lunch

Lemony Fennel, Radish, and Kale Salad / May 17, 2017 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Lemony Fennel, Radish, and Kale Salad | dolly and oatmeal

it's seems as though i left one spring behind in new york, and am experiencing a completely different one here in LA. when we left brooklyn the buds of trees were just beginning to bloom, and my raspberry and elderflower bushes were getting all bushy too. los angeles couldn't be more different. as many times as i've visited here, i think i haven't paid as much attention to the utterly diverse worlds that exist on each coast. when amesy and i take quint on his walks during the day i'm blown away by plants that i've never seen before, flowers that grow a foot high in NY but are gigantic bushes here, and the passion fruit that grows effortlessly on a neighbors fence. it's fascinating, while being entirely overwhelming - i want to get properly acquainted with each and every leafy thing here! in due time, i suppose.

we spent the weekend getting situated in our new apartment. our space is a 2-bedroom, which is huge for us - both literally and figuratively. we have a washer and dryer (!!!!), something that is inconceivable in nyc, a ton of natural light, and the babe has all the room to spread out and explore :) everything here feels airy and light, there's a feeling of ease in each day. it's kinda crazy how a new space can do that for you. but the clutter of our last place was something that was bothering both frank and i in a lot of ways. half of the year was great because we had our backyard to use, but the other half of the year felt cramped and tight. we only had 2 exposures and for people who vibe off natural light it felt like a big deal. in some ways i think that crept into our daily outlook on things which sometimes felt very limited. so for many reasons we are super grateful to be in sunny LA.

and another reason i'm thrilled to live in this new city is that i'm practically neighbors with the author of the recipe here today. if you're not already acquainted with lily diamond, she's the beautiful soul behind the blog, Kale & Caramel. her blog is an easy-breezy space filled with beautiful photography, and recipes that are textured, and playful, and filled with joy. her affinity for food and her wanting to share it with us beams through every recipe that occupies the pages on her site. her writing is a thing of beauty, they have a way of evoking feelings perhaps you didn't know were there, or thoughts you had never thought yourself. she is, if anything, an immensely inspiring woman.

her book, Kale & Caramel: Recipes For Body, Heart, and Table is a deeper look into her glorious mind and i'm so happy she's let us in - if only a little bit. the book is organized around herbs and flowers, think: basil, fennel, oregano, lavender, and rose petals. there are recipes for face masks, and salads, and beach-y spray for your hair. there are tarts, and chocolate mousse, and things that will care for your soul and make you smile in the process. it seems as though lily is there on each page encouraging you to nourish and care for yourself.

lemony fennel, radish, and kale salad

recipe from Kale & Caramel: Recipes for Body, Heart, and Table by Lily Diamond

to make this recipe dairy-free i subbed the feta cheese with little dabs of this kite hill almond milk ricotta cheese, which was delicious.

| serves 4-6 |

8 large leaves dinosaur (lacinato) kale
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups sugar snap peas, washed and eds trimmed
3 cups very thinly sliced or shaved fennel bulb (about 1 medium-large), fronds reserved
5 to 6 radishes, very thinly sliced or shaved, about 1 cup
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 1 3/4 ounces)
freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

method

remove the stems from the kale and chop the leaves into thin strips. place the strips of kale in a large bowl and massage with the oil, about 30 seconds, until the leaves grow deep green, reduce in volume, and take on a mellow sheen.
slice each sugar snap pea in half diagonally across its midsection to reveal some of the peas (or do the same for green beans). add the sliced peas, fennel, and radishes to the bowl with the massaged kale.
on a cutting board, give the parsley, mint leaves, and the reserved fennel fronds a coarse chop. add to the bowl of kale and veggies. add 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and the salt, and toss vigorously to combine. Add the feta and toss gently to integrate. taste and adjust the salt and lemon juice as desired.
serve immediately. the salad will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

similar recipes:

grilled panzanella salad w/ peaches & fennel

zucchini-basil chickpea waffles w/ tomato & shaved fennel salad

Sunshine Mung Bean Spread w/ Gluten Free Za'atar Flatbread / April 26, 2017 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Sunshine Mung Bean Spread w/ Gluten Free Za'tar Flatbread

meals in general have taken on a life of their own. when amesy was a teeny babe he slept quite often, and so in between those times i was able to get things done. while his naps are more routine these days, they're much less frequent, and shorter, so the need to get creative and make every moment count is essential in order to get anything done. if you follow me over on instagram then you might be aware of my new found love for meal prepping. before having a baby i always strived to dedicate a day during the week for preparing meal components but it was never an essential thing to get frank and i through the week. but now, especially with amesy starting to eat solids, a dedicated meal prep day is super crucial. having plenty of dips and spreads is another thing that is kind of vital around here. i use them to dress up a lunch/dinner bowl, or for a nourishing snack with cut veg and/or crackers or bread.

