June 29, 2016 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Creamy Horseradish Potato Salad w/ Pickled Shallots & Dill | dolly and oatmeal #vegan

if there were ever a kind of food i could just eat, and eat, and eat, i would say that california fare would be my everyday go-to. it almost seems like you can taste the difference in the food that restaurants prepare, as if their ingredients haven't been flown in from thousands of miles away, but grown only a few miles from where their destination would end up being. i feel like there's a natural ease to the way dishes are made - a simplicity that's complex, but uncomplicated.

during my last trip there a couple of months ago i scored reservations at gjelina. after purchasing their cookbook months prior, all i wanted to do was go there and eat from their menu! and since my sister-in-law and i were both pregnant, it was the perfect time to indulge in some perfectly made veg-centric appetizers and some bites of their insanely delicious pizza. we started off with a few salad apps: summer squash with za'atar and tomatoes, roasted yams with yogurt and scallions, and my fave - a horseradish potato salad with pickled red onions that was off the chain!

you may have noticed that i have a thing for potato salad (seen here and here), but there's a very specific potato salad that really makes my tastebuds grin, and that's a mildly creamy, kinda tangy, and crunchy potato salad. this time around i riffed gjelina's version and made an everyday, vegan version made with cultured coconut yogurt flavored with a pungent kick of horseradish, some good dijon and dill. and paired with pickled shallots for some mega crunch and sharp flavor. it comes close to one my mom used to prepare in the summer months which had a similarly acidic undertone using mayo, dijon, vinegar, and red onion, but i would say this version here is even better - that horseradish and those crunchy shallots are just too good!

this is the kind of food (pregnant or not) that i crave on the regular - especially during the warm summer months when we're bbq'n, packing up for a beach day, or bringing dishes to friends or family get togethers. these simple, uncomplicated summer dishes are what i look so forward to! i hope you do as well :)

xo's!

*oh! and don't forget to stop by every friday for my new summer blog series: summer fridays! this week i'm going to be sharing my go-to fancy (but not really fancy) mocktail that i've been surviving on in lieu of popping bottles of rosé. but for those of you who are not growing a tiny human, the recipe is totally adaptable for making it good and boozy ;)

creamy horseradish potato salad w/ pickled shallots & dill | v

adapted from gjelina: cooking from venice california

the pickled shallots can be replaced by thinly shaved shallots or red onion, but if you have the ingredients and time, i think the pickling is well worth it.

| serves 4 |

1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, cut in half
fine sea salt

pickled shallots

2 cups filtered water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
4-5 shallots, sliced thin
3 thyme sprigs

horseradish sauce

1/2 cup unsweetened cultured coconut yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
fine sea salt & fresh pepper

method

place potatoes and a few pinches of salt in a pot and cover with about 1-inch of water. bring to a boil, cover and turn heat to low, simmer for 12-15 minutes, until potatoes are firm but tender. drain potatoes and rinse under cold water to stop them from cooking. spread them out on a dish towel and allow them to cool and dry.
make the pickled shallots. combine the water,vinegar, sugar, salt, peppercorns, and bay leaf in a small pot. bring to a boil, then lower heat and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes.
while the vinegar mixture is simmering, place the shallots and thyme in a large heat-proof glass jar (like a Ball jar), then pour the brine over top and let it sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour before using, or up to 1 month in the fridge.
make the sauce. whisk together the yogurt, dill, mustard, horseradish, and salt and pepper to taste.
in a large bowl, combine the potatoes, sauce, and about 1/4 cup of pickled shallots. toss to coat evenly. garnish with extra dill and/or nasturtium leaves.

more potato recipes:

warm fingerling potato salad w/ garlic-turmeric sauce

roasted fingerling potato salad w/ romesco & herby black quinoa

chickpea flour flatbread w/ new potatoes & basil

Summer Fridays! Elderflower Açaí Bowl / June 24, 2016 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Summer Friday's: Elderflower Açaí Bowl | dolly and oatmeal

hey y'all! i'm just popping in quick for a new little blog series called, *summer friday's* (!), dedicated to small bites, snacks, and some beverages, too! i'm not sure there are summer fridays in other cities, but many work places on summer fridays in nyc have a shorter work day. typically the workday would end around 1pm, making the weekends a bit longer, and people generally more cheerful. i'm hoping i can translate that cheerfulness here and provide some easy, fun, summery recipes :)

since becoming pregnant i've rediscovered my love for mid-morning and afternoon snacks that are tasty while also nutrient rich (or least strive to be!). i can be pretty tough on myself when i eat too many vegan nacho tortilla chips, or more than a few sweets, so i'm constantly trying to keep a mindful eye on what i'm feeding my bod and my little babe - even more so than i had prior to being pregnant.

all throughout my pregnancy fruit has been my sidekick, my ride or die, and towards the end of my first trimester i got into a really expensive routine of buying these killer, $10 (!) acai bowls from a local juice shop. i realized how ridiculous my purchases had been because i could totally make them just as good at home, while saving money for, i don't know, our soon-to-be baby!? duhr.

this recipe is super basic. it's essentially a starter recipe for those of you who aren't familiar with making your own acai bowls, or have never had one before. the other week i happened to throw in some fresh bloomed elderflowers from our garden and loved its subtle, sweet flowery essence it gave the bowl, so i thought i would share that little twist here :) while i don't generally eat acai bowls for a straight up meal, they can be made more substantial with a serving of plant-based protein powder. i personally love eating them as a mid-day snack, or even for dessert.

i've got some ideas in the works for this easy-breezy, new blog series, but if there's anything you're interested in seeing, i would love, love to hear your feedback! xo's

Summer Firdays: Elderflower Açaí Bowl | dolly and oatmeal

elderflower açaí bowl | gf + v

there are so many different varieties of açaí bowls, but this recipe is a good starting off point, especially if you're new to making them at home.

