herbs

GREEN GODDESS DRESSING (VEGAN) / August 11, 2019 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

GREEN GODDESS DRESSING (VEGAN) | dolly and oatmeal

if there was ever a universal sauce, green goddess dressing is it! while this isn’t an exclusively “summer” sauce, i love it best during the hot summer months. the yogurt, and fresh herbs lend a cooling vibe to each and every meal it graces. it’s creamy, yet light, and adds so much flavor, while not being overpowering. there are quite a lot of vegan green goddess versions out there in grocery stores and the internet, but nothing compares to a homemade version with your designated mix of herbs and seasonings; and most importantly: no weird emulsifiers or additives (as many bottled brands can have, unfortunately).

if you’re familiar with a lot of the creamy recipes on this site, then you’re used to me referencing this greek-style plant-based yogurt that i love for just about everything from making vegan labneh, yogurt-tahini, and this vegan caesar dressing. while you can use your preferred yogurt of choice, i lean on that greek-style yogurt once again here. to it, we add a whole bunch of fresh summer herbs, and squeezes of tart lemon juice. and in leui of anchovies, we coconut aminos (of miso paste) for a bit of umami flavor. it’s essentially a super simple list of ingredients for what results in a powerful little dressing that also qualifies as a sauce and dip.

a few things i love using it for (in no particular order):

used as a sauce over vegetable, chicken, or fish kebabs
mixed into a potato salad instead of a traditional mayonnaise base
drizzled over your favorite green salad or a wedge salad situation
used as a dip for fresh cut vegetables and grilled (or toasted) bread
a dip for roasted or grilled sweet potato wedges
slather it over bread and make a green goddess sandwich
or use it as a dressing for a cold, green goddess pasta salad

sky’s the limit! xo!

green goddess dressing | v

| makes 1 1/4 cups |

print the recipe

method:

in the cup of a food processor fitted with a metal “s” blade, combine the herbs, garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, tahini, vinegar, mustard, capers, and yogurt; season with salt and pepper. blend, stopping to scrape down the sides of the container. taste and add more vinegar, and/or salt & pepper if necessary and blend once again.
once the dressing is to your liking, transfer to a lidded bottle or jar and store in your refrigerator for up to 5 days.

ingredients:

1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons fresh chives
1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini paste
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon capers, drained
10 ounces unsweetened plant-based yogurt (preferably greek-style, like this one)
salt and fresh ground pepper

Lemony Fennel, Radish, and Kale Salad / May 17, 2017 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Lemony Fennel, Radish, and Kale Salad | dolly and oatmeal

it's seems as though i left one spring behind in new york, and am experiencing a completely different one here in LA. when we left brooklyn the buds of trees were just beginning to bloom, and my raspberry and elderflower bushes were getting all bushy too. los angeles couldn't be more different. as many times as i've visited here, i think i haven't paid as much attention to the utterly diverse worlds that exist on each coast. when amesy and i take quint on his walks during the day i'm blown away by plants that i've never seen before, flowers that grow a foot high in NY but are gigantic bushes here, and the passion fruit that grows effortlessly on a neighbors fence. it's fascinating, while being entirely overwhelming - i want to get properly acquainted with each and every leafy thing here! in due time, i suppose.

we spent the weekend getting situated in our new apartment. our space is a 2-bedroom, which is huge for us - both literally and figuratively. we have a washer and dryer (!!!!), something that is inconceivable in nyc, a ton of natural light, and the babe has all the room to spread out and explore :) everything here feels airy and light, there's a feeling of ease in each day. it's kinda crazy how a new space can do that for you. but the clutter of our last place was something that was bothering both frank and i in a lot of ways. half of the year was great because we had our backyard to use, but the other half of the year felt cramped and tight. we only had 2 exposures and for people who vibe off natural light it felt like a big deal. in some ways i think that crept into our daily outlook on things which sometimes felt very limited. so for many reasons we are super grateful to be in sunny LA.

and another reason i'm thrilled to live in this new city is that i'm practically neighbors with the author of the recipe here today. if you're not already acquainted with lily diamond, she's the beautiful soul behind the blog, Kale & Caramel. her blog is an easy-breezy space filled with beautiful photography, and recipes that are textured, and playful, and filled with joy. her affinity for food and her wanting to share it with us beams through every recipe that occupies the pages on her site. her writing is a thing of beauty, they have a way of evoking feelings perhaps you didn't know were there, or thoughts you had never thought yourself. she is, if anything, an immensely inspiring woman.

her book, Kale & Caramel: Recipes For Body, Heart, and Table is a deeper look into her glorious mind and i'm so happy she's let us in - if only a little bit. the book is organized around herbs and flowers, think: basil, fennel, oregano, lavender, and rose petals. there are recipes for face masks, and salads, and beach-y spray for your hair. there are tarts, and chocolate mousse, and things that will care for your soul and make you smile in the process. it seems as though lily is there on each page encouraging you to nourish and care for yourself.

lemony fennel, radish, and kale salad

recipe from Kale & Caramel: Recipes for Body, Heart, and Table by Lily Diamond

to make this recipe dairy-free i subbed the feta cheese with little dabs of this kite hill almond milk ricotta cheese, which was delicious.

