TOMATO CREAM SAUCE (VEGAN) / June 30, 2019 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

TOMATO CREAM SAUCE (VEGAN) | dolly and oatmeal

happy sunday! i hope you’re having a good weekend so far. it’s a relaxing but busy one here. we’re getting ready for baby (6 more weeks, until my due date!), but also trying to get in solo time with amesy on the weekends. and since it’s finally starting to feel like summer, we hit the beach yesterday, and today we are heading to a splash pad at a local park - all the water activities for this boy! it’s hard to believe we’ll soon be a family of 4, and that amesy will be a big brother. trying to not get too anxious, and let it be what it will be. but that’s very much easier said than done!

anywho! let’s talk about this sunday sauce! if you’ve been a reader here for a while then you might remember a similar recipe for a similar creamy tomato sauce a couple of years ago. while i whip out the other one when i have time to make the tomato sauce from scratch, the recipe today takes half the time, and zero “cooking” is involved. it is truly a busy person’s meal prep sauce! what we do is make a batch of garlicky cashew cream - yum! then we take a jar of your favorite tomato sauce, and add about 1/2 cup of the cream. from there, a little salt and pepper to punch up the flavor a bit, and some fresh thyme. of course we love this for an easy pasta night. but it can easily be used in place of tomato sauce for any dish you like. here are some of my favorite ways to use it throughout the week:

over zoodles, add your protein of choice, but turkey meatballs are great here, or your favorite plant-based protein.
take your pasta up a notch, and make a pasta bake (just replace the alfredo sauce for creamy tomato sauce, and go from there).
lasagna is one of my go=to’s as well. you could use it here in place of the pesto, or forget the noodles all together and use summer zucchini for a grain-free version (i personally love this recipe, i swap out the cheese for vegan mozzarella, and the yogurt for vegan ricotta).
of course pizza is another favorite. the creamy sauce takes it up a notch for sure.
and if you’re almost in the thick of winter where you are, over spaghetti squash, or as a creamy base for a minestrone soup would be my winter go-to’s!

whatever you make with it though, you won’t be disappointed. that bit of creaminess makes everything a bit more extra, but in the best way possible! i hope you get the chance to make it :)

xo!

tomato cream sauce | v

print the recipe

| makes roughly 3 1/2 cups sauce |

method

make the cashew cream. place the cashews in a bowl and cover them with filtered water. let the cashews soak 10-12 hours, or overnight until soft.
drain and rinse the cashews. place them in the container of high-speed upright blender. add the water, vinegar, garlic, a few big pinches of salt, and a few cracks of pepper. blend everything on high for a couple of minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the container, as needed. blend until graininess has disappeared, and cashew sauce is silky smooth. taste and adjust any seasonings as needed. store in a lidded container for up to 1 week.
make the tomato cream sauce. add the tomato sauce to a large bowl, add 1/2 cup cashew cream and stir until combined. use as desired. leftovers can be stored in a lidded jar for up to 1 week.

ingredients

1 1/2 cups raw cashews
1/2 cup filtered water
2 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic
fine salt & fresh ground pepper
24 ounce jar tomato sauce

EVERYDAY VEGAN CAESAR DRESSING / June 9, 2019 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

EVERYDAY VEGAN CAESAR DRESSING | dolly and oatmeal

we’re back again this week with a favorite dressing that i’ve been wanting to share here for a long while. i’ve been making different variations of vegan caesar dressings for years now. it first began in my book when i discovered that when you mixed chickpea flour with water over a low flame you could achieve a gooey/creamy cheese-like texture that when blended with a few other ingredients could come very close to the flavor of a traditional caesar salad dressing. a few years later, i developed another iteration of a caesar dressing, but this time with a coconut yogurt and tahini base. over the past couple of years though, plant-based yogurt has come a long way, and the flavors and textures that were once harder to achieve have become much easier. so here is yet another variation using a newer-to-me almond milk yogurt that i love.

this recipe uses a plant-based yogurt i rely on for many creamy sauces. it’s a greek-style almond milk yogurt that (because of its thick texture) holds up much like that of a traditional greek yogurt. from there, we simply add a few pantry staples to get that rich and tangy, caesar dressing flavor we all know and love. we replace the parmesan cheese with nutritional yeast giving it that distinct cheesy vibe. and add a splash of coconut aminos (or tamari) for a little hit of umami flavor that otherwise would have been provided by anchovies. there’s some dijon, garlic, and lemon juice, and a few other ingredients that result in the best vegan caesar dressing i’ve had (and made) to date!

while you can totally use this as a traditional caesar dressing, i’ve come to love using it as a dip as well. and because it lasts in your fridge for well over a week, it’s perfect as part of your meal prep rotation (and not just for caesar salads!). it’s a great for a snack with some cut veg, drizzled over roasted asparagus, mixed into a chicken, chickpea or egg salad. tossed into a lentil bowl. drizzled over a lunch or dinner bowl. or even a dip for homemade baked fries (last night we used it to drizzle over our veggie kabobs and it was everything!). like i’ve noted before, i love an all-purpose dressing/dip, and this one for sure hits the mark. i hope you get the chance to make it!

happy sunday, loves. xo!

everyday vegan caesar dressing

print the recipe

method

in a high-speed blender (preferably a Vitamix), combine the yogurt, nutritional yeast, vinegar, lemon juice, dijon, capers, garlic, coconut aminos, and season with salt and pepper. pulse; with the blender running on low, drizzle in the olive oil until everything is combined and dressing is smooth and creamy.
remove the lid, taste. adjust any seasonings if necessary.
store dressing in a lidded jar in your refrigerator for up to 10 days.