| makes 1 serving |

1 packet frozen açaí pulp (i use sambazon)
1/2 cup frozen banana
1/2 cup fresh berries ( i used a mixture of strawberries and raspberries)
1/4-1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
handful of elderflower blossoms (about 3-4 blooms)

toppings

granola
chia seeds
sliced strawberries
raspberries
elderflower blossoms

method

thoroughly rinse or soak the elderflower blooms and pat dry. remove the flowers and add to your blender along with the acai pulp, banana, berries, and almond milk. blend for 1 minute, until smooth. if you want a thinner consistency add the remaining milk.
serve the açaí bowl with a handful of granola, a sprinkle of chia seeds, a few sliced strawberries and/or raspberries, and more elderflower blossoms.

enjoy!

similar recipes:

bee pollen, berry & broccoli rabe smoothie

breakfast quinoa flakes w/ stewed blackberries

cacao chia breakfast pudding w/ red berry mash

Green Soba Bowl w/ Olive & Sesame Yogurt Sauce / June 22, 2016 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Green Soba Bowl w/ Olive & Sesame Yogurt Sauce | dolly and oatmeal #glutenfree #vegan

happy summer, everyone! our backyard garden is finally bustling with tons of herbs, gigantic lacinato kale, the sweetest green beans, lacy elderflowers, and even some baby strawberries! i was so used to tending to a super small fire escape garden in our last apartment, so it's been such a shift having an actual backyard with a tree and other life-y things that like to get into every nook of our space back there. we've had our fair share of run-ins with critters who liked our broccoli too much, and even an infestation of ants on our tiny rhubarb plant. the squirrels are another issue - they're so completely ravenous that i've decided not to grow any summer squash this year because it's just too heartbreaking when they come through and decimate the flowers and fruit. so far they've left our tomato plants alone, but when i see them out on the power lines or scurrying up our tree, i send our little guard pup, quint to chase after them. he's proven to be quite the intimidator, 9 pounds and all!

aside from the day-to-day hustle and flow, we've been trying to prep our little apartment as much as we can for our september babe :) i'm kind of the worst when it comes to planning these big, life-changing things (our wedding probably would've never have happened if my mom didn't organize most of the logistics), so our list/registry has been on hold until we've had the chance to check some things out in person. frank planned a saturday excursion to a baby mega store, (aka babies r us) which, if it weren't for him literally pushing me inside, i would have bolted and gone home. i know those stores are great, and have so many options, but it's just something that i cannot for the life of me embrace. i'm much more into the notion of purchasing the basics like a crib, and other essentials, over buying everything at once. so we'll see how that method works going forward - keep your fingers crossed for us! being in a 1 bedroom makes it easier in some respects, but also a lot tougher in others. there will be no baby nursery but he will get a whole wall, guys! ;) small victories, for city life, i suppose. i keep telling myself that we'll make it happen, as so many have before us, and hopefully one day in the near future we'll laugh and tell funny stories about it all.

in the spirit of keeping things simple and fun and lighthearted, i have this recipe for a cool, green soba bowl with a snappy olive and sesame yogurt sauce! it's made with my only go-to soba noodles from Eden Foods which are made with 100% buckwheat and have such a great texture and nutty taste! they're the only brand i trust when it comes to really good gluten-free soba noodles (just to note - their noodles are 100% gluten-free but were made in a facility that handles wheat), and they're great for everything from a traditional pesto/pasta situation, to a cold weather soup. but this time around i paired them with zucchini noodles and a creamy yogurt sauce to give the dish more of a pasta salad vibe, because, SUMMER! the olives deliver a punchy brininess, and the herbs a fresh summer flavor. i totally see this served as a summer BBQ side, or a hearty 2-person dinner. either way, it's a crisp way to pop off the summer!

wishing you all the best of warm, sweltering seasons! xo's *oh, and stay tuned, i'm working on a little something special for this friday that i hope you'll all like! :)

*this post was created in partnership with Eden Foods. all opinions, as always, are my own. thank you so much for supporting the sponsors that help dolly and oatmeal running!

green soba bowl w/ olive & sesame yogurt | gf + v

| serves 4 |

olive & sesame yogurt

1 cup unsweetened cultured coconut yogurt (or yogurt of choice)
2 tablespoons sesame paste (tahini)
1/4 cup green olives, minced (preferably castelvetrano olives)
1/4 cup fresh basil, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
fine sea salt & fresh pepper

1 zucchini (or summer squash)
fine sea salt & fresh pepper
1 package Eden Foods 100% Buckwheat Soba (*while these noodles are 100% gluten-free they were made in a facility that handles wheat)
1/2 cup chopped herbs (i used a mixture of basil, oregano, and dill)
1/2 cup green olives, roughly chopped (preferably castelvetrano olives)
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
dill flowers, for garnish (optional)

method

olive & sesame yogurt sauce

in a mixing bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients, taste and adjust adding more sesame paste, lemon, or salt & pepper. set aside or cover with cling wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

noodles

using an inspiralizer, make your zoodles. (you can just as easily use a julienne peeler to make zucchini noodles as well.) place in a large mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper, set aside.
cook buckwheat soba according to the instructions on the back of the package. while the noodles are cooking, prepare a cold water bath (not an ice bath, just very cold water) and set aside. drain soba and then place in the cold water. use your hands to gently rub the noodles (this removes any excess starch and makes the noodles less clumpy and sticky). drain the pasta once more and combine with the zoodles.
add about 1 cup of the sauce, then the herbs, olives, and the pine nuts, toss together until everything is evenly coated. taste and adjust any seasonings or add more sauce. garnish with dill flowers and serve.

enjoy!