lentils

March 8, 2018 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

i had originally planned to tell you all about cauliflower pizza and how amazing and easy it is to make at home. but clearly by the title and the photo thus far, that isn't happening! i really never knew how difficult it was to make a cauli-based crust until i tried, and tried, and tried again - and miserably failed at it each time! the internet would have you believe that it's easy. it's not, guys. my pal ashley said that my failures could have something to do with attempting to make it vegan-friendly - no parmesan or eggs to bind could have been my problem, i suppose. but when something is so delicate and difficult to make, i ask myself: why make something that's not moving us to our collective goal: getting a meal on the table! i'm all about taking challenges in the kitchen, but there's a time and place for everything. so whether you have babies, or you're putting in long hours at work, what i think we collectively need is composed, but easy-to-put-together food, something that nourishes each part of us.

that's where this bowl comes in. it's definitely a nod in a few directions: it's meal-prep easy, it provides leftovers for the week, and it's a bright little bowl that definitely has spring in its sights! there's 3 major components of the dish, (all of which can made ahead of time for easy execution) the spicy broccoli, cooking the lentils, and whisking together the sauce.

the broccoli stays super bright here because all you're doing is a quick steam; it's then tossed with chili oil, lemon, and some salt -- so good! the lentils are cooked easy-peasy, and the tahini-based sauce is simply whisked together. you can make the components the day/night of, or make them on your designated food prep day (if you have one. don't feel bad if you don't, i'm all over the place with prepping food these days!) and refrigerate them until you're ready to make the bowl. the only component that requires your time the day/night of is a super quick saute of onion, ginger, and garlic 👍🏼so while the ingredient list may look like a beast, it's really not when it's broken down - promise!

big love to you all, and happy almost spring equinox! 🙌🏼

**and be sure to tag @dollyandoatmeal when you're making any recipes from the site or my book! i love regramming you all on instagram stories! xo!

spicy broccoli bowl w/ creamy ginger lentils | v & gf

you could easily double this recipe for more leftovers (especially if you're making this recipe for 2) throughout the week. while i love lentils as a protein, if you're not strictly plant-based, shredded chicken could be a great substitute. the sauce makes a bit extra, i used it up as a dressing for salads, or a dip for an afternoon snack.

| makes 4 servings |

sauce

1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon coconut aminos (or gluten-free tamari)
1 teaspoon sweetener, such as coconut nectar or maple syrup
water to thin
salt & pepper

lentils

1 cup green french lentils, rinsed and picked over for any shriveled lentils
3 cups water
1 tablespoon extra virgin coconut oil
3 spring onions (or 2 bunches green onions), light and white green parts sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

broccoli

1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon spicy sesame oil (i like this one)*
pinch of salt

*if you don't have spicy sesame oil, or don't want to purchase it. simply use 1/2 - 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes.

method

for the sauce. whisk together the tahini, coconut aminos (or tamari), lime juice, and sweetener. drizzle in water, a little at a time, until you get a runny consistency that coats the back of a spoon. season with salt and pepper. set aside.
for the lentils. place lentils in a lidded pot with the water. bring to a boil, and cover, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, and cook the lentils until they're tender, about 15-20 minutes, drain the lentils, and set aside.
wipe the pot out with a clean dish towel and set it back on your stovetop over medium heat. once the pan is hot, add the coconut oil. then add the onions and stir, cook until tender, about 1-2 minutes. then add the garlic and ginger, stir, and cook for about 1 minute. then add the lentils and cook for another minute. remove the pot from the stove and add half the sauce and stir everything together, add more sauce, and salt, if desired. then fold in the cilantro.
for the broccoli. place broccoli florets into the basket of a steamer. bring about 1-inch of water to a boil and set the steamer inside, cover and cook for 3-4 minutes, until broccoli is tender. (you want to try and time the broccoli to cook in the last few minutes of the lentils cooking. that way everything is nice and warm when you serve it.)
place the broccoli to a mixing bowl, toss with the oils, lemon juice, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt.
serve the lentils and broccoli hot, garnish with sliced radish sticks, toasted peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, fresh cilantro, and extra lime juice, if desired.

similar recipes:

asparagus, pea & broccoli rabe saute over a chive-chickpea mash

spring rainbow bowl w/ honey-mustard tahini

chickpea bean bowl w/ toasted breadcrumbs & dill tahini

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!

