broccoli rabe

Broccoli Rabe Grilled Cheese w/ Green Harissa (GF & V) /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Autumn is right around the corner! Yikes, when did that happen!? The summer kind of breezed by in a way, but I’m excited for the fall - cooler weather (hopefully!), honeycrisp apples, winter squash, cozy nights, heavier blankets - all the good stuff.

Ames is heading into TK (transition to kindergarten), so not quite a kindergartener yet (his birthday is September 27th, which falls after the district’s September 1st cutoff), but he’ll be attending TK at our local elementary school which is both amazing, and completely insane to me. My little guy going off to big school! I don’t think I’ve wrapped my mind around how huge that is, but I’m just wishing it to be a wonderful experience for him.

One way I’m welcoming the new season both figuratively, and in life, is by making these delicious grilled cheese sandwiches. I’m using Little Northern Bakehouse’s wide slice whole grain gluten-free bread for these, because I wanted that traditional grilled cheese feel (most gluten-free bread is a bit more squatty in size). It’s basically a large format gluten-free bread! Like all of their products, the wide slice has a wonderful airy quality, while also having a great hearty texture and flavor. And my kids love that they get more sandwich compared to a regular sized piece of gluten-free bread. It’s really the perfect canvas for all things sandwiches, toasts, but especially grilled cheese sandwiches! The bread stands up wonderfully to being stuffed and grilled, and delivers such an amazing crunch!

We make a homemade spicy green harissa (I typically leave this off of the kids sandwiches, but if your kid likes spice, go for it!) to spread on the sandwich - it’s bright and herbaceous, and quite fiery. Then we blanch some broccoli rabe, and toss it with some vegan cheese shreds. We pile this high on our bread and fry it some vegan butter. I usually serve it with a soup, or vegetables on the side for the kids. This is my favorite cozy dinner meal, but it could totally stand to be just as awesome for lunch. I hope you get to make these :)

*This post was created in partnership with Little Northern Bakehouse. All thoughts and opinions, as always, are my own.

Broccoli Rabe Grilled Cheese w/ Green Harissa | gf & v

| Makes 2 Sandwiches |

Print recipe

Method:

  1. Make the green harissa. Combine all the ingredients, except the olive oil, in a food processor fitted with a metal “s” blade. With the motor running pour the olive oil through the pour spout, and blend. Stop the motor and scrape down the sides. Blend once more until everything is combined. Taste and adjust any seasonings. Pour into a small bowl, and set aside.

  2. Make the grilled cheese. Trim the bottom 1-inch off the ends of the broccoli rabe. Bring a salted pot of water to a boil. Toss the broccoli rabe in, and blanch for 1 minute, until bright green and wilted. Drain, and run under cold water. Wring out the broccoli rabe in a dish towel until dry.

  3. Roughly chop the broccoli rabe and add it to a bowl with the cheese shreds. Toss everything together, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

  4. Use 1 tablespoon of butter and butter one side of each slice of bread; place the bread on a work surface, butter side down. Spread the inside of the bread with about 2 teaspoons green harissa, and top with the broccoli rabe-cheese mixture.

  5. Heat your skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add half of the remaining butter, and place sandwich in. Cook each side for 1-2 minutes, until golden brown and cheese is melted. Repeat with remaining sandwich.

  6. Serve immediately, and enjoy!

Ingredients:

Green Harissa (makes roughly 1/2 cup)

  • 1 1/2 cups packed cilantro

  • 1 1/2 cups packed parsley

  • 1 serrano pepper

  • 2 cloves garlic

  • 1 1/4 teaspoons fine salt

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

  • 1/4 cup lemon juice

  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Grilled Cheese (makes 2 large sandwiches)

BROKEN LASAGNA W/ VEGAN WHITE PESTO & BROCCOLI RABE /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

sorry for the radio silence the past 2 weeks. amesy’s school got completely overrun with the stomach virus, and we were all taken out by it. thankfully amesy was spared much of it and was only sick for a day. but frank and i were pretty much out of commission for a good 4-5 days. to be honest, i’m still not back to feeling 100%, apparently being 8 months pregnant and violently ill takes a way bigger toll on your body than i had initially thought. in any event, we’re back and functioning human beings. so yay for that!

there’s no way to really segue from that story to this incredibly delicious, incredibly easy weeknight dish. but here we go! we often lean on some sort of pasta dish for our dinner each week, and usually add a protein to the side to fill it out a bit. and i’ve always been intrigued by the “broken lasagna” or “rustic lasagna” recipes i’ve seen splashed all over pinterest. so i was excited to mix up pasta night, and use a thicker noodle than i typically do. while you could definitely use any pasta you like here, the lasagna noodles definitely took the fun factor up a notch.

