sauce sunday

TOMATO CREAM SAUCE (VEGAN) /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

happy sunday! i hope you’re having a good weekend so far. it’s a relaxing but busy one here. we’re getting ready for baby (6 more weeks, until my due date!), but also trying to get in solo time with amesy on the weekends. and since it’s finally starting to feel like summer, we hit the beach yesterday, and today we are heading to a splash pad at a local park - all the water activities for this boy! it’s hard to believe we’ll soon be a family of 4, and that amesy will be a big brother. trying to not get too anxious, and let it be what it will be. but that’s very much easier said than done!

anywho! let’s talk about this sunday sauce! if you’ve been a reader here for a while then you might remember a similar recipe for a similar creamy tomato sauce a couple of years ago. while i whip out the other one when i have time to make the tomato sauce from scratch, the recipe today takes half the time, and zero “cooking” is involved. it is truly a busy person’s meal prep sauce! what we do is make a batch of garlicky cashew cream - yum! then we take a jar of your favorite tomato sauce, and add about 1/2 cup of the cream. from there, a little salt and pepper to punch up the flavor a bit, and some fresh thyme. of course we love this for an easy pasta night. but it can easily be used in place of tomato sauce for any dish you like. here are some of my favorite ways to use it throughout the week:

  • over zoodles, add your protein of choice, but turkey meatballs are great here, or your favorite plant-based protein.

  • take your pasta up a notch, and make a pasta bake (just replace the alfredo sauce for creamy tomato sauce, and go from there).

  • lasagna is one of my go=to’s as well. you could use it here in place of the pesto, or forget the noodles all together and use summer zucchini for a grain-free version (i personally love this recipe, i swap out the cheese for vegan mozzarella, and the yogurt for vegan ricotta).

  • of course pizza is another favorite. the creamy sauce takes it up a notch for sure.

  • and if you’re almost in the thick of winter where you are, over spaghetti squash, or as a creamy base for a minestrone soup would be my winter go-to’s!

whatever you make with it though, you won’t be disappointed. that bit of creaminess makes everything a bit more extra, but in the best way possible! i hope you get the chance to make it :)

xo!

tomato cream sauce | v

print the recipe

| makes roughly 3 1/2 cups sauce |

method

  1. make the cashew cream. place the cashews in a bowl and cover them with filtered water. let the cashews soak 10-12 hours, or overnight until soft.

  2. drain and rinse the cashews. place them in the container of high-speed upright blender. add the water, vinegar, garlic, a few big pinches of salt, and a few cracks of pepper. blend everything on high for a couple of minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the container, as needed. blend until graininess has disappeared, and cashew sauce is silky smooth. taste and adjust any seasonings as needed. store in a lidded container for up to 1 week.

  3. make the tomato cream sauce. add the tomato sauce to a large bowl, add 1/2 cup cashew cream and stir until combined. use as desired. leftovers can be stored in a lidded jar for up to 1 week.

ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups raw cashews

  • 1/2 cup filtered water

  • 2 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

  • 1 clove garlic

  • fine salt & fresh ground pepper

  • 24 ounce jar tomato sauce

GARLIC, HERB & SHALLOT CONFIT /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

happy sunday, friends! popping in here quick to share this favorite way to preserve any and all vegetables. while making a confit is a wonderful technique to use in the later summer months with the bounty of fresh tomatoes that are surely on their way, i love to make a very allium-forward confit. and it couldn’t be more simple. we essentially take a few ingredients: shallots, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and olive oil - that’s it! from there, they get tossed in a cooking pot, plopped in the oven for about 40-45 minutes, and the result is tender morsels, that are rich and jammy in texture. plus, you’re left with the most fragrant garlic-herb-shallot oil. i’m sure you’re saying…that’s great, now what do i do with confit? my answer is: what can you not do with it! here are a few of my favorite ways to utilize it:

  • pizza! i make a white pizza and use schmear about 4-5 cloves of jammy garlic into the crust, then cheese and herbs, then chopped up shallot confit. you literally couldn’t have a tastier pie!

  • roast up some crispy chickpeas in the preserved oil.

  • smash some onto an open-faced sandwich situation (pictured below, but you can find the recipe here).

  • in pasta or pasta salad with whatever additions you like.