but more importantly, we're honoring two wonderful humans today, who are going to need all the feel-good snacks that people with a little one need to have. sonja and alex from a couple cooks, just welcomed their beautiful boy, larson ames to the world and i'm just overflowing with happiness for them. and if a new baby isn't sweet enough, sonja told me that larson's middle name, ames, was inspired by our little amesy which always brings tears of joy to my eyes every time i think about it. sonja is the first one to always organize and put together virtual baby showers for so many of us lucky ducks, she goes above and beyond, even when the days were trying. so i'm beyond delighted to share in this special occasion with her and alex, and so many other bloggers today. welcome, welcome, little larson! you are one lucky little guy! and thank you to melissa, sarah, and ashley for putting this baby shower together!

for this dip i used my favorite pulse: mung beans (also know as moong dal which is the split variety). essentially, pulses are the seeds of plants in the legume family, they include: chickpeas, lentils, beans and split peas. i love mung beans mostly because they're easy on the digestive system (especially when they're soaked or sprouted), but also because they're an all-star bean, packed with a great number of vitamins and minerals, plus they're a great source of protein. it varies week to week, but i usually prepare a few different pulses to eat throughout the week, but i'm upping my game even more so because this month but I’m doing my best this month to meet the nutritional guidelines for pulses, eating ½ cup serving of the nutritious ingredients 3 times per week. pulses are not only easy to make, and super versatile (i wrote an entire book on chickpea flour, so you know they can do a lot!), but they're a sustainable food that are drought tolerant, water efficient, and they enrich the soil where they grow making them a natural fertilizer.

this post was created in partnership with usa pulses & pulse canada. all thoughts and opinions, as always, are my own. thank your for supporting the sponsors that help keep dolly and oatmeal going!

check out the other #ACoupleAdopts recipes:

Flourishing Foodie | Avocado and Asparagus Tartines with Basil Pesto
The Full Helping | Individual Strawberry Chocolate Crisps
Snixy Kitchen | Roasted Lemon Mint Pesto Tartines, Two Ways
This Mess Is Ours | Coriander & Lime Scented Cashews
Making Thyme for Health | Hemp Ranch Hummus
Two Red Bowls | Buttered Eggs on Toast, with Radish & Parsley
Cookie and Kate | World’s Greatest Guacamole
Edible Perspective | Tropical Oatmeal Snack Cookies
Eat This Poem | Red Pepper and Walnut Hummus
Brooklyn Supper | Roasted Cauliflower Tacos with Cilantro-Avocado Sauce
Gather & Dine| Muffin Tin Granola Cups with Lemon Greek Yogurt and Berries
The Fauxmartha | Laura’s Sunshine Crackers
FoodieCrush | Baked Beet Chips

Gluten Free Za'tar Flatbread | dolly and oatmeal

sunshine mung bean spread w/ gluten free za'atar flatbread

you can use any pulse here really, but be aware that there might be differences in consistency, and therefore you may need to add more or less tahini or water.

sunshine spread (makes about 2 cups)

1 1/2 cups cooked mung beans (i like using this sprouted variety)
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup filtered water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
sea salt & fresh pepper, to taste
sumac, for garnish
fresh dill and microgreens or pea shoots, for garnish

gluten free za'atar flatbread (makes four 5-6-inch flatbreads)

1 1/4 cup filtered warm water (105°-115°F)
1 teaspoon raw honey
1 packet instant yeast (approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 cup chickpea flour
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup arrowroot powder
2 teaspoons psyllium husk powder
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing
1/4 cup za'atar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

method

in a blender or food processor, blend the mung beans, tahini, water, lemon juice, garlic, spices, and salt and pepper to taste. continue blending the mixture scraping down the sides of blender or bowl until the spread is smooth and creamy. add more water if needed to get your desired consistency. transfer the spread to a bowl, cover with cling wrap, and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
make the dough. in a bowl, whisk together the water and sugar until it is dissolved. sprinkle in the yeast and let it proof until the surface it foamy, about 10 minutes.
in a large bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients except the oil. use a wooden spoon to make a well in the center of the flour, then add the yeast mixture and olive oil. stir until dough is mixed. cover the bowl loosely with cling wrap and allow to dough to rise in a warm place (i preheat my oven to warm - about 150°F - and shut it off about 10 minutes before placing the dough inside) until the dough doubles in size, about 30-45 minutes.
preheat oven to 500°F and place a baking stone inside (or a cookie sheet). line a cookie sheet with parchment and set aside. divide the dough in half and wrap one half in cling wrap, place in the freezer for another time. place the other half of dough onto the prepared cookie sheet and dust with more brown rice flour. divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and use your fingers to press it out, using more flour if needed to prevent sticking, until you have four 5-6-inch rounds. cut any parchment hanging over (to prevent any extra paper from burning.) cover the dough with a clean dishcloth to puff up slightly, about 15-20 minutes.
whisk together the za'atar and oil, and spoon it over the dough rounds, using about 3-4 spoonfuls to sufficiently cover the tops. use the cookie sheet to carefully shuffle the parchment and doughs onto the baking stone. bake until golden brown, about 7-8 minutes. et the za'atar bread cool slightly.
serve 1 piece of za'atar bread with 1/2 cup mung bean spread, some sliced veggies, and olives.

