(gluten & dairy free) hazelnut butter brownies + a giveaway! / March 10, 2015 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

hazelnut butter brownies | dolly and oatmeal

hazelnut butter brownies (gluten + dairy free) | dolly and oatmeal

important things today! i've got brownies and a giveaway for you! but first, these cake-y, hazelnut-y brownies!

i've making my fair share of desserts and treats laced with chocolate over the past few months, which i basically chalk up to eating my feelings: feeling #1: being cold. feeling #2: stressed. and feeling #3: chocolate, because chocolate is totally a feeling! these brownies were born out of a love for the happy marriage of chocolate and nuts, and the wonderful things they produce when mixed, stirred and mushed to together. point in case, these brownies! they're adapted from sarah's chocolate chunk nut butter blondies which i made a few weeks ago for valentine's day; they were awesomely delicious and totally inspired me to try a different, nut-based take on a traditional dessert. but because i wanted more brownie and less blondie, i tweaked the recipe by adding hazelnut butter and a bit of raw cacao - so yeah, they're basically NUTELLA brownies! i can't tell you how insane the taste of nutella, in brownie form is, just too good.

and now for the giveaway! my awesome pal, jessica recently released a lovely e-book, a year of breakfast! when she emailed me last year asking if i would like to contribute a breakfast-y, plant-based recipe to her book, i was super thrilled! the book is filled with awesome breakfast recipes; from muffins, to smoothies, and a savory grit recipe i'm dying to make! jessica's just one of those people who has a magnetism about her; whether it's about her work, her little babe, or the things she believes in, she's just one of those super sparkly gems! and jessica's so awesome that she's giving away two copies of a year of breakfast, to 2 lucky peeps!

***to enter a chance to win: in the spirit of friends and recipes, leave a comment below sharing what your favorite recipe is, either from a friend, family member or interweb pal, and i will choose 2 winners at random. contest ends monday, march 16th at 6pm, good luck, y'all! xo

***also, you can still vote for your favorite blogs for the Saveur Blog Awards until march 13th!

hazelnut butter brownies (gluten + dairy free)

the brownies here were made with 2 eggs, resulting in a cake-like texture. however, it you're looking for a more dense, fudgy brownie, use one egg. also, i think these could benefit from some crunch, perhaps leftover chopped hazelnuts, or topped with puffed quinoa were both thoughts that came to mind!

adapted from My New Roots

| makes 16 brownies |

hazelnut butter

2 cups raw hazelnuts

brownies

3/4 cup coconut sugar
1-2 eggs (1 egg for dense brownies, 2 eggs for cake-like brownies)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup hazelnut butter
1/3 cup raw cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2.5 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate (65%-70% cacao), divided

instructions

hazelnut butter

preheat oven to 375°. roast hazelnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet for 10-15 minutes, until toasted and fragrant. let cool completely. rub hazelnuts with fingers or in a dish towel to release skins. place skinned nuts in a high speed blender, blend hazelnuts into a creamy consistency, stopping blender to scrape down sides when needed. place in a lidded jar and refrigerate until ready to use

brownies

preheat oven to 325° and line an 8x8-inch square baking pan with a piece of parchment - long enough to hang over 2 sides
in a medium mixing bowl, briskly whisk together eggs and sugar; add vanilla and hazelnut butter and whisk again until thoroughly combined. in a separate bowl, sift cacao, baking soda and salt; stir into hazelnut butter mixture. then fold in half of the chopped chocolate
spread brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan, the batter will be very sticky; use fingers if necessary to spread out. sprinkle with remaining chocolate, and bake in the center of your oven for 30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean
allow brownies to cool completely before cutting. brownies can be stored at room temperature in an air tight container for up to 5 days

enjoy!

more recipes like this:

chocolate dipped oatmeal-hazelnut cookies

miso-tahini avocado toast w/ black sesame gomasio / March 3, 2015 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

miso tahini avocado toast w/ black sesame gomasio | dolly and oatmeal

do you ever have those weeks where you kind of want to crawl under a blanket and not come out until it's a warm sunny beach day? yeah, me too. after a long stressful week, i was stuck on an airplane for the better part of a morning this weekend. and while i'm usually the girl with all kinds of vibe-y airplane snacks and meals, i didn't bring anything with me except for a nut mix, and a boiled egg (which i had already eaten on the drive). big mistake! after i de-boarded said plane i was left to my own devices, because let's face it, most times airport food is just plain scary (at least for me), but i managed to get my hands on hot water to brew some tea i had stashed in my carry-on. i basically survived on adrenaline and tea for a good 7 hours until i was able to get back home.

