Summer Fridays!: Breakfast-y Blueberry Chocolate Chip Cookies / August 5, 2016 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Summer Fridays!: Breakfast-y Blueberry Chocolate Chip Cookies | dolly and oatmeal #glutenfree

we just got back from dog/house-sitting for my parents. and even though we weren't technically on a vacation it was good to be away from the city and breath fresh air! but now that we're home, i feel like i'm in full-on baby mode. i've been cleaning out stacks of magazines, sifting through the kitchen cabinets of baking pans, odd spices, and glassware trying to make space for all things baby - bottles and whatever other storage we will likely need. we're getting ready to put together the rocking chair and crib my in-laws so graciously gifted us. so i think that will set the motions that all this is really happening! and like most stressful situations - pregnant or not - the next couple of weeks will likely call for cookies.

i don't know about you, but against all my good judgement, i love a good cookie/sweet in the morning. i usually pick up one gluten-free/vegan cookie at the supermarket every so often, but naturally the sugar goes right to my head. so, my goal here was to make a balanced cookie, one that is all the things i love in a good chocolate chip cookie, but with enough good-for-you ingredients to make a respectable breakfast-y cookie. after a few attempts, i found the right balance of healthy fat to leave you feeling good after a breakfast nibble. so you'll find a mix of pecans and almonds ground into a meal, and mixed together with oat flour. there's also a good amount of coconut oil that's creamed together with coconut sugar which sweetens these cookies while also keeping the glycemic index down. and lastly, the dark chocolate and blueberries are a favorite combo of mine, and i think you'll love them together here jumbled up in a delicious cookie!

*also, there's still time to enter into this cookbook and chicago cutlery giveaway if you haven't done so already ;)

love & cookies!

breakfast-y blueberry chocolate chip cookies | gf & df

feel free to substitute your favorite berry here, raspberries would be super, as well as currants - i'm thinking the tartness would play off the chocolate in an awesome way. you could just as easily forgo any fruit and have yourself a really good chocolate chip cookie - however, it might take away from the cookie's breakfast-y vibe ;)

| makes 26 cookies |

1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raw pecans
1 cup (gluten-free) oat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon unrefined extra-virgin coconut oil, soft
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup fresh blueberries

method

preheat the oven to 350° and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
in a blender or food processor, pulse the almonds and pecans into a "meal". in a large bowl whisk together the nut meal, oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. set aside.
in another large bowl, use a wooden spoon to cream the sugar and coconut oil together, then mix in the egg and vanilla,
in about 3 applications, add the dry mix to the wet and mix to combine. fold in the chocolate, then gently fold in the blueberries.
drop dough by the tablespoon, about 2-inches apart, onto the prepared cookie sheets. then place in the freezer or refrigerator for 10 minutes.
bake 10-13 minutes, until edges are light brown. place on a rack and let cookies cool before serving.

enjoy!

similar recipes:

Vegan Caprese Salad (& A Giveaway!) / August 2, 2016 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

to say that the past few days have been an adventure would be an understatement! friday evening our nephew, nico was born in LA!!! we had been anticipating his arrival for over a week now, so when he finally made his arrival we were up late texting back and forth for any updates on how the little guy and his parents were doing! my parents texted us a few photos of him in his little hospital hat all swaddled up in a blanket, his eyed closed, and his cheeks pink and puffy - we were, and are, forever smitten by him. really, just too delicious for words.

saturday was spent doing more of the same - waiting around for texts and photos to come in, any glimpse of that little babe! thanks to the miracle of facetime, we were able to see his little face in real time, and hear some of his precious coos and cries.

frank and i can't help but think about how this will be us in just a few more weeks. bringing our babe home from the hospital and living in those moments that i know are somewhere between being absolutely amazing, while simultaneously feeling completely delusional. and while i'm still in the phase of thinking that somehow all the baby prep will get done and we'll be somewhat ready for him, i have been thinking about how our dinner routine, among everything else in life, will forever change!

