been vibrant green leafy lettuces, rainbow swiss chard, pea tendrils (!), and beautiful herbs one week, and then ubiquitous hearty roots another. but one of my favorite vendors at the market, Rogowski, who runs a farm north of manhattan, explained that because of the weeks of mild weather they've been having bumper crops of vegetables that we would normally only see in the spring or fall, such as these beautiful baby carrots!

local and seasonal produce is a large part of this blog and my day-to-day life, so collaborating on this post with the Nation Restaurant Association, where locally sourced produce is number 3 out of their 192 food trends to watch in 2016 is such a promising news! not only is locally grown produce a "hot trend" but it's something i am continually seeing highlighted on menus in and around many cities across the country which is super encouraging that it's not just a few folks trekking to the market each week, but that this "trend" is perhaps more than a trend, and turning into a national movement.

these baby carrots were so crisp and sweet that i thought paring them with a good spice blend as well as some fresh garlic would season them but not overpower their own delicious flavor. me and my husband made mole again this year on new year's eve (it's the 2nd year in a row, so it's becoming somewhat of a tradition), one of the gazzilion steps is making a spice blend with a variety of chile seeds and spice seeds. since then i've been a teensy obsessed with making my own spice blends. so the spice blend i use here is toasted, crushed into a powder, and then smashed with lightly charred garlic, some salt, and good olive oil. then it's smothered over the carrots, cooked in the oven, and served with a tart and creamy yogurt tahini sauce.

this post was in partnership with the N ational Restaurant Association, all opinions are, as always, my own. thank you for supporting dolly and oatmeal's sponsors!

garlic-spiced market carrots w/ tahini yogurt (v)

any root veg or winter squash variety would be great here with the garlic and spice paste, and the tahini yogurt drizzle. i ended up layering the leftover carrots over a bed of arugula which was awesome as a lunch-type deal.

| serves 4 |

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon anise seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
3 cloves garlic, with skins on
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
fine grain sea salt
2-3 bunches baby carrots, washed and trimmed
handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

yogurt tahini

1 cup unsweetened cultured coconut yogurt (or yogurt of choice)
2-3 teaspoons tahini paste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed and minced
salt + freshly ground pepper

Garlic + Spice Market Carrots w Tahini Yogurt | dolly and oatmeal

method

preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment, set aside.
to make the garlic + spice paste, heat a skillet over medium heat. add the seeds and toast for about a minute, until they're fragrant and toasted looking; transfer them to a plate and let cool. place the garlic cloves (with their paper still on) in the hot skillet, shake the pan every few minutes until the garlic is lightly charred and soft when you press on it. remove from the pan and let cool.
grind the cooled seeds in a spice grinder set to fine, set aside. peel the garlic and place it in a mortar and pestle along with 3 teaspoons of the spice mix 1 teaspoon oil, and a few pinches of salt; grind together to form a thick paste, once mixed thoroughly, add the remaining olive oil and grind together. taste and add more salt if needed.
mix together the carrots and garlic and spice paste, then transfer to the baking sheet and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, until tender and edges are crisp and browned.
while the carrots are cooking, make the yogurt tahini sauce. whisk together the yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, season with salt and pepper; set aside. (depending on what kind of yogurt you use, you may need to thin it a bit with some water.)
serve carrots warm, with a good drizzle of sauce, fresh cilantro, and toasted sesame seeds.

enjoy!