herbed black beluga lentils w/ garlic scapes + yogurt sauce / June 23, 2015 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

herbed black beluga lentils w/ garlic scapes + yogurt sauce | dolly and oatmeal

life seems a bit more settled these days as i've finished the development portion of my cookbook, and am now focussing more on shooting the images for it. it's all so super surreal and exciting, and i cannot wait to share more about the development process with you all in the coming weeks!

frank and i have also been having more free time on weekends to tidy up our apartment - we actually hung a mirror the other day, and that seemed like just enough for the time being. i think we're really trying to ease into this space, seeing where things will end up, or coming to decisions about where we'll put the bookcase, etc. organically. the backyard, as i've talked about, was a complete mess. we've basically been overhauling what we can without spending too much. we did however splurge on a fence, as it was a shared backyard and we really wanted that extra privacy. we planted some kale, basil, leafy lettuce, and arugula back in may, and it's shot up in the past week or so, and i'm either seeing a purely green juice diet in our near future, or holding some sort of backyard market thingy to get some of this produce off my hands!

all good things are happening over here, and i usually try to keep things light, but i can't but help feeling all sorts of sadness over the awful event that took place in charleston. while i know there is so much good in this world, these kinds of recurring (and all too common) acts of hate, ignorance, and gun violence have hit us all a little too close to home in one way or another.

here's to calmer and more peaceful days, more forgiveness, laughs, and good food! xo's!

herbed black beluga lentils w/ garlic scapes + yogurt sauce (v + gf)

there are so many awesome dairy-free yogurts on the market these days, which is both really encouraging, but also can be confusing - there's nothing i dislike more than excitedly making a grocery store purchase and coming home to find out that it wasn't that great. so my go-to savory yogurt these days is the unsweetened (unflavored) cultured coconut yogurt from So Delicious, it's got that perfect tang and is quite simply the best! i use it in savory dishes like this one, but also in fruit crumble breakfast situations, to pair with granola, in smoothies, etc.!

| serves 4 as a side |

yogurt sauce

1/4 cup unsweetened unflavored yogurt (i use this brand)
1 tablespoon tahini paste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
Sea salt and ground pepper

lentils

1 cup black beluga lentils, rinsed and picked over
3 cups water
sea salt
zest from half of 1 lemon
1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped basil
2 teaspoons chopped mint
1 teaspoon chopped dill
1 bunch garlic scapes
extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground pepper
dill flowers, for serving

method

in a small bowl whisk together the yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, and garlic, season with salt and pepper, then set aside.
bring the lentils, water, and a big pinch of salt to a boil; once it reaches a boil, turn heat to low and simmer lentils uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender. drain leftover water if needed. toss the lentils with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and chopped herbs, season with salt and pepper; set aside.
while the lentils are cooking, preheat oven to 400°F, toss the garlic scapes with enough olive oil to lightly coat, and season with course salt and pepper. cook scapes for 10 to 12 minutes, until tender. remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes, then roughly chop the garlic scapes and add them to the pot with the lentils. give everything a good toss, taste and adjust any seasonings if needed.
tops lentils with dill flowers, or basil flowers, and a good dollop of yogurt sauce.

enjoy!

more recipes

mujadra tacos w/ leeks, spring herbs + pea tendrils

cilantro black rice w/ roasted garlic scapes + asparagus / June 24, 2014 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

cilantro black rice w/ roasted garlic scapes + asparagus | dolly and oatmeal

sometimes it was a long drive through the night, other times it was a 3am wakeup to make the drive up the east coast, to the vineyard. we would always take two cars, me and my mom in one, and my dad and brother in the other; the car was stocked up with sandwiches, tons of fruit and cassette tapes for listening purposes (oddly enough, during those trips i found an unwavering affinity for my mom's music, which included: joan baez, james taylor and annie lenox. while my dad acquired a liking for my brother's: nwa and epmd). once we got to woods hole, massachsetts, it was a long pause as we waited for our ferry arrive to ship us over the expanse of water between cape cod and martha's vineyard. depending on my age and mood, the ferry always felt somewhere between a hassle and an adventure - 45 minutes to the only place i wanted to be, and that i had yearned and dreamt for the past 300, some-odd days.