like a lot of people i'm sure, i can't stand airports, absolutely loathe them. so when there are occurrences like the one i encountered, my nervous system gets totally whacked. and also like most people, when i get stressed, i crave all the cozies, including warm crunchy toast! this toast variation was born out of something i usually prepare which is a hummus, avo, and egg toast. but since i didn't have the patience to make hummus, i made a thicker tahini sauce fortified with a good amount of pungent miso paste which is super when paired with the subtleness of an avocado. and to top was a healthy dose of black sesame gomasio (basically a toasted sesame salt), mostly because it's what i had on hand, but also because i try to ingest a good amount of black sesames daily for their soothing medicinal properties. some sliced scallions for crunch and some leafy dill to bring some bright herby notes.

avo toast, y'all. it's limits are endless, amiright!? i just saw this version on mr. donny tsang's instagram account the other day and almost flipped my lid! what are some of your favorite combos?

also, also! it's that time of year again where you get to vote for your favorite food blogs in Saveuar's Blog Awards 2015! this is such a thrilling time of year to get the opportunity to acknowledge so many insanely awesome blogs! let your voice be heard! and if you feel so inclined, i wouldn't mind if you threw dolly and oatmeal a vote ;) xo!

miso-tahini avocado toast w/ black sesame gomasio (v + gf)

the gomasio makes more than you will need here, so store in a lidded jar at room temp for up to 5-6 months. i love sprinkling it on green salads, grain salads, roasted vegetables etc., etc. likewise, the miso-tahini makes approx. 1/3 cup and you will likely have leftovers which you can cover and refrigerate for 1-2 weeks.

| makes 4 slices |

black sesame gomasio ingredients

1/4 cup black sesame seeds
1/8 teaspoon large grain sea salt

toast ingredients

1/4 cup tahini paste
1 tablespoon mellow white miso
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3-4 tablespoons water
splash of tamari (optional)
1 ripe avocado, pitted and cut into 4 segments
4 slices of toast, toasted
1-2 tablespoons black sesame gomasio
2 scallions, trimmed and sliced thin
fresh chopped dill, to top (optional)

instructions

in a heavy skillet over a low flame, toast sesame seeds until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. set aside and let cool. place salt and cooled seeds in a mortar and pestle, grind until sandy. set aside until ready to use
in a small mixing bowl, whisk tahini, miso, lemon juice, and garlic; while whisking add water 1 tablespoon at a time until thick and creamy (slightly thicker than a traditional tahini sauce). cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use
take the avocado segments and slice each segment into thin slices. spread a generous amount of miso-tahini onto each piece of toast; top with sliced avocado and sprinkle with gomasio, sliced scallions, and chopped dill (if using)

enjoy!

more like this:

chickpea flour flatbread w/ new potatoes + fresh basil

coconut citrus sunshine smoothie / February 24, 2015 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

coconut citrus smoothie | dolly and oatmeal

the last few weeks of winter are here and they're not letting up around these parts. it's bitter cold, icy sidewalks, dirty snow, and wind that hurts your face and makes you want to cry. sunshine in all and any form is needed...desperately. while i'm usually sipping on hot tea, warm lemon water, or bits of coffee here and there, i've been opting for a cooler, citrusy beverage as of late perhaps to summon a brighter perspective.

my husband isn't the biggest fruit consumer, so when i had a boat ton of citrus leftover from a project, i went to making my favorite juice this time of year, as well as develop a more substantial variety in the form of a creamy smoothie. i wanted something texturally thick, but fluid; slightly sweet, and creamy - almost like a childhood creamsicle, but more nutritionally sound. while i was going for more of a breakfast-y dessert smoothie, than a traditional greens 'n fruit smoothie, you can surely partake in this drink and still feel light and invigorated. in went my fave, fave, fave coconut yogurt (full of probiotics ---> happy belly!), hydrating coconut water, various citrus fruits for color and flavor, some warming nuggets of fresh ginger, a bit of maple syrup to round out the acidity; some chia seeds, bee pollen, and turmeric for their lovely anti-inflammatory properties and amino acids. basically a super high-vibe, slurp-able creamiscle! (and bonus, if you want to make your own coconut milk yogurt, izy's got you covered in a recent article on the kitchn!)

warmth, sunshine + smoothies! xo

coconut citrus sunshine smoothie (gf + v)

usually when i make smoothies i add as i go, which is really what i did here - there's no real math to it, so feel free to start with less and add more as you go. the result of the ingredient amounts below is a fairly fluid smoothie that thickens over time as the chia seeds activate, about 10 minutes.

| makes 4 servings |

1 cup coconut water, cold
1 cup coconut yogurt (or preferred yogurt)
1 navel orange, peeled, cut, and seeds removed
1 ruby red grapefruit, peeled, cut, and seeds removed
1 blood orange, peeled, cut, and seeds removed
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric, extra to top (1 teaspoon fresh turmeric)
1 teaspoon chia seeds, extra to top
1 teaspoon bee pollen, extra to top

instructions

place all ingredients into a high-speed blender; blend on high until smooth and bubbly. taste and adjust, adding more syrup or turmeric. you can serve immediately, or wait 5-10 minutes for the chia seeds to activate, resulting in a thicker smoothie. serve, and sprinkle tops with some more chia seeds, bee pollen, and turmeric