arugula

July 13, 2016 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Grilled Panzanella Salad w/ Peaches & Fennel | dolly and oatmeal

where do i even begin? peaches, guys. peaches are finally here!

when i think of peaches, i think of my husband; of summer, heat, of dirt roads, and farm stands. frank and i got married (almost 3 years ago!) on a fruit farm that was situated between a bay and a large inlet of water. we stayed on the property the week before our nuptials to prepare for the wedding, and each morning we would take a morning run through the peach orchard, past the bay in the gleaming sunshine. it was late july and it was glorious. as we ran the dirt paths through the orchard the air smelled like a mixture of sweet peaches and salt air, which i have yet to ever smell again. we would head down to their farm stand after our run to pick up fresh fruit for the day. if the peaches weren't ripe yet, the little old lady behind the register would put them in a brown paper bag and sternly instruct us to keep them in there, on the counter, for 1 day. and, if we could wait until the following day, we would have the juiciest stone fruits you could ever dream of.

along with strawberries, all i've been craving since finding out in january that i was pregnant was peaches. summery, fresh peaches. i bought a whole load at the market a little over a week ago and waited (not so patiently - they took longer than to ripen in my brown bag than i had anticipated) for the day they became ripe. i can't even describe how glorious that first fuzzy, sweet and juicy fruit was! from there they were inhaled in every variation i could think of: straight up eaten over the sink hand-to-mouth style, stewed and made as a topping for my morning oats (more on that soon!), chopped up into salads, etc., etc.

but for this salad i wanted a smoky, slightly charred peach flavor for a super flavorful panzanella salad! panzanella salads could be by far my favorite kind of salad. crusty bread, crunchy greens, maybe some fruit, maybe not; but mostly because it oozes summer. it begs for a warm evening full of friends or family, for chats and laughs, for meaningful conversation.

for this rendition i left out what some would consider the essential part of a panzanella salad: tomatoes. i really wanted the grilled bread and peach flavor to come through, and just give it another element of yumminess. there's a bit of peppery arugula (we have a ton in our garden right now) tossed with torn basil, and crunchy shaved fennel for a subtle anise flavor. before we grilled the bread and peaches, frank lined the mid-section of the grates with reynolds wrap, because i don't yet trust our grilling skills that the bread wouldn't fall through and be ruined by hot charcoal, or that our delicate peaches wouldn't stick to the grates. thankfully, because of this, neither happened! seriously, aluminum foil = both an anxiety reducer + life saver!

love + summer grillin'! xo

*this post was created in partnership with reynolds kitchens in celebration of their endless summer table, you can also check out their super awesome endless table on instagram, too! all opinion, as always, are my own. thank you so much for supporting the sponsors that help keep dolly and oatmeal going!

grilled panzanella salad w/ peaches & fennel | gf & v

if you don't have access to a grill, you can just brush the bread with some olive oil and throw it in the oven or under the broiler for a couple of minutes. for the peaches, you could either leave them raw as is, or you could sauté them in a bit of olive oil or even roast them.

| serves 4 |

1 large shallot, sliced thin
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt & fresh pepper
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
4 slices hearty bread (i used this gluten-free foccacia)
2 peaches, sliced into wedges
2 cups baby arugula
1 cup torn basil
1 large fennel bulb, sliced thin on a mandolin
reynolds wrap non-stick foil

method

cut a large piece of reynolds wrap non-stick foil and firmly fit it over the grill grate. heat the grill to medium heat.
while the grill is heating, make the dressing. to a shallow bowl, add the shallot, vinegar, maple syrup, and a couple pinches of salt, and pepper to taste. let the mixture sit until the shallots are tender, about 10 minutes. add 4 tablespoons of the oil and whisk with a fork until the dressing is mixed and blended. set aside.
cut the garlic clove in half. using the cut side of the garlic, gently rub each side of bread. using 1 tablespoon of oil, lightly brush each side of bread.
place the bread on the hot grill and cook until toasted and firm, about 7-10 minutes. remove the bread and let cool.
brush the peached with the remaining tablespoon of oil and sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt. place the peaches on the foil-covered grill and cook until lightly browned but firm, about 4-5 minutes. remove from heat and set aside.
in a large serving bowl, toss together the arugula and basil. tear the bread into large chunks and add to the bowl. add the peaches and fennel, mix in the dressing and everything a thorough toss.