so many people have said that batch-cooking and freezer meals are the way to go for when the baby comes, because you have zero time to make meals. i'm not one for planning ahead (maybe you've realized that from the paragraph above), nor am i one for cooking ahead of time - at least when it comes to freezer meals. and to be honest, we have a a junior refrigerator that's basically the size of my toe, and doesn't fit much at all. but when i received kristin donnellly's new book, modern potluck the other week, and was flipping through some of her recipes, i thought that so many of them would totally work as big-batch cooking that could last all week - without having to freeze anything! this book is perfect for everyone, but i found it potentially inspiring for new parents! the contents of the book include: snacks & dips, main course salads (so genuis!), 9x13-Inch pan casseroles, supporting-role salads (another favorite chapter!), baked & savory, and desserts. besides the salad i'm sharing today, her middle eastern seven-layer salad is all that i'm thinking about, along with her spice-roasted carrots with lentils and yogurt, and her late-summer vegetable enchilada pie are all on my to-make list!

*the giveaway: one reader will win a copy of kristin donnelly's, modern potluck, along with a chicago cutlery 8-inch chef kinife, AND a chicago cutlery woodworks 12x18-inch bamboo cutting board! (cutting board pictured below.)

*to enter : please leave a comment (with a working email address, please!) sharing what your favorite summer potluck meals are - ones you've made, or even ones you've eaten! giveaway is open to US residents only (sorry overseas friends!), and will close august 9, 2016 at 5pm EST. good luck, everyone!

***UPDATE - if you left a comment yesterday, August 2nd, please re-submit, as my comments section was not working. the comments are up and running now, and i will see all entries! thank you so much, and i'm sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused!

vegan caprese salad | v & gf

a vegan caprese was never in my vocabulary, nor did i know it was a thing! but the beans here almost have a melty quality that totally lend themselves to a fresh mozzarella replacement! the dish uses vegetables that are most ubiquitous this time of year: tomatoes and basil! the flavor really comes from the stewed garlicky beans, and the sweet tomato juices from fresh summer tomatoes. kristin includes lemongrass in the ingredient list, but i left it out because i couldn't get my hands on any. i also added a few greens to my dish, as well as oregano blossoms for garnish. oh! and this dish, served on toast, A+!

from Kristin Donnelly's Modern Potluck

| serves 8-16 |

4 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans (or 6 cups cooked beans from about 2 1/2 cups dried) rinsed and drained
4 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon finely chopped lemongrass (from 1 stalk, optional)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 pounds mixed ripe tomatoes, sliced into rounds or wedges
flaky salt, for garnish
basil leaves, torn, for garnish

method

in a medium pot, combine the beans with the garlic and bay leaves. cover with water and simmer over medium-low heat until the beans lose some of the canned flavor, 15 to 20 minutes. drain well and discard the garlic and bay leaves.
in a bowl, gently toss the beans with the lemongrass and 1/4 cup olive oil; they will fall apart a bit and that's okay. season generously with salt and a few grinds of pepper.
spoon beans onto a platter and arrange the tomatoes on top. drizzle with more olive oil and garnish with flaky sea salt, basil, and a few more grinds of pepper, then serve.

Kristin notes: the salad can be assembled prior to a potluck, as the tomato juices will flavor the beans. she prefers to add the basil just before serving to make sure it doesn't darken. the salad can be refrigerated overnight. bring to a cool room temperature for up to 2 hours before serving.

similar recipes:

Summer Fridays! Almond-Blueberry Pie Bars (V/GF) / July 29, 2016 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Summer Fridays! Almond-Blueberry Pie Bars | dolly and oatmeal #glutenfree #vegan

happy summer friday! this week has been a little crazy in our family. frank and i have been upstate at my parents' house while they're out in LA for the birth of my nephew! i can't even think about how sad i am not to be there for his birth, so i'm not going to go into it for fear of dissolving into a pile of sobbing tears. i had every intention of feeling well enough to fly out there, but being so pregnant and achy and swollen i decided to sit this one out, sadly. plus, we just celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary and i didn't really want to be 3,000 miles away from frank on that day.

