cacao nib, coconut macaroons (gluten +dairy free) /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

something i've learned in the world of making coconut macaroons, it could possibly even be a rule: use coconut chips and not shredded coconut, especially if you're making egg-white based macaroons!  last year i made 3 variations of macaroons to take to my parents house for passover.  they were kind of meh, except for the chocolate-chocolate ones - those were bomb.  this year, i'm bringing over just these because they're super, and sweet and everything that i've ever wanted out of a macaroon - sweet, crunchy, toasty with a bit of chew in the center.  i found with this recipe the coconut chips provide a significant amount of structure and texture, where as last year's shredded coconut sadly didn't.  i thought about going the chocolate route - dunking, drizzling, chocolate chips - but i thought the cacao nibs would add a subtle chocolate-y-ness, without being too sweet (as these macaroons are a bit on the sweet side for me).  make them for passover, make them for easter, or make them just to eat and enjoy :)

*today is the last day to vote for your favorite food blog over at Saveur's Best Food Blog Awards, and if you haven't already, you can still vote for dolly and oatmeal, as well as many other blogs!  

cacao nib, coconut macaroons (gluten + dairy free)

| makes 24 macaroons |

macaroons are inherently versatile, feel free to add what you like, whether it's chocolate, jam, fruit or nuts. also, i halved the recipe here and also made the macaroons smaller than the original recipe - feel free to make them larger but just adjust the cook time if you do. 

recipe from Food 52: Alice Mendrich's New Classic Coconut Macaroons

ingredients

  • 2 large free-range egg whites
  • 1 3/4 cups coconut chips
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons natural cane sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • scant 1/8 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • 1/4 cup cacao nibs

instructions

  • in a large heat proof bowl, combine all ingredients except the cacao nibs.  set the bowl directly onto a skillet with barely simmering water - if the bowl is buoyant then pour some water out, you want the bowl to touch the skillet.  stir macaroon mix with a spatula every few seconds to prevent the bottom from getting burned - 5-7 minutes, until the egg whites look thick and frothy, and the mixture is hot to the touch.  set aside for roughly 30 minutes to let the coconut absorb the liquid
  • preheat oven to 350° and line two baking sheets with parchment.  once the mixture has cooled, add the cacao nibs and stir to combine.  using a spoon, scoop about 1/2 tablespoon - 1 tablespoon worth of mix.  using your fingers, turn the mix clockwise until you get the shape you like (you could also just plop mounds too, but i thought this gave them a more defined shape).  gently slide the macaroons off the spoon onto the parchment keeping about 2-inches between each cookie
  • transfer macaroons to the oven (my oven is a bit funky, so i baked each sheet of cookies separately, but feel free to bake them together - just make sure they cook and brown evenly), bake for 5 minutes. turn oven temp down to 325° and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the macaroons are golden brown, rotating halfway through for even baking.  if your macaroons are browning too quickly, lower temp to 300°
  • let cookies cool on a cooling rack.  these are best eaten the day they are baked, but can be stored in an airtight container, at room temp for up to 3 days

enjoy!

toasted fennel-seed, yam gnocchi w/ spinach + chive pesto (+ some rad news!) /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

let's get to the BIG news first, shall we?  dolly and oatmeal has been nominated in the "Best Original Recipes" category for Saveur Magazine's Best Food Blog Awards!!! so many happy emotions i can't even get into it! voting ends april, 9th, so i would be totally honored if you threw a vote my way!  you can click the image below to vote :)


on to all things green!

the past couple of weeks have been kind of awesome to shop at the market and grocery store.  there's a whole new fleet of veggies to choose from; soooo many beautiful baby greens, sprouts, spring onions, herbs and spinach!  i've been kind of torn on what to make for meals as it's spring, but there's still a significant amount of chill in the air.  i've been preparing a lot of items that are warm and soothing to eat when chilly, but also using a little spring in there; call it, my, winter meets spring campaign.  last week were warm mujadra tacos with spring greens + herbs, today, it's yam gnocchi, with some toasted and crushed fennel seeds, coupled with a spinach-chive pesto that is, what i'm calling, muddled spring (is there a cocktail with that name? there totally should be!).  the gnocchi is light enough to be a side dish, but sturdy enough for a meal, while the pesto just brightens the flavor and brings out the anise essence of the fennel seeds.  if there ever was a cozy spring dinner meal, this is it!

as i mentioned above spring is making it's presence known at markets and stores everywhere, but it's official when my favorite vendor, lani's farm, is back at all the nyc greenmarkets.  i made a special trip to the union square market this past saturday and almost squealed when i saw their tent! i think i bought up half their tray of spinach, then i purchased 2 large squares of kale and radish sprouts, plus every herb bundle that was available!  i was even happier when i got home and to wash my green loot in my beautiful new colander!  the kind people at Savora sent me one and it's really quite super, not to mention beautiful! while i usually go for a more rustic aesthetic, i'm loving how clean, polished and bright it is!  it comes in various colors but i'm really feeling the white as it gives off a spring/summer-y vibe.  i'm also really stoked to check out some of their other products, especially the hand-held grater (for all the veggies) and ice cream scoop (hello, summer!).  plus they're based in my native homeland, long island!  if you're interested you can totally get your hands on one of their beautiful pieces at bloomingdale's.

toasted fennel-seed, yam gnocchi w/ spinach + chive pesto (gluten free + dairy free)

serves 4 

ingredients

  • 3-4 hannah yams (approx. 1 pound)
  • 1 1/2-2 cups brown rice flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, toasted + crushed
  • 4-5 garlic cloves, roasted
  • 1 free-range egg
  • 1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
  • salt + pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup spinach + chive pesto

spinach + chive pesto

  • 2 cups fresh spinach
  • 1/4 cup fresh chives
  • 1/3 cup raw pistachios, toasted
  • 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

instructions

  • preheat oven to 400°.  place yams on a baking tray and bake for 45-50 minutes, until a fork can pierce the flesh easily.  remove yams from oven and allow to cool
  • in a large bowl, scoop yam flesh from the skin, add the roasted garlic and mash together until combined.  add the egg, toasted fennel seeds, parsley and salt + pepper; mix until combined.  a little bit at a time, add the flour until the dough comes together
  • on a floured work surface, cut the dough into 4 even pieces.  roll one piece at a time into a log, roughly 2 feet long, cut into 3/4-inch pieces (this is totally optional but you can use a fork to roll them into the shape in the images), transfer to a floured tray or plate
  • bring a large pot of water to a boil, gently transfer approx. 20 pieces of gnocchi  (more or less depending on the size of your pot, you don't want to crowd them or have them stick to one another, so refrain from adding too many), cook gnocchi for about 3 minutes - until they float to the surface.  with a slotted spoon, gently scoop them out and transfer to an oiled dish. repeat with remaining gnocchi. reserve a couple tablespoons of cooking water
  • place gnocchi in a large serving bowl and top with pesto, if needed, thin out consistency of pesto with reserved cooking water, taste and season accordingly
  • garnish with chopped chives, crushed pistachios and/or parsley

enjoy!

mujadra tacos w/ leeks, spring herbs + pea tendrils /  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!