  • smash the shallot and garlic into mashed potatoes, or for a more summer-friendly dish, add them to potato salad.

  • use the infused oil for the base of any salad dressing that calls for olive oil.

  • chop up the garlic and shallot confit and add to any grilled or roasted vegetables.

  • and my ultimate favorite: hummus. start with about 3 cloves garlic and 1-2 shallots (depending on how big they are), and go from there. i promise, you will have the most flavorful hummus of your life - and don’t forget to drizzle some of that infused oil on top ;)

i know this isn’t a sauce per se, but it lasts so long in your fridge and can be used in so many key dishes, that i think you will agree that it can be just the workhorse that any sauce or dressing is!

xo!

garlic, herb & shallot confit | v/gf

print the recipe

| makes just over 4 cups |

method

  1. preheat oven to 350°F.

  2. place the shallots, garlic, thyme, bay leaves and kosher salt in a large lidded pot (i generally use a 5 1/2 qt. dutch oven). pour over the 2 cups of olive oil, making sure everything is covered with oil (add more oil if needed to fully submerge the shallots and garlic).

  3. place in the center of the oven and cook for 40-45 minutes, until the shallots and garlic are soft when pierced with a sharp knife.

  4. let cool completely, then store in an airtight jar. confit will last up to 2 months in your refrigerator.

ingredients

  • 1 lb. shallots, peeled and cut in half

  • 2 heads garlic, cloves separated and peeled

  • 10-12 sprigs fresh thyme sprigs

  • 3 bay leaves

  • 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

  • 2 cups extra virgin olive oil

EVERYDAY VEGAN CAESAR DRESSING /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

we’re back again this week with a favorite dressing that i’ve been wanting to share here for a long while. i’ve been making different variations of vegan caesar dressings for years now. it first began in my book when i discovered that when you mixed chickpea flour with water over a low flame you could achieve a gooey/creamy cheese-like texture that when blended with a few other ingredients could come very close to the flavor of a traditional caesar salad dressing. a few years later, i developed another iteration of a caesar dressing, but this time with a coconut yogurt and tahini base. over the past couple of years though, plant-based yogurt has come a long way, and the flavors and textures that were once harder to achieve have become much easier. so here is yet another variation using a newer-to-me almond milk yogurt that i love.

this recipe uses a plant-based yogurt i rely on for many creamy sauces. it’s a greek-style almond milk yogurt that (because of its thick texture) holds up much like that of a traditional greek yogurt. from there, we simply add a few pantry staples to get that rich and tangy, caesar dressing flavor we all know and love. we replace the parmesan cheese with nutritional yeast giving it that distinct cheesy vibe. and add a splash of coconut aminos (or tamari) for a little hit of umami flavor that otherwise would have been provided by anchovies. there’s some dijon, garlic, and lemon juice, and a few other ingredients that result in the best vegan caesar dressing i’ve had (and made) to date!

while you can totally use this as a traditional caesar dressing, i’ve come to love using it as a dip as well. and because it lasts in your fridge for well over a week, it’s perfect as part of your meal prep rotation (and not just for caesar salads!). it’s a great for a snack with some cut veg, drizzled over roasted asparagus, mixed into a chicken, chickpea or egg salad. tossed into a lentil bowl. drizzled over a lunch or dinner bowl. or even a dip for homemade baked fries (last night we used it to drizzle over our veggie kabobs and it was everything!). like i’ve noted before, i love an all-purpose dressing/dip, and this one for sure hits the mark. i hope you get the chance to make it!

happy sunday, loves. xo!

everyday vegan caesar dressing

print the recipe

method

  1. in a high-speed blender (preferably a Vitamix), combine the yogurt, nutritional yeast, vinegar, lemon juice, dijon, capers, garlic, coconut aminos, and season with salt and pepper. pulse; with the blender running on low, drizzle in the olive oil until everything is combined and dressing is smooth and creamy.

  2. remove the lid, taste. adjust any seasonings if necessary.

  3. store dressing in a lidded jar in your refrigerator for up to 10 days.

ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cultured plant-based yogurt (preferably this one)

  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

  • 2 teaspoons dijon mustard

  • 2 teaspoons drained capers

  • 1 clove garlic, grated over a microplane

  • splash of coconut aminos, or gluten-free tamari

  • fine salt & freshly ground pepper

  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil