dinner

August 26, 2021 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 |

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Method:

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)

1/2 bunch broccoli rabe,
1 cup vegan cheese shreds
Fine salt & freshly ground pepper
4 slices Little Northern Bakehouse Wide Slice Gluten-Free Bread
2 tablespoons vegan butter, at room temperature and divided
1-2 tablespoons green harissa

VEGAN SHAKSHUKA TOASTS / April 22, 2021 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

We’re still settling in to life in the new house. It’s a larger space than the apartments we’ve always lived in, so it’s a welcome adjustment. We also have a pretty spacious backyard that I’m looking forward to setting up, and hopefully having friends and family over when it’s safe. Warmer weather, more and more vaccinations everyday, it seems like things are finally inching towards a new day. With that in mind, I can’t help but want to make brunch food. A DIY bagel bar, a make-you-own-toast station, all the pancakes and waffles one could imagine, and a big pot of shakshuka. These are things that run through my head regularly.

In that vein, I thought a combination of a few of those ideas sounded super fun. So here we have it, Shakshuka Toast! Shakshuka is a staple in North African and Middle Eastern cuisine, which consists of: onions, pepper, garlic, spices (I like adding harissa paste, but it’s not a deal breaker), canned tomatoes, and in this vegan variation we use butter beans instead of eggs. We pan-fry some toast with olive oil, rub it with some garlic, sprinkle it with some flaky salt, then on goes the shakshuka sauce. We serve it warm with some chopped radishes, maybe some herbs - you could also top it with a dollop of plant-based yogurt as well. This kind of meal is made for a family style meal, and I actually love that with making this version vegan, here isn’t the pressure to poach the eggs perfectly. Super low maintenance, which is something to love.

We’re using Little Northern Bakehouse Sprouted gluten-free bread here. They sent me some try to a few weeks ago, and my kids and I love it. It does double duty as an everyday sandwich bread, while also being great to jazz up for a fancy toast brunch situation. It has an airy quality, but also has great texture and flavor (if you’re gluten-free, then I’m sure you know that’s a hard thing to come by!). I especially love using their sprouted bread for all these reasons, and also because the sprouting process makes nutrients more accessible and more easily digestible. It stands up great to the shakshuka here (but don’t let it sit too long, like with any bread, it will get soggy), adding a wonderful crunchy texture.

*This post was sponsored by Little Northern Bakehouse, as always all the thoughts and opinions are my own.

VEGAN BUTTER BEAN SHAKSHUKA TOASTS | GF

| makes 8 toasts |

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ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for frying the bread
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 tablespoons prepared harissa paste (depending on how spicy you want it)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon coconut sugar
1 (28 ounce) can whole San Marzano tomatoes, crushed with a masher or your hands
1 teaspoon fine salt
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 15-ounce can butter beans, drained and rinsed
Spray oil (preferably high-heat oil like avocado)
8 pieces Little Northern Bakery Sprouted 7 Grain Gluten-Free Bread
1 clove garlic, sliced in half
Flaky salt
Sliced radishes, for serving
Fresh dill, for serving

method

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low. Add onion and pepper, cook, stirring every so often until soft; about 15-20 minutes. Add garlic and cook until tender and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add in the harissa, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and sugar. Stir, and cook for another minute. Pour in the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Bring everything to a simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
Fold in the beans. Taste and adjust any seasonings, adding more salt or spices if necessary. Remove from heat and cover.
Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Once hot, spray with oil, place bread in the pan, and spray the other side of the bread. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side, until toasted. Remove from the pan and rub one side of the toast with the cut side of the garlic. Top with flaky salt, and repeat with remaining pieces of toast.
Serve toasts with a heaping serving of the shakshuka. Top with sliced radishes, fresh dill, and more flaky salt. Serve immediately.

similar recipes:

miso-tahini avocado toasts w/ black sesame gomasio

Cilantro & hemp salad on tahini yogurt toast

SPINACH & ZESTY ALMOND RICOTTA STUFFED SHELLS / February 25, 2021 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