enjoy!

similar recipes:

white peach & shiso crisp w/ ginger ice cream

zucchini-basil chickpea waffles w/ tomato & fennel salad

crunchy crusted sweet potato lunch bowl w/ golden dressing / March 2, 2016 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

crunchy crusted sweet potato lunch bowl w/ golden dressing | dolly and oatmeal

lunch is the one meal that always stumps me. before i started freelancing full-time i would religiously prepare my meals the night before, and sometimes, if i was thinking clear enough, i would do the sunday prep thing. when i was teaching and attending grad school, i had zero time to contemplate what i wanted, or what i was in the mood for. i didn't consider food as anything less than brain fuel. but now, given that i generally work from my home, i have more options, a fridge that's usually stocked, and a flexible lunch "hour" that allows me to have more options. so naturally, one would think that my lunch habit would benefit from a more fluid schedule. but it's actually the opposite. i find that preparing myself anything more than a piece of toast piled with green stuff, a bowl of leftover soup, or an apple with peanut butter a bit too overwhelming. i long for those beautiful lunches i see on instagram, or the perfectly constructed salads i'll have when i'm eating out. so with the weather inching towards warmer days, and the afternoon light shining a bit longer i'm fully invested in making some changes.

i've been breading everything i can with pulverized oats. i usually season them with some garlic and onion powder, dried parsley and oregano; and salt and pepper. to my surprise they crisp up really well without charring or burning too quickly, and they stay super crunchy - mega plus! this lunch bowl came together like most lunch bowls come together - with some assistance from leftovers. rice and/or grains, leftover veg from a dish i had prepared (this time carrots and half a cabbage), salad greens, and some jazzed up, crunchy-coated sweet potatoes. plus, a golden, sunshine-y turmeric dressing. and always, always a good dose of california olive ranch olive oil for the roasting, topping, coating; and for all the sauces and dressings! before anything in my kitchen gets roasted or cooked, california olive ranch olive oil is liberally applied. not only does the flavor stand up and shine through, but it's the people behind the product (that i was fortunate enough to meet) that honor the process and work that goes into producing a responsive and conscious product for us all to enjoy.

eat that rainbow, xo!

*this post was created in partnership with california olive ranch. thank you for supporting the sponsors that keep dolly and oatmeal going!

crunchy crusted sweet potato lunch bowl w/ golden dressing | v + gf

this lunch bowl can be prepared with whatever vegetables you have on hand , really. i would love to see how some breaded cauliflower tastes here, or in the summer, maybe eggplant. i'm finding that the options are quite endless. the golden dressing makes extra for the week, and the leftovers. if left in the refrigerator, you may need to add a few teaspoons of water to get the consistency more fluid.

| makes 2-4 servings depending on appetite |

golden dressing

1/4 cup California Olive Ranch olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons sunflower butter (almond butter or tahini can be used as well)
2 tablespoons water, more to thin
1 tablespoon white mellow miso
2 teaspoons fresh turmeric (or 1/2 teaspoon dried ground)
1 teaspoon maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)
1 clove garlic
fresh pepper

lunch bowl

2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed, dried, and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons California Olive Ranch olive oil
2/3 cup pulverized rolled oats (or gluten free bread crumbs)
salt + fresh pepper
2 cups cooked wild rice
3-4 cups fresh arugula
2 carrots, grated on a cheese grater
half a small head of cabbage, grated on a cheese grater
sprouts or microgreens, to serve

method

for the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor, scraping down the sides every so often. thin with more water until dressing is smooth and fluid. taste and adjust, adding more miso if need be. set the dressing aside or refrigerate until ready to use.
for the lunch bowl. preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
in a large bowl, toss together the potatoes with the oil, season with salt and pepper. add the pulverized oats (or bread crumbs) to a large plastic bag. a few at a time, add the potatoes, shake the bag to cover and bread the potatoes, then place them in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. repeat with remaining potatoes. bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring and rotating halfway through until the edges of the potatoes are crisp and browned.
portion the potatoes, rice, arugula, and the carrot and cabbage in a bowl. drizzle with the golden dressing and top with sprouts or microgreens.

