PREP SAUCE SUNDAY: A REALLY GOOD DRESSING - WITH OLIVES, SHALLOTS, GARLIC, AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR / March 29, 2020 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

A REALLY GOOD DRESSING - WITH OLIVES, SHALLOTS, GARLIC, AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR | dolly and oatmeal

meet your new favorite dressing (quarantine or not!). it’s a pantry/kitchen counter-friendly dressing that uses a lot of what is just sitting around in your pantry waiting to mixed together to form a super flavorful dressing that pairs with countless meals. there are a bunch of flavor makers here - first, we start with minced shallot and garlic that take a short bath in the red wine vinegar and balsamic. from there, we whisk in some good dijon and coconut aminos (you could also use tamari, or even some olive or caper brine in a pinch); then the olive oil. lastly, we stir in the chopped kalamata olives and capers which takes what would be considered a great dressing on its own, to the next brine-y delicious level.

while this could be used as a salad dressing (although i would recommend using it for a heartier green, like kale), don’t stop there! dress lentils, or even a chickpea salad. slather it over your bread to take your sandwich up a notch. or add it to pasta for an epic hot or cold pasta salad. currently, we’ve been toasting sourdough, spreading a good amount of dressing over the toast, then broiling burrata and/or vegan mozzarella over top for a perfect little tartine snack situation. sky’s the limit, friends!

i hope this little recipe finds you well ❤️

olive, shallot, garlic & balsamic vinaigrette | gf & v

recipe adapted from ina garten

| makes roughly 3/4 cup dressing |

print the recipe

method

in medium-sized bowl, whisk together the shallots, garlic, vinegars, dijon, and coconut aminos (or tamari). drizzle in the olive oil whisking briskly until emulsified. stir in the olives and capers, and season with salt & pepper.
pour the dressing into a lidded jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. take dressing out 30 minutes prior to using.

ingredients

3 tablespoons minced shallot (roughly 1 large shallot)
1 large garlic clove, grated over a microplane (or minced)
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon good balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons coconut aminos (or 1 teaspoon gluten-free tamari)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
1 tablespoon drained capers
fine salt & fresh ground pepper

Lunch Hacks: Cauliflower, Kalamata Dip & A Quick Pulled Salmon Salad / August 23, 2017 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Lunch Hacks: Cauliflower, Kalamata Dip & A Quick Pulled Salmon Salad | dolly and oatmeal

i'm going to be super honest here. i'm not the greatest when it comes to preparing lunch. for some reason, even before anesy was in the picture, i couldn't be bothered to put much thought into it. please tell me i'm not the only one!?

a few days out of the work i basically eat 2 eggs, 1/2 avocado, maybe in a salad, but mostly on a piece of toasty bread. the weekdays are pretty scheduled, so i roughly know how much time i have between amesy's naps to get work done, and eat lunch. so preparing a lunch that requires more brain power than boiling eggs, toasting bread, and mashing an avocado can simply be too overwhelming. but since moving to LA, the amount of wholesome, prepared food that's available is kind of crazy. so, my lunch hack has been to pick up some prepared items a couple times a week to give myself a break. so i'll pick up a few pieces of wild salmon for amesy and i (he loves it mashed in avocado 👍🏼). i usually throw mine over greens, with some other veg, and whatever hummus or dip i have in my fridge, and always serve it with some crackers (because crunch is key!).

another thing that's key is dip! i've talked all about my fondness of it before, but it's really the thing that makes lunch feel fun for me. and since i have such a lack of love for lunch, it's the one thing i look forward to eating midday. i'm a little meticulous (or maybe just crazy) when it comes to actually eating this salad/dip, and have somewhat of a sequence in eating it. i usually add half of it to the salad to mix around with the salmon and veg, and the other half i save until the end just to enjoy with my crackers. i was loving simple mills sprouted crackers even before i started limiting the amount of grains i eat, but now that i am, they've been coming in clutch! their ingredients are as simple and straightforward as ingredients lists come, made with a sprouted seed mix, with some tapioca, and cassava flour, as well as a few other basic components. you can learn more about how simple mills is making our back-to-school/back-to-work lives easier here ;)

do you have any lunch hacks? i'm considering starting a monthly, lunch series to help push myself out of this lunch rut, anyone with me!? ;) let me know if you're into it in the comments, or shoot me an email. i'm all ears!

big hugs! xo

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

cauliflower, kalamata dip

you can mix your lunch items around depending on your diet. i usually aim to have a good portion of protein and healthy fats, some leafy greens, and always something a little crunchy, like crackers :)

| makes a little over 1 cup and about 5 servings |

1 cup cauliflower florets
1 15 ounce can cannellini beans (preferably non-bpa), drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for topping
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
herbs, for garnish

pulled salmon salad

1/4 cup cauli white bean dip
5-10 Simple Mills Sprouted Seed Everything crackers
bibb lettuce
1 piece prepared wild salmon
thinly sliced radish
cucumber spears
microgreens
juice from half of a small lemon
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt & fresh ground pepper

method

bring a lidded pot with about 2 inches of water to a boil. place the florets into a steamer basket, and place into the pot. cover and turn heat to medium. steam for until the cauliflower is tender, about 10-12 minutes. remove it from the heat and let cool.
add the cauliflower, beans, olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, and garlic to a food processor fitted with a metal "s" blade, and blend until smooth. add the olives and pulse until the olives are broken down into small flecks. season with salt and pepper. place the dip in a lidded container and store in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.
to prepare your lunch, tear the lettuce with your hands and place in a large bowl. pull the salmon from the skin into bite-size pieces an place in the bowl as well. to your salad add sliced radish, cucumber, and microgreens. finish it off with a generous squeeze of lemon juice, and a drizzle of olive oil. season with salt and pepper. give it all a toss and serve it with your dip and crackers.