ingredients

1/2 cup unsweetened cultured plant-based yogurt (preferably this one)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons drained capers
1 clove garlic, grated over a microplane
splash of coconut aminos, or gluten-free tamari
fine salt & freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

CRISPY SMASHED POTATO SALAD W/ GARLICKY YOGURT VINAIGRETTE & PICKLED RED ONIONS / May 23, 2019 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

CRISPY SMASHED POTATO SALAD W/ GARLICKY YOGURT VINAIGRETTE & PICKLED RED ONIONS | dolly and oatmeal

we’re gearing up for memorial day weekend over here, aka the unofficial start of summer! i’m still not sure how it works here in LA, but back where i grew up on the east coast, pools and beaches open this weekend, and you can reliably count on warm, sticky weather until about mid-september. it also marks grilling season! and even though it’s been chilly, cloudy, and sometimes rainy here in los angeles, frank bought a small grill which just feels like we’re making a bigger commitment to cooking at home on the weekends, while also settling into our space and making it more “us” since moving in over a year ago. i’m so excited about the grill though, and since it’s not charcoal, i feel more confident to get out there and use it myself. i’m already conjuring up a bunch of recipes, i’ll share them when i do!

but memorial day weekend is also the unofficial/official start to potato salad season. if you’re familiar with my site, then you know i have quite a few potato recipes on here. around this time last year i shared a recipe for these salty smashed potatoes, and since then i’ve made a few different iterations of them. my favorite being a smashed potato salad. this one’s kind of a deconstructed potato salad as the potatoes aren’t completely smothered in a sauce/dressing (although you could totally toss it all together), rather they’re drizzled with a punchy, creamy garlicky vinaigrette, and sprinkled with sharp but sweet pickled red onions. it is by far my favorite potato salad yet! the potatoes are perfectly crunchy on the outside, and velvety on the inside. and if you’re a fan of traditional german potato salad, then you will dig this vinaigrette - at its’ base is plant-based yogurt mixed with apple cider vinegar, good dijon, olive oil, and few other pantry staples that really bring everything together. it’s the perfect, perfect side dish to bring to a bbq, serve alongside your summer meals, and while they’re best when straight out of the oven, the whole dish does make for pretty delicious leftovers.

be on the lookout this sunday, i have an announcement that i’ll be sharing with you all that i’m pumped about! until then, make this potato salad! ;)

xo!

crispy smashed potatoes w/ garlicky yogurt vinaigrette & pickled onions | v & gf

print the recipe!

new potatoes or baby potatoes yield the creamiest smashed potato. if you can, try to find fresh potatoes at a local market or baby potatoes at your grocer.
i use avocado oil spray here and it makes all the difference in even crisping. brushing it on from a bottle will give the potatoes a bit of a different flavor profile and goes on a bit thicker. if you don’r have avocado oil spray, then i suggest using an olive oil spray.
if you are not opposed to dairy, simply substitute the plant based yogurt for greek yogurt.
both the pickled red onions and vinaigrette recipes make extra. i like using the extra onions on salads, to top tacos or fajitas, etc. the extra vinaigrette can be used as a dip for sliced veggies or roasted sweet potatoes, i’ve also used it in chicken salad which was so good!

| serves 4-6 |

salt
2 pounds baby potatoes
avocado oil spray
flaky salt
roughly 1/4 cup pickled red onions (recipe below)
roughly 1/2-3/4 cup garlicky yogurt (recipe below)
2 tablespoons chopped herbs (i favor a mix of chives, parsley, and dill)

pickled onions (makes extra)

1 cup filtered water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 small red onion, thinly sliced

garlicky yogurt vinaigrette (makes extra)

1 cup plant-based unsweetened yogurt (i use kite hill greek-style unsweetened yogurt)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 clove garlic, grated over a microplane or minced
fine salt & fresh pepper

method

to a large pot, add a fat pinch salt and the potatoes. cover the potatoes with water, and bring to a boil. cover, and lower heat to a simmer. let the potatoes cook until tender when pierced with a sharp knife, about 15 minutes. drain potatoes and let them cool until ready to handle.
preheat oven to 450°F and prepare 2 baking sheet with parchment paper, and spray each one with a thin coating of avocado oil. one by one, place the potatoes on the baking sheets, and using the bottom of a large glass, press down lightly and smash them. repeat with all the potatoes. spray the tops and sides with more avocado oil, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. cook for roughly 20 minutes, until tops are lightly golden, then flip the potatoes over. place back in the oven and cook for another 10-15 minutes, until edges are golden and crispy. remove from oven and let cool for roughly 10 minutes.
place potatoes on a large platter or a large shallow bowl. drizzle over the garlicky yogurt vinaigrette, and add the pickled onions. if you want, give everything a light toss, just to cover the potatoes (add more vinaigrette, if needed), and top with the chopped herbs. serve immediately.
make the pickled onions. in a bowl, whisk together the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt until everything has dissolved. place the sliced onions in a jar and cover with the pickling solution. cover with the lid and store in your refrigerator for up to 1 week.
make the vinaigrette. in a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, oil, vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, and garlic. season with salt and pepper. taste and adjust if necessary. vinaigrette can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.