"Cheesy" Herb-Crusted Squash / November 30, 2017 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

"Cheesy" Herb-Crusted Squash | dolly and oatmeal

the past few weeks have been a little crazy around here. frank and i have essentially been switching off weeks for work travel, all mixed in with the beginning of the holidays, and family and friends coming in to town. life seems very, very full at the moment. i took a trip for work at the beginning of the week with lots of mixed emotions. it was the first time i was going to be away from amesy and something about not seeing him wake up in the morning, and not being there for his nighttime dinner-bath-sleep routine made me somewhat of a mess. i think that a lot of times it's the anticipation of things that are far worse than what the reality is. while i missed amesy dearly, it also felt really good to put my work hat on, be in a different city (that i can't wait to go back to one day!), and let myself sit with the idea that i was okay without him. something about being a mom for the past 14 months has felt very safe. and so getting outside of that (wonderfully amazing) comfort was a much needed reminder that we as moms can wear two different hats and still be ok. :)

switching gears to squash, and "cheesy", crusty goodness! so basically this recipe is roasted squash that's breaded with grain-free cracker crumbs, a good bit of nutritional yeast (giving it that cheesy quality), herbs, and seasoning. there's also a good bit of olive oil that tops these squash chunks making the topping extra crispy and flavorful. it's a great back pocket recipe to have around this time of year when you need a hearty side dish, or are just looking to up your squash game ;) i highly recommend serving this with the pomegranate seeds, they definitely offer that little bit of brightness at the end of each bite.

holiday hugs, friends! xo

"cheesy" herb-crusted squash | v & gf

i used grain-free, vegan crackers and made my own crumbs (instructions below), but any cracker crumbs or bread crumbs will work well here. this recipe can also be easily doubled if you're serving more than 2-4 people.

| serves 2-4 people |

1 small-ish winter squash (1-2 pounds)
extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup cracker crumbs (i used these)*
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme and sage, plus more thyme sprigs for garnish (optional)
fine salt & freshly ground pepper
chopped parsley, to serve
pomegranate seeds, to serve

*quickly pulse whole crackers in a food processor or blender until you get small cracker crumbs.

method

preheat the oven to 400°F.
slice the squash in half, then slice into quarters. drizzle a good amount of olive oil into the bottom of a rimmed baking dish (enough to cover the bottom generously).
whisk together the cracker crumbs, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, herbs, salt, and pepper.
brush the squash halves with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. sprinkle the crunchy "cheese" mixture onto each of the squash pieces, pressing the crumbs onto the sides if need be, and spray the topping with oil (or drizzle with oil)
bake for 35-40 minutes, until the squash is tender, and the tops and sides are golden brown.
serve the squash warm topped with chopped parsley and pomegranate seeds.

more holiday-friendly recipes:

garlic & spice-roasted carrots w/ tahini yogurt

8 Make-Ahead Sides, Salads 'N' Soups For Thanksgiving / November 20, 2017 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

hi guys! popping in here real quick before the holiday to lend some thanksgiving recipe inspiration in case you're in need. if you're anything like me (a major procrastinator!), then maybe you do ;) we're having quite a bit of people over this year and all of our guests are pitching in, so it doesn't seem too overwhelming, at least not yet - there's still time!

my family's general meals tend to made ahead of time, or at least parts of it get prepared ahead of time. so i thought it might be helpful to some of you to round up some make-ahead side dishes, salads, and soups, that can be prepared (or mostly prepared) and heated up or brought to room temperature the day of.

i wish you all a lovely holiday. i can for sure say that i'm so thankful for you all and the opportunity to connect through this space. big holiday squeezes to each of you! xo

8 Make-Ahead Sides, Salads 'N' Soups For Thanksgiving | dolly and oatmeal

turmeric carrot apple soup

this soup is definitely one of my favorites flavor-wise. i make a version of this with winter squash each year but swapped the squash for carrots. the carrots make for a more subdued sweetness and a thinner consistency which is nice and light for a heavy thanksgiving meal. mixed together with the tart apple and the earthy turmeric, makes for a beautiful flavor that only gets better the longer the soup rests. perfect to make a couple days beforehand.

kabocha squash, fennel & ginger soup w/ spicy coconut cream

this is my go-to, never-fail, fall soup. it has so many bright flavors that play nicely off of one another, and the spicy coconut cream brings it all together. kabocha squash isn't easy to find everywhere, but you can easily replace it with your winter squash of choice.