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mujadra tacos w/ leeks, spring herbs + pea tendrils / March 25, 2014 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

the spring season is here, the sun is shining brighter and longer, my house plants are dancing to the sun's revived rhythm, and there are small pieces of what look like daffodils pushing through the earth. it all sounds nice, but the temperature hasn't risen above 30-something and this chick is getting impatient! all i want to do is sit outside with warm sunshine hitting my face, make green salads filled with every vegetable imaginable, i would love to make a rhubarb something, but the fact remains, even though the season is spring, spring hasn't truly sprung yet - at least not here!

in an effort to celebrate spring, but to also be mindful that it still totally feels like winter, today i bring you one of my favorite dishes on the face of the earth, MUJADRA! it's a humble and cozy rice + lentil dish full of caramelized onions and warm flavorful spices. while most days i usually buy huge containers of it from sahadi's (the most bomb middle eastern grocery/deli in all the land) i've been trying to hone my mujadra-making skills. traditionally, mujadra (also known as mujaddara) is made by cooking the lentils and rice together, but here i use brown basmati rice, which has a longer cook time than white rice, and therefore has to be cooked separately (we don't want no mushy lentils!). i also chose to use leeks in place of sweet onions mostly because i bought 3 leeks the size of baseball bats and needed to use them in something, but also because they're a perfect segue to spring! also in the spirit of our new season, i left behind some of winter's warming spices like turmeric, cinnamon and allspice and replaced them with bright, bitter parsley and pea tendrils. and what dish is complete without an edible vessel? the truth is, food is more fun when you wrap a tortilla around it! i was thinking sandwich, wrap, naan...but in the end i wanted less bread and more mujadra, hence the tortilla. i'm no stranger to putting odd things in tortillas and calling them tacos, so i hope i'm not offending anyone! i can't wait to get into the swing of spring things, should be a good one! xo

mujadra tacos w/ leeks, spring herbs + pea tendrils (gluten free)

| serves 4-6 (makes about 12 tacos) |

the mujadra recipe provided makes roughly 3 cups. if you're planning on making this for a smaller crowd, i suggest either halving the recipe or freezing half for another time (i actually love making a big pot of this just so i can have leftovers to thaw whenever i want). also, the yogurt in the tahini sauce can be substituted with plain soy or coconut yogurt, just be mindful these yogurts do not have as much punchiness as greek yogurt so you may want to add more lemon juice. lastly, this can TOTALLY be eaten without the tortilla, just dollop on the yogurt sauce and chow-down!

ingredients

1 cup lentils (i used de puy)
3/4 cup brown basmati rice
3 large leeks, sliced lengthwise and into thin half moons (roughly 2 1/2 cups)
1 cup parsley, chopped fine
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
fine grain sea salt + freshly ground pepper
pea tendrils, to garnish (you could also use micro greens or sprouts)
small tortillas

yogurt + tahini sauce (slightly adapted from Jerusalem: A Cookbook)

4 1/2 tablespoons greek yogurt
3 1/2 tablespoons tahini paste
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced fine
2-4 tablespoons water
a big pinch of salt

instructions

make the tahini + yogurt sauce

in a medium-sized bowl, combine the yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt and 2 tablespoons of water - whisk to combine. if you like, add more water for a thinner constancy. place in a lidded jar and refrigerate until needed

make the lentils and rice

pick over and remove any cracked or shriveled lentils; rinse under water. place lentils in a medium-sized saucepan with 2 cups of water, bring to a boil. once boiling, turn heat down and bring to a simmer. cook, uncovered for 20-30 minutes. add water as needed to make sure lentils are just covered. once cooked, remove from heat and set aside
wipe out pot, place over medium heat and combine the rice, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, cumin, cayenne 1/4 teaspoon salt and some big cracks of pepper, stir to combine. toast the rice and spices for a couple minutes stirring frequently. add 1 1/2 cups of water; turn heat up and bring to a boil. cover, turn heat to low and allow the rice to cook 40-50 minutes, until water is absorbed. remove from heat and remove lid; place a tea towel over the pot and then place the lid back on. set rice aside
while the rice is cooking, make the caramelized leeks. heat a 10-inch skillet on medium, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. when hot, place leeks in. stir every few minutes or so for even cooking, the leeks with take on a caramel color and be quite fragrant when finished - about 20-25 minutes. set aside

assemble tacos

in a large bowl, combine the lentils, rice, leeks and parsley. taste and adjust seasoning if needed
place warm tacos on a clean work surface, add the mujadra to each tortilla, top with pea tendrils and yogurt-tahini sauce

serve warm and enjoy!