tahini

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

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!

similar recipes:

winter buckwheat + shaved brussels sprout bowl

fennel-roasted carrot + shallot salad w/ shaved apple

roasted fingerlings w/ garlic-turmeric sauce

charred broccoli + red onion salad w/ shaved apples + arugula / October 6, 2015 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

charred broccoli + red onion salad w/ shaved apples + arugula | dolly and oatmeal

i'm not sure if it's like this everywhere, but nyc is in this awesome seasonal in-between with cool mornings and evenings, warm abundant afternoon sunshine; there are remnants of late summer tomatoes and watermelon on our kitchen counter, and the sweetest of winter squash varieties chillin' right beside them. the market is a hybrid of summer, fall, and bits of winter too, with corn cobs piled high next to buckets of butternut squash. there are tables littered with a rainbow of tomatoes, plums, brussels sprouts, and pole beans. these earthy, dewy autumn mornings are definitely growing on me this year too. we inherited a crab apple tree in our backyard which had been providing us much needed shade all summer long, and now we get to enjoy its leaves changing color and its apples mature.

while i'm still not sure i'm ready for pumpkin recipes yet, (soon, i promise!), i'm easing away from summer salads and switching some of the components up with warm, hearty produce. i've been making apple, red onion, and arugula salad with a tahini dressing for years (it was even a post way back when!) but with the shift in seasons i wanted to make this salad a bit heavier. broccoli is perhaps my favorite vegetable ever, and to my delight a few of the vendors at the market have been selling it for the past few weeks. so for this rendition, charring the broccoli and onion adds a warmer, caramelized flavor and is totally welcomed by shaved crunchy apples; and the lemony tahini is super tart and zingy, but elevates this to a next-level, early autumnal salad!

also, last week i was over at yahoo food talking about my "food journey", blogging, and gluten-free misconceptions, you can read more here, if you like. also, some of the work i do outside of the blog is freelance photography. i recently shot the cover for the sweetgreen fall newspaper, and upon flipping through the twitters i saw none other than cindy crawford holding a copy and just about lost my sh!t - you slay, cindy, you slay!

hope your week is off to an awesome one! xo

charred broccoli + red onion salad w/ shaved apples + arugula (v + gf)

any fresh apple will do here, but i really love honeycrisp or gala apples. they're tart, juicy, and super crunchy which makes the textures in this salad really pop.

| serves 2 |

creamy lemon dressing

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (roughly 1 lemon)
2 tablespoons water
4-5 tablespoons tahini
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
fresh pepper

salad

1 head broccoli, cut into florets (roughly 3 cups)
1 medium red onion, sliced into wedges
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
half of 1 apple (preferably honeycrisp or gala)
2-3 cups baby arugula
1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped

method

in a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, water, and 4 tablespoons of the tahini; add the oil, garlic, salt, and pepper to taste. if the dressing is too thick, add the remaining tablespoon of tahini, taste and adjust seasonings as needed. cover and set to the side. (the dressing can also be prepared ahead of time.)
preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. in a large bowl, toss broccoli, onions, oil, and season with salt and pepper. transfer the broccoli and onion to the baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, until the broccoli is charred in places. use tongs and remove the broccoli, place the onions back in the oven and cook for another 10-15 minutes, until browned in places. remove from the oven and set aside.
in a large bowl, toss together the charred broccoli and onion with the apple, arugula, and 3/4 of the hazelnuts. give the dressing a stir and drizzle it over the top of the bowl, toss again, adding more dressing if desired. serve the salad and top with remaining hazelnuts.

enjoy!