SPINACH ALMOND RICOTTA STUFFED SHELLS | dolly and oatmeal

we’ve made it in one piece to our new home here in the valley. settling in one day at a time, and so grateful for this opportunity to start a new chapter. ames and joey love the “new house” as ames has dubbed it, and it seems as though they’re really enjoying living in a house and having a backyard for the first time. i can already see them being a lot more independent, which is both terrifying and such a welcome.

on to our recipe, though! i made these stuffed shells for a special christmas dinner a few months back and we all loved them. so, for our last night in our apartment i made them again. they’re simple and straight to point - cheesy, pasta-y carbs that provide all the nostalgic, cozy/home-y feelings.

it’s really a simple meal with just a few components that get assembled to put everything together. we begin by sautéing spinach in some olive oil, we throw some salt and pepper in to season it a bit. then we make our filling with almond ricotta (i call for store bought, but i also linked to a recipe in the notes if you want/prefer to make your own). we add a few pantry ingredients, some plant-based mozzarella shreds, and our lemon zest! i love how the zest completely brightens these shells and takes the flavor to a new, yet familiar place. in goes the sautéed spinach and we now have our filling! we cook the shells until al dente, and run them under cold water. then we pipe the filling into the shells, smother them in your favorite marinara sauce, and toss them in the oven for about 30 minutes until everything is nice and hot. plus, these are really good for leftovers, they actually gave us about 2 nights worth of leftovers which was amazing after the move!

i just want to note - these shells are what i call a “special meal”, for many, this recipe might not be ideal as a weekly rotation, simply because many of the ingredients i call for are on the pricey side and/or have to be purchased online. however, if you can swing those kinds of purchases, then go for it!

spinach & zesty almond ricotta stuffed shells | gf & v

| serves 4-6 |

print the recipe

notes:

although i call for store bought almond ricotta, it is pretty pricey (unfortunately). if you’re not wanting to spend money on it, but still want to make this recipe, i suggest using laura’s recipe for her almond ricotta.
similarly, the plant-based mozzarella shreds i call for are also on the pricier side. if you have a preferred brand that’s less expensive, by all means use it. you could also leave the mozzarella out altogether and just add a bit more nutritional yeast and salt to the filling.
the only gluten-free jumbo pasta shells that i’m aware of are made by tinkyada. however, they are not readily found at many grocery stores, so you may have to purchase them online.

ingredients

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
3 ounces fresh spinach, roughly chopped
fine salt & freshly ground pepper
1 8-ounce box tinkyada jumbo pasta shells
16 ounces kite hill almond ricotta (or see notes above)
1 1/2 cups parmela creamery mozzarella shreds
1/4 cup chopped basil
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 small cloves garlic, grated over a microplane
zest from 1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
24 ounces marinara sauce
1/4 cup chopped parsley

method

preheat oven to 350°F.
in a saute pan, heat the olive over medium heat. once hot add the spinach, and season with salt and pepper. cook until spinach is bright green and wilted, about 1 minute. use tongs and remove spinach; place in a bowl and set aside.
make the filling. in a large bowl, mix together the ricotta, mozzarella shreds, basil, nutritional yeast, grated garlic, lemon zest, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. give it a taste and adjust any seasonings - adding more nutritional yeast, lemon zest, nutmeg, salt and/or pepper. stir in the spinach and mix until evenly distributed. set aside.
cook the shells in a large pot of boiling salted water. stir occasionally, until al dente, about 12 minutes. drain the shells, and run under cold water to stop them from cooking. set aside.
cover the bottom of a 13x9” baking pan with about 1 cup of sauce.
spoon the filling into a piping bag, or a resealable bag with the corner snipped. pipe the filling into each shell and arrange in a single layer in your sauce covered pan. cover the tops and sides of the shells with more marinara sauce.
cover the pan tightly with foil and cook for 20 minutes, remove foil, and cook for another 10 minutes.
serve warm with chopped parsley.