similar recipes:

black beluga lentil hummus w/ roasted fennel & garlic

Spring Rainbow Bowl w/ Honey Mustard Tahini / April 18, 2017 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Spring Rainbow Bowl w/ Honey Mustard Tahini | dolly and oatmeal

big news over here, guys! we're moving! to los angeles! frank got a new job out there just about a month ago, so we're hastily packing our belongings into boxes that are currently taking up more space than the furniture in our little apartment. in about 2 weeks time we were lucky to find an apartment out there that we'll call home for the time being. our real estate agent was nice enough to give us a showing via facetime and i couldn't have been more grateful for technology in that moment! making a decision about where to live now that we have a babe wasn't as easy as when it was just frank and me. now that amesy's on the move and about to crawl (like seriously any day now it seems!), i wanted to make sure that the floors weren't anything like the janky ones we have currently. luckily the building the was just renovated, so above anything else, the baby will have pristine floors to practice his new skills on :)

2016 was a difficult year for frank and me. aside from all things election, we were dealt some difficult cards, and i see this move as a fresh start, a new chapter in our story together. i'm not sure i've fully digested this move yet. i've been a life-long new yorker through and through, and have never really lived anywhere else (i spent the summer of 2009 in LA, but i'm not sure that counts). there's so much that i identify with here, so much of this town that lives and flows in my veins, and so much of the life that frank and i created here that it's sad to somewhat "let go" of. but there's also so much i'm excited about, and i'm curious how this will all play out.

so in honor of sunshine and vibrancy, i bring you the recipe for this rainbow bowl. if you've been following my (very infrequently posted) instagram stories, then you might be familiar with a lot of the lunch bowls i tend to eat. i've been really get my stuff together in order to eat well during the day, and naturally, meal prep has been the key to success. either on a sunday or monday, i dedicate most of the day to prepping my food for the week. some veggies are roasted, cooled, and refrigerated. others are cut, ribboned, or sliced for meals or snacking. i usually boil eggs to have on hand, roast chicken breasts, make a large batch of hummus and a designated dressing for the week as well. i try to get a balanced amount of protein, healthy fats, and carbs in my lunch bowls along with the benefits of vitamins and minerals. so i'm super excited to be partnering up with anthropologie to bring awareness to the health benefits of eating the rainbow this earth day! back when i used to see a nutritionist she always told me to eat as many colors an i possibly could, and for good reason. eating a variety of colorful produce contributes to your body accessing enough nutrients, fiber, and vitamins. plus, i find that when my food is vibrant and bright, it's way more appealing to eat. and when your meal is all encased in bowl-form it's a much more informal way of eating, allowing for flavors and textures to intermingle, and eggs yolks to become a dressing, if that's what you like ;)

cheers, all! xo

this post was created in partnership with anthropologie. all thoughts and opinions, as always, are my own. thank you for supporting the sponsors that help keep dolly and oatmeal going!

spring rainbow bowl w/ honey mustard tahini

| serves 1 |

honey mustard tahini (makes extra)

3 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons raw honey
1 garlic clove, minced
sea salt & fresh pepper, to taste
water to thin

salad bowl

1 small sweet potato (or half of a large one), sliced into wedges
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt & fresh pepper, to taste
1/2 bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed
8 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
1 1/2 cups shredded kale
2 teaspoon lemon juice
1-2 carrots, peeled into ribbons
1/2 cucumber, peeled into ribbons
1/2 ripe avocado, sliced
2 pasture-raised eggs
hummus, bean dip, or spread of choice

method

make the honey mustard tahini. whisk the tahini, oil. mustard, vinegar, honey, and garlic together. add water a 1/2 teaspoon at a time until you reach a fluid consistency. season with salt and pepper, to taste.
preheat the oven to 400°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
in a large bowl, toss the sweet potato wedges with 1 tablespoon of oil and season with salt and pepper. turn potatoes out onto the baking sheet and cook for 35-40 minutes, until edges are browned. remove from the oven and set aside.
place the asparagus and shiitakes onto the other baking sheet. drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. cook for 10-12 minutes, until both are tender and lightly browned. set aside.
while the veggies are cooking, massage the kale. in a large bowl, combine the kale with the lemon juice and a big pinch of salt. massage for about 5 minutes, until it has softened it bit. set aside.
fill a small saucepan 3/4 of the way with water. bring the water to a boil and gently add the eggs. time for 7-minutes, and turn the heat to medium-low. remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and run under cold water to stop the egg from cooking.
assemble your bowl. make a bed of massaged kale, top it with potato wedges, ribboned cucumber and carrots, roasted asparagus and mushrooms, sliced avocado, a schmear of hummus, and your eggs. give another squeeze of lemon juice over the raw veggies, and season the eggs with salt and pepper. drizzle the honey-mustard tahini onto the veggies of your choice.