snacks

BAKED KABOCHA SQUASH CHIPS by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal


since there’s so many thanksgiving recipes already out there, i thought i’d come in here with something festive, yet a little lighter. personally, with 2 little ones and not much time to cook, we’re planning to order our holiday sides from a local shop (frank and i are making a turkey - it’s become our yearly thing). so i thought i’d share this super easy recipe for homemade winter squash chips!

not only are they aesthetically pleasing, but they taste so good. they definitely bring me back to my Terra chip days - a bit heartier than a potato chip, and a smidge on the sweet side. because they can be a bit time consuming (and by time consuming, i mean you’re mostly just babysitting while they bake in the oven), i like to serve them with other dippers - potato chips, crackers, cut veg, etc. they bring a super festive vibe to the appetizer table, too, which i especially love this time of year :)



baked kabocha squash chips | gf & v

print the recipe!

notes:

  • if you don’t have/can’t find kabocha squash, acorn squash is a great alternative.

  • i like to serve these chips alongside other favorite dippers - potato chips, crackers, cut veg, etc.

  • go wild with seasonings. i went plain, but you could use anything here - get creative!

  • serve this with your favorite dip - hummus (my favorite), vegan onion dip, whipped tahini, or vegan labneh.

  • these are best eaten the day they are made, but will stay fresh in a sealed bag for up to 2 days.

ingredients

  • 1/2 kabocha squash, cut in half and seeds scooped

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  • 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

  • fresh ground pepper, to taste

  • flaky salt, to finish

method

  1. preheat oven to 250°F, line 2 baking sheet with parchment or a silpat, and set aside.

  2. use a mandolin to slice the squash super thin - about 1/16-inch. with your hands, toss squash slices with the olive oil, fine salt, and pepper to taste, until all slices are nicely coated (add more oil as needed, but be careful not to add too much). arrange the squash slices in a single layer on the baking sheets.

  3. bake the squash for 1 hour, rotating the sheets top to bottom, halfway through. after 1 hour flip the chips over and continue to bake them until they’re browned and crunchy, about 30-40 minutes.

  4. remove the chips as they bake and become crispy (some chips may take longer to crisp up), transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

  5. once all chips are baked and crunchy, serve with a good sprinkle of flaky salt, and a good dip (like hummus!).


similar recipes:


(bean-less) kabocha squash hummus

(bean-less) kabocha squash hummus

beet techina

beet techina

za’atar spiced chickpea crackers

za’atar spiced chickpea crackers

A Winter Mezze by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal


i don't know about you, but the holidays, and more specifically christmas, has always meant a good amount holiday hors d'oeuvres.  my family's christmas eve tradition was to basically snack on a whole spread of cheeses, fruit, bread, crackers, nuts, etc. throughout the night.  it was my favorite!  it was a special night where we gather around the coffee table in our living room that my mom would set up with all the snack-y items along with special little hors d'oeuvres forks, fancy paper napkins, and sparkling apple cider in our nice glassware.  my dad would make a fire, and we would sit and snack and chat and have the best time.  

our christmas eve tradition was something that always stuck with me, not the gifts, or which year's christmas tree was the best.  the moments i spent with my family, in that living room, munching on finger food was.  i yearn for traditions like that to continue with amesy.  we're still in the everyday hustle of having a little one running around that it's difficult to see how or where those traditions will be molded and made, but i have great hopes that they will naturally take place.  

this year i wanted to keep that snack-like tradition going, but make a change to be more friendly to how we generally eat nowadays.  so i made a cozy, winter mezze.  there's a take on a dish that was my favorite from a restaurant in brooklyn called, tanoreen.  it was a fried cauliflower dish with tahini sauce and pomegranate molasses that i would scarf alongside a big helping of mujadra.  the spiced cauliflower i made here is my iteration of it.  we season it with 7 warm spices, then roast on a high heat so it gets a bit of carmalization on its edges.  from there it's served warm with a creamy tahini sauce, and a few drizzles of the punchy pomegranate molasses.  there's also a beet techina (tahini dip) that's perfectly smooth and creamy, and seasoned with a bit of cumin, a good amount of lemon juice, some earthiness from the beet, and little flecks of crunch from the poppy seeds.  it's all served with falafel, warm flatbread, hummus, fresh cut veg, some briny olives, and some sweet fruit.  

i'm so grateful to simply organic for their, cook for a change initiative that's highlighting ways we can change the way we're cooking, connecting with others through food, transforming classic dishes into ones that fit your lifestyle, or trying different cooking techniques.  and you can get involved for such a wonderful cause.  simply organic and the Ceres Community Meals Healing Project are teaming up to deliver organic meals to critically ill people during this holiday season. if you would like to participate: take a photo of how your cooking change tagging it with, #cookforachange.  tag a friend and challenge them to #cookforachange as well.  1 tag + 1 hashtag = 1 meal delivered.  i love the idea that no matter what you're cooking, or how you're cooking it, that you can relate and connect through the nourishment of food.  whether that's in the physical act of eating it, or sharing moments with those you love.

wishing you all cozy times ❤️ xo

this post was created in partnership with simply organic.  all thoughts and opinions, as always, are my own.  thank you for supporting the sponsors that help keep dolly and oatmeal going!



