lunch

HOW TO PREPARE ASPARAGUS 7 DIFFERENT WAYS / May 16, 2019 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

HOW TO PREPARE ASPARAGUS 7 DIFFERENT WAYS | dolly and oatmeal

may is unofficially asparagus season (🙌🏼) - hurrah! among a few other pieces of product, like rhubarb for instance, asparagus is my absolute favorite spring vegetable. since moving to LA, i’ve come to appreciate it even more. back in new york, my mom had a good portion of her garden dedicated to asparagus. beginning in mid-april we would watch it peak through the soil until it got mature enough to harvest. and the moment you cut that first stalk you knew that spring had officially commenced. i love to let the asparagus flavor shine by using simple flavors including: oils and vinegars, herbs, and light spices. this time of year asparagus should be tender and sweet, and bright green or sometimes purple (depending on the variety). my mom’s garden asparagus was so tender that it only required a minute of cooking, and in some preparations you could it eat raw altogether. either way, this is the best month to partake in cooking all the asparagus!

here are 7 of my all-time favorite asparagus recipes, and the various ways you can prepare, what flavors you can pair with asparagus, and how to serve asparagus right alongside the rest of your spring haul. there are a couple soups for those brisk, chilly spring days, a few ways to roast asparagus with the most complimentary flavors to best serve this delightful vegetable with. we also have an asparagus sandwich with avocado and punchy dijon, and a spring rainbow bowl that will perk up your lunch game big time.

i hope these recipes offer some ease and comfort in these warm/hot/chilly/cold days :) xo!

CASHEW CREAM OF ASPARAGUS & SPRING ONION SOUP

this soup shouts asparagus. it uses about 2 whole bunches, plus some aromatics to really make it sing. we add some soaked cashews to make it a luscious, creamy vegan bowl. it’s perfect for this season when it’s not quite hot enough at night (or even during the day sometimes) to do away with all the cozy that soup brings. this is also perfect appetizer, or to right alongside your main dish.

BALSAMIC ROASTED ASPARAGUS W/ FRIED CAPERS & 7-MINUTE EGGS

this bowl combines so much of the beauty that is spring. there’s balsamic roasted asparagus, fresh baby greens, pea shoots, and runny eggs. the colors alone scream spring with all those green and yellow tones. it’s the kind of meal that' combines the ease of preparing fresh ingredients, with the bits of complexity in flavor. the balsamic-roasted asparagus is one of my favorite ways to prepare it, the flavors are surprisingly complimentary of one another. this is a great dish to whip up for lunch, or a quick dinner.

this soup knows no bounds with the amount of flavor going on here. there’s enough tahini added here to make this soup a bit creamy without any dairy or the need for any starchy vegetables. what you get is essentially spring in a bowl, with a good dose of zing from the lemon juice. add all the garnishes, or just leave it be. whatever you choose to do it will be absolutely delicious either way.

CILANTRO BLACK RICE W/ ROASTED GARLIC SCAPES & ASPARAGUS

this recipe is an old standby. it combines a wonderful array of spring vegetable you likely see at your farmers’ market or grocer this time of year. it’s a humble dish with lots of flavor. the rice is cooked with cilantro sprigs which is a simple technique to infuse a good amount of herbaceous flavor into your rice. the garlic scapes and asparagus are given a quick sauté making them bright and flavorful. add some toasted almonds to top and you’ve got yourself a simple little side dish, or a lovely bed to top with your protein of choice to make it a heartier meal.

ASPARAGUS, PEA & BROCCOLI RABE SAUTE OVER A CHIVE-CHICKPEA MASH

this fan favorite from years ago is one of my absolute favorite dishes on this site. while it may sound like a ton of ingredients, it’s quite simple to put together. this dish bursts at the seams with everything spring - i think i tried to cram everything spring forward into this dish, and it tastes that way too. there are freshly shelled peas, broccoli rabe, and sweet asparagus sitting a top a simple chickpea mash with delicate onion flavor thanks to spring’s first spring onion: chives. it makes for an impressive meal - both for your eyes and belly.

SAUTEED ASPARAGUS & DIJON AVOCADO SANDWICH

this is simple, humble sandwich that is easy to put together at home, or take on the road. it’s a wonderful compact meal that stands up to the elements while also delivering a little punch of flavor, creaminess, and crunch. it’s wonderful for spring picnics, for a random sweltering spring beach day, or just to take as your desk lunch.

SPRING RAINBOW BOWL W/ HONEY MUSTARD TAHINI

if you meal prep, this dish is for you. i love taking the odds and ends leftover from meal prep to combine a bright bowl. this bowl also happens to contain the sunshine-y vibes that spring inspires. and when you combine it with 2 vivid dips how could you wrong? there’s roasted asparagus, roasted purple sweet potatoes, cucumber and carrot ribbons, ripe avocado, sautéed greens and mushrooms, and a runny egg. it basically has everything you could want in a lunch bowl.