charred broccoli & red onion salad w/ shaved apples & arugula

another salad that's heavy on the veg and light on the lettuce which makes for another great make-ahead dish. the broccoli and red onion are roasted, then added to shaved, crisp apples and peppery arugula. then it's all tossed together with a creamy lemon dressing.

twice baked sweet potatoes w/ pumpkin seed dukkah

twice baked potatoes are an easy make-ahead recipe for your thanksgiving table. you could easily make these 1-2 days before serving, and once you heat them they will be perfect for serving.

stuffed za'atar roasted acorn squash w/ pepper-lemon tahini dressing

this dish has a few steps, but it makes for a great side, or meal for any guest who's vegetarian or vegan.

fennel-roasted carrot & shallot salad w/ shaved apples

lettuce-less salad at it's best! another super simple recipe to put together ahead of time. the only work required is roasting up some carrots and shallots, and add ing sliced some apples to it. easy-peasy.

sprouted brown rice pilaf w/ roasted grapes & fennel

what i love about this dish it that it gives off thanksgiving stuffing vibes without the bread. and aside from roasting the grapes, it's a one-pot wonder! and you can totally make it ahead of time ;)

warm fingerling potatoes with garlic-turmeric sauce

if you're wanting to go a different than mashed potatoes, this potato salad of sorts is a great way to get around that. the sauce is the total boss here. it's a super creamy, dairy-free yogurt mixed with turmeric, garlic, and a bit of tahini which coats the potatoes each part of the in the best way.

(Baby-Friendly) Pumpkin Spice Banana Bread Pancakes / November 15, 2017 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Pumpkin Spice Banana Bread Pancakes | dolly and oatmeal

it's fall and i think i can finally say we've somewhat settled here in our new LA home. frank and i have increasingly found our groove a bit more, navigating work schedules, the baby's schedule/non-schedule, and trying to take the time for ourselves to just be. i think part of feeling at home, and cozy in your space, is what you surround yourself with. before making the move out here, we lived in a literal shoebox apartment in brooklyn. the living room (if you could even call it that) and kitchen area was narrow and dark, and kind of depressing. i know it's small change compared to a lot of other problems out in the world, but i yearned for more natural light, and real space to dress.

when we moved, one of the first things i said to frank was that i wanted an actual dining space. one that we could gather around as a family, share meals, and memories. we took our old table with us during the move, and intended to use for a much longer time than we did. but our once, too-big-for-our-former-space table was lost in our much larger dining area. not to mention that all of our chars didn't make the move either. and with amesy only growing bigger, and get more messy, i knew we needed something baby-friendly, and practical, so i settled on plastic shell chairs which are light weight and easy to clean. we find ourselves having so many more meals than we did previously, which is such a welcome change.

and now that amesy is eating actual food, we really get to share in a meal together. breakfast is the one meal we all eat around the same time, so when the weekend rolls around we try to make it more of a point to eat together. ames generally eats yogurt with almond butter (his favorite!), and some sliced berries for breakfast. but for his mid-morning snack he usually munches on a couple of these pancakes. i load them up with healthy fats, and protein (and the only sweetener used is the banana), so that way they keep amesy full for hours. i usually make a batch on the weekends and make 2-pancake pouches for amesy's snacks during the week. and bonus! they're totally good for adults too ;)

xo!

*chairs provided by rove concepts

pumpkin spice banana bread pancakes | gluten-free, sugar-free, grain-free

these pancakes are a bit delicate, i would advise to make silver dollar pancakes as opposed to big ones, as they can easily fall apart.

| makes 14 silver dollar pancakes |

1 ripe banana
3 large pasture raised eggs
1/2 cup almond flour
3 tablespoons coconut flour
1/4 cup unsweetened full-fat yogurt (preferably grass-fed), or plant-based yogurt
3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
coconut oil, for cooking

toppings:

yogurt
almond butter
chia seeds
banana slices

method

place all the ingredients, except the coconut oil, into your blender (if you don't have a blender, a food processor will work as well) and lend for 45 seconds - 1 minute, scraping down the sides as needed, until the batter is smooth. let the pancake batter thicken for about 10 minutes.
heat a skillet over medium heat, once the pan is hot, add a knob of coconut oil. spoon about 1 1/2-2 tablespoons worth of batter into the pan (i usually only cook 2 at a time since the pancakes are quite delicate) and cook for about 1-2 minutes on each side. repeat with the remaining batter.
eat right away and top with yogurt, almond butter, chia seeds, and banana slices. or, make 2-pancake packets and store in the refrigerator and/or freezer.