green mojitos / July 1, 2015 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

so i didn't have a backyard garden market this weekend (darn you torrential rain!), BUT i did make use of lots of the kale and mint we've grown back there to make some major green juices, and then there's that bulk-sized batch of kale-basil pesto i made that we're still eating our way through. we also managed to clean up more of the yard, mainly the part all the way in the back that was composed of dirt, bricks, more dirt, and a really overgrown but charming potting table. frank leveled out all of that dirt, covered it with mulch, and hung the outside lights that we've been itching to get up since we got here, making it all a bit more cozy :) while frank was busy taking on the dirt, i planted a bed of meadow flowers and beach grass, with some herbs and lavender weaved throughout. right now it's looking a little stark, but hopefully after a few more rains and some hot summer sunshine it'll fill out and give off that easy breezy, wild flower vibe i'm going for :) we've also got another patch of dirt right outside our door that we've attempted to grown grass on. after the grass grew in patchy with a ton of weeds, we realized we didn't want to buy a lawnmower for a 6x6' lot of grass. so we scrapped the whole idea and plated creeping thyme that we're hoping will grow and spread - fingers crossed!

some of you may know the tess masters from her blog, The Blender Girl, her app, or her new cookbook! i was lucky to receive a copy of her latest book which has 100 smoothie recipes ranging from light, mild, exotic, and leaving you with some high vibe dessert smoothies (the peach crumble smoothie is totally on my summer to-do list!). this green mojito (sans liquor - i know, i totally should have spiked it), is incredibly light, fruity, savory, and tangy all in the same sip. all of the ingredients are easily found in your pantry or at the market, and you don't need a super crazy high-speed blender, which i know is a plus for a lot of folks out there. the lime and mint really shine through in this drink, and truly makes it reminiscent of a traditional mojito - minus that buzz ;) ;)

happy july, everyone! xo

green mojitos (v + gf)

the recipe below states 2 cups of frozen pineapple, however since i'm not the biggest fan of pineapple, i substituted it with 1 cup of frozen mango, and 1 cup frozen peaches. i also didn't have liquid stevia, so i replaced that with 1 teaspoon maple grade B syrup. as for tess's "optional boosters" i added about 1/2-inch worth of ginger, and 2 teaspoons coconut oil; i also reduced the amount of limes from 3 limes to 2.

| serves 2 |

1 cup coconut water (or water)
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
3 limes, peeled and quartered
1 cup curly kale leaves (1 or 2 leaves with stalk removed)
1/2 cup firmly packed mint
2 cups frozen pineapple
5 drops alcohol-free liquid stevia, plus more to taste

optional boosters

1 teaspoon wheatgrass
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon coconut oil

method

throw all of the ingredients into your blender and blend in high for 30 to 60 seconds, until smooth and creamy.

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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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cilantro black rice w/ roasted garlic scapes + asparagus

balsamic roasted asparagus salad w/ fried capers + 7-minute eggs / June 2, 2015 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

balsamic roasted asparagus salad w/ fried capers + 7-minute eggs | dolly and oatmeal

it's hard to believe that it's been over a month since my last blog post! it was april then, and me and frank were just about to move. while the move was just down the street and around the corner, it was more of a headache than we thought. we wrongly assumed that since the move was short we could totally rent a uhaul and move ourselves - dur! i waited until the day before we moved to pack up the kitchen because i was testing and shooting recipes for the cookbook . plus, we were sandwiched between the new tenant moving into our old place, and the old tenant moving out of our new apartment, so we kind of made a mad dash of it piling everything into the uhaul and our car at the last minute. i was that crazy lady in the VW convertible doing laps around the block with plants and chairs, and boxes of cookbooks hanging out of the roof, while people looked on thinking i was nutso.

anyway, it's been a blast so far having a backyard(!!!) and quint (our pup) is LOVING it! he chases squirrels and cats all day long, hunts bugs, eats dirt, and sunbaths like a boss! frank has totally surprised me by how handy he is in the garden, and how determined he is to clean that yard up! so far he's found an old radiator, pounds and pounds of buried bricks, broken statues, and some rusty pipes; we're still trying to figure how all that random stuff made its way here! while it's been great having a outside space, it's even more awesome being able to tend to something that was in dire need of some major tlc - something about the process of making a space over, making it your own, is really gratifying on such a basic level.

speaking of gratifying, this salad! asparagus is one of my all time favorite vegetables, so when it's fresh at the market i'm buying it all up! this is more of a throw-it-together kind of meal, the kind i do for lunch most days, with leftover this, some greens, and always an egg. i almost always roast or top sautéed asparagus with a drizzle of really good aged balsamic vinegar, something about the sweet acidic bite it gives is just too good! i mixed it here with a mesclun mix, some leftover pea shoots, and (game-changing!) fried capers. bon appetit's perfectly runny, but cooked 7-minute egg is something i've been practicing to make for a while, and i've finally figured out how to remove the shell from the egg without the white coming along with it (instructions below!)! it's all about the little things, guys ;)

happy june to you all! xo

balsamic asparagus salad w/ fried capers + 7-minute eggs (gf)

serves 2

1 bunch asparagus (roughly 8oz), woody ends trimmed and sliced into 1 1/2-inches pieces on a diagonal
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
course sea salt
freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon drained capers
1/2 teaspoon organic cornmeal
2 large pasture raised eggs
2 handfuls mesclun mix, baby kale, or mustard greens
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

method

preheat oven to 400° F. in a baking dish, toss together asparagus, 2 teaspoons oil, and balsamic, season with salt and pepper. roast for 10 minutes, until tender.
while asparagus is roasting, fry the capers. toss the capers and cornmeal together. heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in small skillet over medium, once hot add the capers; cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until crisp and cornmeal coating is golden. use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel lined plate; set aside.
prepare an ice bath, set aside. fill a small saucepan 3/4 of the way with water and bring to a boil; gently lower eggs into the water and let it come back to a boil. lower to a rolling simmer and time eggs for 7 minutes. use a slotted spoon and transfer eggs to the ice bath. let eggs cool for at least 5 minutes. use the back of a spoon to tap and crack the shell, rinse eggs and slice in half.
in a large serving bowl, toss greens with lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon olive oil, season with salt and pepper. serve salad with roasted asparagus, fried capers, and sliced eggs. top with herb flowers and serve warm.

enjoy!