THE DECONSTRUCTED FALAFEL SALAD FROM "FAMILY" / April 13, 2019 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

THE DECONSTRUCTED FALAFEL SALAD FROM "FAMILY" | dolly and oatmeal

happy weekend, friends! just popping in quick to share this delicious salad with you. i’m mindful that it may still be cold, even snowy, where you are, which is why i’m sharing a warm salad with you. this deconstructed falafel salad, (aka, a genius recipe, if you ask me), comes from the new spring cookbook that i absolutely adore, FAMILY. it’s written by hetty mckinnon who also authors the beautiful blog, arthur street kitchen.

this is hetty’s third book (!), and its’ pages are filled with beautifully accessible and approachable vegetarian recipes. its touching photographs and anecdotes of family and tradition pull at my heart strings each time i open the book. i think for the majority of us who enjoy cooking our your people - whoever that may be - is a form of nurturing them. FAMILY captures this notion, but also allows the reader/consumer to imagine making their own memories with the recipes that hetty so generously shares. i’m taking serious note of hetty’s wealth of knowledge here, as she’s a mother of 3, and a cook.. i’m very well acquainted with how cooking for your family (after a day of cooking for work) can feel very much like a chore, but i keep drawing on hetty’s idea of creating a recipe repertoire - the dishes that are comforting, easy to shop for without a list, and adaptable. there are already so many dishes in her book that i am so eager to make into our family classics.

this recipe has a few more steps but only because you’re cooking the chickpeas, and lightly sautéing the kale, other than that there are a few quick chops and you’re ready to serve. this is a hearty salad on its own. if you’re not one to have a big appetite for dinner this would be great. i added some shredded chicken for extra protein, but you i could see this salad as is being plenty for someone who isn’t growing a human ;) so what’s deconstructed about this falafel salad? well, for starters, there is no falafel! don’t get me wrong, i love falafel, but making them can be a little labor intensive, especially if you’re preparing dinner the night of. instead, hetty has you cook the chickpeas (which are the cornerstone ingredient to most falafel recipes) with all the falafel seasonings: fresh garlic, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper. then you cover it all in olive oil and bake it at a high heat, essentially slow frying the chickpeas (insert: drooling emoji). the result is genius: crispy (but not dry) chickpeas, and a falafel-infused oil that is so flavorful i wanted to pour it over everything.

in the end you get the falafel with half the work, and a new technique for crisping chickpeas. it’s a wonderful recipe to have in your back pocket for weeknight dinners, gatherings (you could easily double the salad), potlucks, spring picnics, etc. i have a very good feeling you’re going to love this recipe :)

xo!

the deconstructed falafel salad | v

recipe from: FAMILY by hetty mckinnon

| serves 4 |

extra virgin olive oil
2 bunches kale, stems removed and leaves torn
1 persian cucumber, sliced into thin rounds
3 cups (150g) store-bought pita chips (i omitted these, but you could easily substitute a gluten-free alternative)
handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
handful of mint leaves
1 lemon, cut into wedges
sea salt

crispy roasted chickpeas

18 ounces (500g) cooked chickpeas (about 2 drained cans), patted dry
extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
sea salt and black pepper

lemon tahini

1/3 cup (90g) tahini
juice of 1 lemon, plus extra if needed
1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
sea salt and black pepper

*hetty’s notes:

substitute

chickpeas: white beans, butter beans
omit pita chips for gluten free

method

preheat oven to 425°F (220°C)
for the crispy chickpeas, place the drained chickpeas in a small ovenproof dish. cover with olive oil, season well with two big pinches of sea salt and black pepper, and add the garlic, cumin, and paprika. stir to combine. roast for 35-40 minutes, until the chickpeas are crispy. set aside.
for the salad, place a large frying pan over a medium heat and drizzle with oil. add the kale, in batches, along with a pinch of salt and cook 2-3 minutes, until wilted.
to make the lemon tahini, pour the tahini into small bowl and whisk in the lemon juice and garlic. gradually add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, until the sauce is the consistency of thickened cream. if the tahini “seizes” and becomes very thick, add more water; it will eventually come back together to form a cohesive creamy sauce. season with sea salt and black pepper, and add more lemon juice if you like it lemony.
combine the crispy chickpeas (and their cooking oil) with the kale, cucumber, half the pita chips and herbs. to serve, drizzle over the lemon tahini and scatter over the remaining pita chips. serve with lemon wedges on the side.

similar recipes:

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SUMAC-ROASTED VEGGIES W/ TAHINI YOGURT (+ SOME NEWS!) / March 7, 2019 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