we rented the same house for the past couple of decades and it felt like our second home; we knew its smell, it's creaks, the sound of the loud, clunky washing machine, dialing the rotary phone, and the itchy couch my mom would cover with bed sheets. for the first 10 years or so the first thing my dad and i would do was head down the street to the beach cove. the shore would be littered with heavy doses of rocks and pebbles which we would sort through to find smooth flat ones to skip across the surface of the clear, rippled ocean. most days on the vineyard were spent at the beach, other times canoe rides, flea markets, fishing and squid jigging; there were trips to local farm and flower stands with an honor-system way of payment, and farmers markets before they were an everyday, ubiquitous thing. the vineyard was not so much a vacation, but a way i always wanted to live - small, quiet, connected. i think i hold on to these memories of this most special place because it not only reminds of some of the best moments and memories in my young life, but a sense of minimalism, of simple pleasures and creating memories and traditions without the complexity of every day interferences.

this dish, or salad of sorts, is totally based on a meal i think we would have made for lunch, or as an easy, pack-up, sunset dinner on the beach. garlic scape season is one of my faves, mostly because it reminds me of the vineyard. my mom and i would frequently visit our local farm-stand, beetlebung farm to pick up dinner ingredients. one afternoon we picked up garlic scapes; not knowing what to do with them, we sautéed them up with asparagus, and threw it all over some fresh pasta. today, i roasted it all, because i can't seem to eat asparagus and garlic scapes any other way this season (plus, it's a really quick cleanup for the lazy bones in me). i cooked the rice with cilantro stems for some added, herby flavor and tossed it all up with a considerable amount of minced cilantro and basil, and then topped it off with some pre-roasted (and salted) paprika-spiced almonds. all simple thangs, peeps, as i imagine cooking this up in a rental or vacation space without your normal, day-to-day kitchen arsenal. happy summering :)

cilantro black rice w/ roasted garlic scapes + asparagus

| serves 4 as a side |

this is more a "kitchen sink" recipe, i usually throw ingredients together that i have lying around the fridge so the amounts here are somewhat rounded up or down. the minced cilantro and basil are approximate amounts, but i usually like the ratio of 1/2 cup fresh herbs to 1 cup rice - so i would aim for measuring it that way. this dish is subtle enough that other flavors could definitely be added, be it different herbs or more pungent spices.

ingredients

1 cup black rice, rinsed
1 bunch cilantro, minced (reserve the stems)
1 small bunch basil, minced
4-5 garlic scapes, sliced thin (about 1/8 inch)
1 bunch asparagus, woody ends trimmed and sliced in 1 inch pieces
juice + zest from 1/2 a lemon
2 tablespoons roasted + salted almonds
1/2 teaspoon mild paprika
extra virgin olive oil for roasting and topping off
large grain sea salt + fresh ground pepper

instructions

in a medium saucepan, combine rice, cilantro stems (you can use one stem to tie a bundle of them), a big pinch of large grain salt and 2 cups of water. bring to a boil, stir and cover for 30-35 minutes, until all water is absorbed. remove from heat and let it sit covered for 10 minutes. when ready to serve, discard cilantro stems and fluff with a fork
while the rice is cooking preheat oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment. in a large bowl, combine scapes, asparagus, and lemon zest; season with sea salt and pepper, and coat evenly with olive oil (roughly 2 teaspoons). turn out onto prepared baking sheet and arrange the veggies in an even layer - roast for 12-15 minutes, until cooked through, but with some bite left
in a small sandwich bag, combine the almonds and paprika; using a rolling pin, crush the nuts until roughly broken, set aside
in large serving bowl, combine the rice, scape and asparagus mix, half the spiced almonds and about 3/4 of the minced herbs, drizzle with some good olive oil and add lemon juice; taste and check for seasoning, adding salt + pepper accordingly. garnish with remaining almonds and herbs. serve and enjoy!