noodles and pasta aside, this vegan white pesto is really where all the flavor is at! the original (dairy-based) recipe is from bon appetit, and it sounded so good, i thought i would try a plant-based version. while you could make your own vegan ricotta here, kite hill makes one that has a wonderful flavor and texture (plus, i’m all for one less step in a weeknight dinner recipe). from there, we add a few pantry items, some garlic, chopped fresh thyme, lemon zest to offer the ultimate flavor. but the best part about this dish (aside from it not taking very long to make) is that the lasagna noodles and broccoli rabe are cooked together in one pot, essentially making this meal a 2-pot deal, which can be so key on a busy weeknight.

i hope this recipe makes it into your dinner rotation, and could even be a great side or plant-friendly, and crowd-pleasing meal option if you’re celebrating july 4th next week. i hope you love it as much as my family does ❤️

xo!

broken lasagna w/ vegan white pesto & broccoli rabe | gf

| serves 4 as a main or 6 as a side |

white pesto (adapted from bon appetit)

  • 8oz vegan ricotta (i like this one)

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, finely chopped

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

  • 1 clove garlic, grated over a microplane

  • leaves from 3 sprigs fresh thyme, finely chopped

  • zest from half lemon

  • fine salt & fresh pepper, to taste

  • 1 cup pasta cooking liquid

lasagna

  • 10oz gluten-free lasagna noodles (i use tinkyada)

  • 2 cups broccoli rabe, woody ends trimmed and roughly chopped

  • salt & fresh pepper

  • toasted pine nuts, for garnish

  • thyme leaves, for garnish

method

  1. make the pesto. in a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, olive oil, pine nuts, nutritional yeast, garlic, thyme, and lemon zest. season with salt and pepper. set aside.

  2. cook the lasagna sheets according to the instructions on the box until al dente. in the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the broccoli rabe and continue cooking. before draining the pasta and broccoli, carefully collect 1 cup of the cooking liquid and set aside. drain the lasagna sheets and broccoli rabe.

  3. moving quickly, whisk in half the pasta cooking water into the white pesto, adding more if needed to get a creamy consistency. taste and adjust any seasonings, if necessary. then, toss in the lasagna sheets and broccoli rabe until everything is evenly covered in the pesto, taste once more and add more salt and pepper, if needed. serve, and garnish with toasted pine nuts and thyme leaves.

similar recipes:

avocado-kale pesto pasta

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creamy garlicky pasta w/ charred broccoli & figs

Bee Pollen, Berry & Broccoli Rabe Smoothie /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

the first few weeks of my pregnancy i was all, i'm going to eat kale salads, drink all the green juice, and give this babe every nutrient i can find. turns out that life and pregnancy had a different plan (as they often do!).  while i wasn't most nauseous in the morning, afternoon and dinner time was somewhat tortured moments of the day where i felt completely disconnected and couldn't get my stomach and my brain on the same page - it actually wasn't until a few weeks ago where i was able to eat like a functioning adult.  i had been living off of every breakfast food that was palatable and sneaking in some random stuff on the side (one night it was granola topped with banana, and potato salad - balance. right?). i felt super guilty and totally thought this tiny human was getting gypped of all the wholesome foods i initially was pumped to be able to give him.  when the nausea finally decreased i started getting back to a better eating routine and incorporating some green stuff here and there.  i began with straight up fruity acai bowls and now i've been progressively adding greens to my mid-morning smoothie routine with zero queasy vibes!  

i love a kale smoothie, but i've been adding whatever i have on hand: baby spinach, leftover beet greens, and to my surprise broccoli rabe leaves actually taste super awesome all whipped up with some berries, and frozen, creamy banana :)  their slightly peppery leaves give this smoothie an extra kick i never thought would be worth trying.  but this smoothie is chock full of spring and summer faves, too.  if you follow me over on snapchat (username: dollyoatmeal) then you saw that i just picked up a couple of baskets of fresh strawberries at the market this past sunday - they were odd shaped, full of stems, vibrant, super juicy, and sweet! it'll be a while before raspberries make their debut, so for the time being i'm sticking to the frozen variety.  it's also got some bee pollen because: allergy season.  whenever frank's partaking in smoothie drinking i always add some bee pollen for his allergies, because oddly enough it actually reduces histamine (which is the result of an allergic reaction).  so this is a great way to relieve some of your allergies while also getting a good amount of nutrients in the process - win/win!

love + smoothies! xo

* this post was created in partnership with Andy Boy Broccoli Rabe.  all opinions, as always, are my own.  thank you so much for supporting the sponsors that help dolly and oatmeal going!

bee pollen, berry, and broccoli rabe smoothie | vegan

any berries would be great here, and i could imagine using all frozen berries if that's what you prefer/have on-hand (just nix the ice cubes).  i also imagine that using unsweetened coconut yogurt in place of the almond milk would be super as well. 

| makes 2 small servings |

  • 1 cup broccoli rabe leaves
  • 1 small frozen banana
  • 1 cup fresh strwberries
  • 1 cup frozen raspberries
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
  • 1 teaspoon bee pollen
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • ice

method

  1. place all ingredients in an upright blender (preferably high-speed) and blend for 1 minute, until completely smooth.
  2. pour into 2 glasses, top with bee pollen, and serve immediately. 

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