SUMAC-ROASTED VEGGIE W/ TAHINI YOGURT | dolly and oatmeal

we’re just gonna start with the news, because i’m so excited to finally share it with you! 🎉WE’RE HAVING A BABY!🎉 baby love #2 is on the way, and HE(!!!) is due late this summer!! another little guy will be making us a family of 4 (5, if you’re like us, and count your pup as a child) and while initially i was in a state of shock at the thought of another boy, i am so excited at the idea of he and amesy being best little buds. we thought for sure that it was a girl. i had it all figured out that between both of our immediate families, the siblings have been girl/boy. this will be the first on either side where there are 2 boys. so it just goes to show that genetics only go so far, i suppose.

this pregnancy has been pretty good to me so far. my first trimester was all nausea all the time, but aside from that it was quite easy. and i’m so grateful. i never shared this before, but during my first trimester with amesy i was put on bed rest for about 6 weeks. i had a subchorionic hemorrhage, which is essentially an active bleed in the gestational sac. it was quite sizable and the bedrest was to prevent the hemorrhage from rupturing. it was probably the scariest thing i have ever gone through, but thank goodness amesy made it out of that first trimester, and i went on to have a very healthy pregnancy after that. needless to say, this time around i was was convinced it would happen again (apparently it’s common to have it again if you’ve had it before), but luckily we made it through this first trimester with zero sign of any bleed.

with all the worry of the first trimester aside, my mind is feeling a bit more at peace. we’re beginning to plan some things, some for baby, but mostly for amesy. i’m trying to think of everything i can to make this as easy a transition for him. which has translated to him moving into a big boy bed, starting the beginnings of potty training, and all that fun stuff! but in all honesty, i worried about so much in my pregnancy with amesy, that this time around i’m really just trying to take it all in stride, and just grateful for every day that i get to carry and care for this babe.

so where am i going with all this? and why am i celebrating this news with roasted veg? basically because i haven’t been able to stomach roasted anything for close to 3 months, and i’m finally able to enjoy roasted veggies once again. and more than that, i paired my favorite medley of fresh veg with my ultimate go-to (pregnant or not): dairy-free tahini yogurt. it’s the kind of sauce that you want to pour over everything, sop up with any scrap of bread you can find, or just eat it with a spoon. it’s that good. and if you’re on the other side of the world where it’s still hot and you have a plethora of tomatoes and cucumbers you could make this version that i posted the other day on instagram. like i said, the possibilities are endless with this sauce.

wishing you all a beautiful week ahead!

Sumac Roasted SUMAC-ROASTED VEGGIE W/ TAHINI YOGURT | dolly and oatmeal

sumac-roasted veggies w/ tahini yogurt | v & gf

you could use this sauce in so many applications, but my favorite for this time of year is to brighten up roasted winter vegetables. there’s a good bit of punch and tang in the sauce, so it’s the perfect thing enliven winter meals (especially late winter meals). i used baby potatoes, red onion, and a mix of broccoli and romanesco, but feel free to use your preferred assortment of vegetable, you really can’t go wrong.

here are my favorite brands of dairy free yogurt to use here:

print the recipe

| serves 4 |

tahini yogurt

1/3 cup tahini
3/4 cup plant-based unsweetened plain yogurt (preferably greek-style)
1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, grated on a microplane
salt
water to thin

sumac-roasted veggies

1 lb. new potatoes or fingerling potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 red onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
3 tablespoons avocado oil, divided
3 teaspoons ground sumac
salt & fresh ground pepper
1 head broccoli or romanesco (or 1/2 broccoli, half romanesco), cut into bite size pieces
1 tablespoon finely chopped mint
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
crumbled vegan feta or mozzarella, to top

method

make the tahini-yogurt. in a large bowl, whisk together the tahini, yogurt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, garlic, a few pinches salt, a few grinds of pepper, and 1 tablespoon water. taste and add more lemon juice, salt, and water if needed. (if you’re looking to smear the bowl with the yogurt sauce, then i would suggest not adding as much water, you want it thick enough for it not to run down the sides of the bowl.) pour the sauce into a lidded jar or container and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
roast the veggies. preheat oven to 400°F, and line baking sheet with parchment paper. in a large mixing bowl, combine the potatoes and onions with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons sumac, and a fat pinches of salt. toss together until everything is even combined. spread the veggies out evenly into the baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes (the potatoes will be lightly golden). while the potatoes and onion are cooking, add the broccoli or romanesco to your mixing bowl, and add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons sumac, and another good pinch of salt. toss it all together until combined. pull the potatoes from the oven, and add the broccoli (or romanesco) to the tray. roast for another 8-10 minutes, until the broccoli (or romanesco) is tender; and the potatoes and onions are lightly browned and edges are crisp.
let the veggies cool slightly while you prepare your bowl. if you’re smearing your bowl with sauce (alternatively, you could serve the roasted veggies with a side of sauce), add half the sauce to a large shallow bowl, and use a large spoon to spread the sauce into the bottom and sides of the bowl,. add the veggies to the center. top with the chopped mint, chopped parsley, and crumbled vegan cheese (if using).