enjoy!

similar recipes:

black lentil, sweet potato + kale chili w/ kabocha biscuits

warm squash, parsnip + kale salad w/ pomegranate dressing

charred broccoli + red onion salad w/ shaved apples + arugula / October 6, 2015 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

charred broccoli + red onion salad w/ shaved apples + arugula | dolly and oatmeal

i'm not sure if it's like this everywhere, but nyc is in this awesome seasonal in-between with cool mornings and evenings, warm abundant afternoon sunshine; there are remnants of late summer tomatoes and watermelon on our kitchen counter, and the sweetest of winter squash varieties chillin' right beside them. the market is a hybrid of summer, fall, and bits of winter too, with corn cobs piled high next to buckets of butternut squash. there are tables littered with a rainbow of tomatoes, plums, brussels sprouts, and pole beans. these earthy, dewy autumn mornings are definitely growing on me this year too. we inherited a crab apple tree in our backyard which had been providing us much needed shade all summer long, and now we get to enjoy its leaves changing color and its apples mature.

while i'm still not sure i'm ready for pumpkin recipes yet, (soon, i promise!), i'm easing away from summer salads and switching some of the components up with warm, hearty produce. i've been making apple, red onion, and arugula salad with a tahini dressing for years (it was even a post way back when!) but with the shift in seasons i wanted to make this salad a bit heavier. broccoli is perhaps my favorite vegetable ever, and to my delight a few of the vendors at the market have been selling it for the past few weeks. so for this rendition, charring the broccoli and onion adds a warmer, caramelized flavor and is totally welcomed by shaved crunchy apples; and the lemony tahini is super tart and zingy, but elevates this to a next-level, early autumnal salad!

also, last week i was over at yahoo food talking about my "food journey", blogging, and gluten-free misconceptions, you can read more here, if you like. also, some of the work i do outside of the blog is freelance photography. i recently shot the cover for the sweetgreen fall newspaper, and upon flipping through the twitters i saw none other than cindy crawford holding a copy and just about lost my sh!t - you slay, cindy, you slay!

hope your week is off to an awesome one! xo

charred broccoli + red onion salad w/ shaved apples + arugula (v + gf)

any fresh apple will do here, but i really love honeycrisp or gala apples. they're tart, juicy, and super crunchy which makes the textures in this salad really pop.

| serves 2 |

creamy lemon dressing

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (roughly 1 lemon)
2 tablespoons water
4-5 tablespoons tahini
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
fresh pepper

salad

1 head broccoli, cut into florets (roughly 3 cups)
1 medium red onion, sliced into wedges
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
half of 1 apple (preferably honeycrisp or gala)
2-3 cups baby arugula
1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped

method

in a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, water, and 4 tablespoons of the tahini; add the oil, garlic, salt, and pepper to taste. if the dressing is too thick, add the remaining tablespoon of tahini, taste and adjust seasonings as needed. cover and set to the side. (the dressing can also be prepared ahead of time.)
preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. in a large bowl, toss broccoli, onions, oil, and season with salt and pepper. transfer the broccoli and onion to the baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, until the broccoli is charred in places. use tongs and remove the broccoli, place the onions back in the oven and cook for another 10-15 minutes, until browned in places. remove from the oven and set aside.
in a large bowl, toss together the charred broccoli and onion with the apple, arugula, and 3/4 of the hazelnuts. give the dressing a stir and drizzle it over the top of the bowl, toss again, adding more dressing if desired. serve the salad and top with remaining hazelnuts.

enjoy!