we rang in 3 years of marriage the other day by having a marathon meal of a brunch at blue hill at stone barns. it was super. we feasted on some amazing dishes that were so creative and out-of-this world delicious that we're still talking about how we would ever re-create a gluten-free whole grain pasta dish with a hard boiled egg, charred beans with a silky almond sauce, and these wedges of summer squash with brown sugar, honey, and flaky salt - those were so good! i'm sure i'm missing a few meals, but it was definitely a special day. and to top it all off, the next night there were insane, tsunami-like thunderstorms that ushered in pink skies and this massive and beautiful rainbow! all-in-all country life has shown us a good time so far, and we're super happy to be breathing in all this fresh summer air!

but let's change gears a bit and talk about these pie bars! i packed some up and sent my parents off with a bunch as an airplane snack. when i spoke to my mom the next morning, she was eating one and telling me how well they held up for hours of being clunked around, and then kept out overnight. so, i'm happy to report that these babes are super resilient, and not as dainty and delicate as i thought they would be for travel. they're all that pie is: flaky, a bit salty, and gooey and slightly broken fruit. but this version is so much easier on prep. instead of making myself (and you) insane and preparing a pie crust in this humidity, i made a heartier, but still flaky, shortbread-like crust that's pressed into the baking pan. once the crust is par-baked, in goes the fruit, then it's topped off with a simple, but crumbly, crumble topping! these bars are ideal for any dessert situation, to take to a picnic, or, as it happens, on a long flight!

all the lovin' summer vibes! xo

Summer Fridays! Almond-Blueberry Pie Bars | dolly and oatmeal #vegan #glutenfree

almond-blueberry pie bars | v & gf

i haven't given it a go, but i suppose these could made with frozen blueberries as well. i call for fine brown rice flour here just to eliminate any course texture that regular brown rice flour can sometimes have. but if all you have on hand is regular brown rice that will work just as well.

| makes 16 bars |

topping

3/4 cup fine brown rice flour
1/2 cup (gluten-free) old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
5-6 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

crust

1 cup (gluten-free) old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup fine brown rice flour
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
2 tablespoons good maple syrup

filling

4 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/2 tablespoon arrowroot powder
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
pinch of fine sea salt

Summer Fridays! Almond-Blueberry Pie Bars

method

preheat oven to 350°F. grease an 8x8 square baking pan, then line it with parchment paper allowing enough excess over the sides (this makes it easier to remove the bars later on). set aside.
make the topping. with a fork, whisk together all of the ingredients except for the oil. a few tablespoons at a time, add the coconut oil until the mixture has some small and large crumbs (depending on if it's humid or dry, this takes anywhere from 5-6 tablespoons of oil). cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.
make the crust. to an upright blender, or food processor fitted with a metal "s" blade, pulse the oats, flour, almonds, and salt. blend until the almonds are broken down into a "meal". transfer to a mixing bowl, add the coconut oil, and the maple syrup, squeeze the dough between your fingers, it should stick together, if it is too crumbly, add more oil, 1 teaspoon at a time, until dough comes together. spread the dough evenly into the prepared pan and press firmly into the bottom, sides, and corners. bake for 6-8 minutes, until lightly golden.
while the crust is baking, prepare the filling. gently toss together the berries, sugar, arrowroot, lemon juice, and salt, set aside.
when the crust is finished par-baking, remove it from the oven and spread the filling evenly over the top. use your fingers to break up the topping and spread it evenly over the filling.
bake for 35-40 minutes, until top is golden brown and filling is bubbling (if you can't see the filling, inset a sharp knife into the center, if it comes out with what looks like jam on it, then you know your filling it cooked!).
place pie bars on a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before slicing into 16 squares. serve with your choice of vanilla ice cream (totally optional, but totally awesome!)
since it's just the 2 of us, i like to store these in a lidded container in the fridge so they don't go bad in the summer heat. they can be reheated or eaten at room temp.

enjoy!