beet techina (tahini dip) | v

| serves 4-6 |

7-spice roasted cauliflower

| serves 4-6 |

  • 1 large head cauliflower, cut into small florets
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons 7-spice mix (ingredients below)
  • kosher salt 
  • tahini sauce (recipe below)
  • 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
  • 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
  • pomegranate molasses, for serving
  • chopped parsley, to garnish

7-spice mix:

tahini sauce:

  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 1 small clove garlic, minced
  • 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • fine salt & fresh pepper
  • filtered water


method

  1. preheat oven to 400°F.  prick the beet all over with a fork, drizzle with olive oil and wrap in foil.   bake for 45 minutes - 1 hour, until fork tender.  let cool completely.
  2. beet techina. add the cooled beet, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, and 1/2 cup water to a high-speed blender or food processor.  blend until combined, stopping to scrape down the sides, and adding more water for desired consistency.  season with salt and pepper.  scrape the dip into a lidded container and store in the refrigerator until ready to use (dip can be made a couple of days in advance).
  3. spiced cauliflower. preheat oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  add the cauliflower florets to a large bowl and drizzle well with olive oil.  mix in the spice mix, and season with salt.  spread the cauliflower out onto the baking sheet.  cook for 30 minutes, tossing the cauliflower halfway through, until edges are golden. 
  4. while the cauliflower is cooking, make the tahini sauce.  whisk together the tahini, garlic, and lemon juice, add water a couple tablespoons at a time until the sauce is runny.  season with salt and pepper, and set aside.  
  5. place warm cauliflower in a serving bowl, drizzle with tahini sauce.  top with pine nuts, pomegranate seeds, pomegranate molasses, and chopped parsley.  serve warm.

similar recipes:


mujadra tacos w/ leeks, spring herbs & pea tendrils

mujadra tacos w/ leeks, spring herbs & pea tendrils

black beluga lentil hummus w/ roasted fennel & garlic

black beluga lentil hummus w/ roasted fennel & garlic

za'atar spiced chickpea crackers w/ maldon sea salt

za'atar spiced chickpea crackers w/ maldon sea salt

(no bake) peanut butter + cacao nib cereal bars (gf + v) by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal


i'm pretty sure i've spoken about my affinity for peanut butter, but when i looked in my blog archive and found only a single recipe highlighting one of my favorite things to enjoy, i knew i needed to fix that!  my fondness for peanut butter is somewhat well-known to those who are around me often, i've even received a jar of peanut butter and a copy of E.T. as a birthday present one year because my friend knew how much i loved those 2 together. and when i'm hungry for a quick snack i'll grab a spoonful of peanut butter.  then there are the days  when i'm super lazy and needing that nut buttery fix and an apple and peanut butter is my lunch, or even my dinner.  so when i saw these cereal bars on pinterest a few weeks ago, i had the biggest Oprah, aha (!!!) moment.  i could combine my fave cereal and my fave nut butter to make the bars of my dreams!

these bars are the simplest and most rewarding snacks that come together and can be enjoyed in about 30 minutes (freezing the bars makes the set faster, which i'm a huge fan of!).  there's no baking, or setting, and they're kind of on the healthy side.  i used puffed varieties of brown rice and millet, which happen to be gluten free whole grains, plus, they have a super crunchy texture which gives them a rice crispy treat quality.   there's also cacao nibs for crunch and some chocolate undertones, and chopped peanuts because that peanut flavor is so necessary ;)  they're easy to store, portable, and somewhat filling - all wins in my book!  i hope you enjoy them as much as i do :)

xo!



peanut butter + cacao nib cereal bars | v + gf

as i said above, i love peanut butter and really wanted a peanut buttery snack.  but feel free to incorporate your preferred choice of nut butter and nuts here.  you could also use another crunchy cereal of choice, or replace the brown rice syrup with honey. and if you're wanting more chocolatey flavor replace the cacao nibs with chocolate chips, or melt chocolate and drizzle on top of the bars.

| makes 16 square bars |

  • coconut oil, for the pan
  • 1 1/2 cups puffed brown rice
  • 1 1/2 cups puffed millet
  • 3/4 cup unsalted roughly chopped roasted peanuts 
  • 1/2 cup cacao nibs
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2 cup brown rice syrup
  • 1/2 cup unsalted peanut butter


method

  1. lightly grease an 8x8-inch square pan with coconut oil.  line the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. in a large bowl, mix together the brown rice puffs, millet puffs, chopped peanuts, cacao nibs, and salt.
  3. in a small saucepan over a medium-low heat, use a rubber spatula to combine the brown rice syrup and peanut butter.  heat and stir the mixture until it's fluid and smooth, about 5 minutes.  pour the syrup and peanut butter mixture over the puffed cereal mix and use the spatula to combine.  mix for a few minutes, until each piece of the mixture is evenly coated. 
  4. transfer the mixture to your prepared pan and use the back of the spatula (or, if the mixture isn't too hot, use your fingers) to press the bards firmly and evenly into the pan.
  5. let the bars sit at room temperature for 1 hour, or freeze for 20 minutes until firm.  slice the bars into 16 squares with a sharp knife.  bars can be kept in an air tight container at room temperature for 4-5 days.

similar recipes:


cacao nib + coconut macaroons

cacao nib + coconut macaroons

dark chocolate salted nut bars

dark chocolate salted nut bars

ginger + lemon zest granola w/ puffed quinoa

ginger + lemon zest granola w/ puffed quinoa