| serves 4-6 |

8 large leaves dinosaur (lacinato) kale
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups sugar snap peas, washed and eds trimmed
3 cups very thinly sliced or shaved fennel bulb (about 1 medium-large), fronds reserved
5 to 6 radishes, very thinly sliced or shaved, about 1 cup
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 1 3/4 ounces)
freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

method

remove the stems from the kale and chop the leaves into thin strips. place the strips of kale in a large bowl and massage with the oil, about 30 seconds, until the leaves grow deep green, reduce in volume, and take on a mellow sheen.
slice each sugar snap pea in half diagonally across its midsection to reveal some of the peas (or do the same for green beans). add the sliced peas, fennel, and radishes to the bowl with the massaged kale.
on a cutting board, give the parsley, mint leaves, and the reserved fennel fronds a coarse chop. add to the bowl of kale and veggies. add 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and the salt, and toss vigorously to combine. Add the feta and toss gently to integrate. taste and adjust the salt and lemon juice as desired.
serve immediately. the salad will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

similar recipes:

grilled panzanella salad w/ peaches & fennel

zucchini-basil chickpea waffles w/ tomato & shaved fennel salad

Green Soba Bowl w/ Olive & Sesame Yogurt Sauce / June 22, 2016 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Green Soba Bowl w/ Olive & Sesame Yogurt Sauce | dolly and oatmeal #glutenfree #vegan

happy summer, everyone! our backyard garden is finally bustling with tons of herbs, gigantic lacinato kale, the sweetest green beans, lacy elderflowers, and even some baby strawberries! i was so used to tending to a super small fire escape garden in our last apartment, so it's been such a shift having an actual backyard with a tree and other life-y things that like to get into every nook of our space back there. we've had our fair share of run-ins with critters who liked our broccoli too much, and even an infestation of ants on our tiny rhubarb plant. the squirrels are another issue - they're so completely ravenous that i've decided not to grow any summer squash this year because it's just too heartbreaking when they come through and decimate the flowers and fruit. so far they've left our tomato plants alone, but when i see them out on the power lines or scurrying up our tree, i send our little guard pup, quint to chase after them. he's proven to be quite the intimidator, 9 pounds and all!

aside from the day-to-day hustle and flow, we've been trying to prep our little apartment as much as we can for our september babe :) i'm kind of the worst when it comes to planning these big, life-changing things (our wedding probably would've never have happened if my mom didn't organize most of the logistics), so our list/registry has been on hold until we've had the chance to check some things out in person. frank planned a saturday excursion to a baby mega store, (aka babies r us) which, if it weren't for him literally pushing me inside, i would have bolted and gone home. i know those stores are great, and have so many options, but it's just something that i cannot for the life of me embrace. i'm much more into the notion of purchasing the basics like a crib, and other essentials, over buying everything at once. so we'll see how that method works going forward - keep your fingers crossed for us! being in a 1 bedroom makes it easier in some respects, but also a lot tougher in others. there will be no baby nursery but he will get a whole wall, guys! ;) small victories, for city life, i suppose. i keep telling myself that we'll make it happen, as so many have before us, and hopefully one day in the near future we'll laugh and tell funny stories about it all.

in the spirit of keeping things simple and fun and lighthearted, i have this recipe for a cool, green soba bowl with a snappy olive and sesame yogurt sauce! it's made with my only go-to soba noodles from Eden Foods which are made with 100% buckwheat and have such a great texture and nutty taste! they're the only brand i trust when it comes to really good gluten-free soba noodles (just to note - their noodles are 100% gluten-free but were made in a facility that handles wheat), and they're great for everything from a traditional pesto/pasta situation, to a cold weather soup. but this time around i paired them with zucchini noodles and a creamy yogurt sauce to give the dish more of a pasta salad vibe, because, SUMMER! the olives deliver a punchy brininess, and the herbs a fresh summer flavor. i totally see this served as a summer BBQ side, or a hearty 2-person dinner. either way, it's a crisp way to pop off the summer!

wishing you all the best of warm, sweltering seasons! xo's *oh, and stay tuned, i'm working on a little something special for this friday that i hope you'll all like! :)

*this post was created in partnership with Eden Foods. all opinions, as always, are my own. thank you so much for supporting the sponsors that help dolly and oatmeal running!

green soba bowl w/ olive & sesame yogurt | gf + v

| serves 4 |

olive & sesame yogurt

1 cup unsweetened cultured coconut yogurt (or yogurt of choice)
2 tablespoons sesame paste (tahini)
1/4 cup green olives, minced (preferably castelvetrano olives)
1/4 cup fresh basil, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
fine sea salt & fresh pepper

1 zucchini (or summer squash)
fine sea salt & fresh pepper
1 package Eden Foods 100% Buckwheat Soba (*while these noodles are 100% gluten-free they were made in a facility that handles wheat)
1/2 cup chopped herbs (i used a mixture of basil, oregano, and dill)
1/2 cup green olives, roughly chopped (preferably castelvetrano olives)
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
dill flowers, for garnish (optional)

method

olive & sesame yogurt sauce

in a mixing bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients, taste and adjust adding more sesame paste, lemon, or salt & pepper. set aside or cover with cling wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

noodles

using an inspiralizer, make your zoodles. (you can just as easily use a julienne peeler to make zucchini noodles as well.) place in a large mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper, set aside.
cook buckwheat soba according to the instructions on the back of the package. while the noodles are cooking, prepare a cold water bath (not an ice bath, just very cold water) and set aside. drain soba and then place in the cold water. use your hands to gently rub the noodles (this removes any excess starch and makes the noodles less clumpy and sticky). drain the pasta once more and combine with the zoodles.
add about 1 cup of the sauce, then the herbs, olives, and the pine nuts, toss together until everything is evenly coated. taste and adjust any seasonings or add more sauce. garnish with dill flowers and serve.

enjoy!