Turmeric Carrot Apple Soup / January 4, 2017 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Turmeric Carrot Apple Soup | dolly and oatmeal

happy 2017! i hope you all had a wonderful beginning to the new year :) frank and i made our yearly tradition of mole sauce, except this year we kinda cheated by using a starter! basically it had all the spices, chiles, and nuts/seeds all ground up and made into a paste so that all we had to do was add sautéed tomatoes, some stock, and salt! somehow it still took 2 hours to make in between soothing our babe, playing with him, stopping to feed and change him, all that good stuff ;) i also took some time to reflect a bit on the past year. it was grand in so many ways. having my cookbook published, being pregnant and having a baby! in many ways it was the most fulfilling year, but also super rough as well. there were quite a few personal hurdles, the emotional suck of the presidential election and its outcome, and the curious world of hormones post-baby. it's been an interesting year to say the least.

when i was about 2 1/2 months postpartum i began waking up with pretty bad joint pain in my fingers, and enough back pain where it was hard doing much of anything with amesy aside from sitting down with him. so, in an effort to combat the pain and inflammation, and my weakened immune system (i hadn't had a cold in about 2 years, but have had 2 colds in the past 3 months!) i began increasing my intake of turmeric. most recently i made turmeric paste which i add to smoothies, teas, warm nut milk, soups, etc. there are a lot of recipes out here for it, but the one i made was a simple blend of ground turmeric, water, black pepper, and coconut oil, which i really love. it's soothing and pungent in all the right ways. some days are better than others, but the pain i was experiencing in the morning has eased significantly and my back is definitely on the mend. in my experience, food has always been the best medicine and while i’m not saying it’s a cure-all for everything, it is always my first go-to in order to heal and repair my body.

i've been meaning to share this soup with you all for quite some time. i made and shot it 3 days before i delivered amesy knowing that i would welcome a warm, replenishing bowl upon coming home from the hospital. as life would have it, it was the last dish i made before having him, and the first thing i ate after having him, so it's a bit of a sentimental recipe to me.

this soup is definitely one of my favorites flavor-wise. i make a version of this with winter squash each year but decided to swap the squash for carrots. the carrots make for a more subdued sweetness and a thinner consistency which is a nice change. mixed together with the tart apple and the earthy turmeric, makes for a beautiful flavor that only gets better the longer the soup sits and the flavors marry. i hope you all enjoy it as much as i do :)

big love to you all for your continued support of this space throughout the years. i hope we continue to grow together in 2017! xo

turmeric carrot apple soup | v & gf

| makes 4 servings |

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large apple (honeycrisp or another tart apple), peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 pounds carrots, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
1 bundle thyme, tied with string
1/2 cup unsweetened cultured coconut yogurt
sea salt and fresh pepper, to taste

method

heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. add the onion and apple and cook until both are soft, about 6-8 minutes. add the garlic, turmeric, and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. then add the carrots, stock, and thyme and bring it all to a simmer. cover and cook until the carrots are tender, about 20-25 minutes. remove from heat and let the soup sit for 10 minutes.
remove the thyme bundle and carefully blend the soup in a blender or food processor. add the yogurt, season with salt and pepper, to taste. then blend it once more.
transfer the pureed soup back to the soup pot and bring to a simmer. serve soup hot and garnish with toasted pecans, drizzled oil, and thyme sprigs (optional).

similar recipes:

fennel-roasted carrots & shallots w/ shaved apple

Molly's Chocolate Tahini Cake w/ Tahini Frosting / December 21, 2016 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Molly's Chocolate Tahini Cake w/ Tahini Frosting | dolly and oatmeal

in an effort to make new traditions, i thought making holiday cookies was only fitting. obviously amesy is too young to partake, but the idea of him being in the kitchen with me while i bake seems like the beginning of a tradition we'll hopefully continue as he grows older. but as i was thinking through what cookies to make, it dawned to me that i didn't know frank's favorite christmas cookie/s! after having a quick cookie convo i was informed that his go-to's are a pecan cookie (very much like a mexican wedding cookie) his mom would always make, and jammy thumbprints that i make each year with my mom. so the plan is to have a cookie-making day this week (if the babe permits!) where i'm going to bake up these and these cookies for frank, these almond-based cookies for a naturally gluten-and-dairy-free cookie for my mom and i, and something chocolatey for my dad. we also like to enjoy a light little cake while we open presents and sip on hot coffee, so this cranberry-lemon cake from last year is on the agenda for a christmas morning treat.

and speaking of starting new traditions, i think molly's tahini cake will have to join the ranks! it's a no brainer that if you know molly and her blog, then you know that she knows cake! in her new book, molly on the range she highlights quite a few of them, one of them being this tahini chocolate cake with tahini frosting. i love tahini, in any and all applications, but adding it to sweets is something i reserved for another, more brave, day. so when i saw the recipe in her book, i knew i needed to try it. the tahini mixed into the chocolate cake adds just the right amount of nutty flavor that you can taste in each bite! and while i would normally think the tahini added to the frosting would be overpowering, it's actually quite balanced and lovely. and to make the cake a little more festive, i substituted the ground cinnamon in the frosting with gingerbread spice, as well as added some sugared cranberries and winter trees for a decorative topping.

i'm pretty sure you all know, but molly's book is genius! not only are there awesome recipes, but her writing is so beautiful and whimsical. when i had first received it, i sat there with amesy (all of a few days old) and read through parts of it with him. i'm not sure if he was staring at the beautiful photography, or the colorful illustrations, but he was entranced just like the rest of us, i'm sure. so if you're looking for a gift this holiday season, there's no better book than this one!

wishing you all the brightest of days, and the happiest of holidays! xo

Molly's Chocolate Tahini Cake w/ Tahini Frosting

recipe from Molly On The Range by Molly Yeh. reprinted with permission.

i made some substitutions to make this cake gluten and dairy-free, which came out really delicious. you can follow the notes below :) i also substituted 1/2 teaspoon gingerbread spice for the cinnamon for a more festive, holiday flavor.

| makes one 8-inch layer cake, one 13-inch by 9-inch sheet cake, or 24 mini cakes |

cake

1 3/4 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup flavorless oil
1/2 cup tahini
3/4 cup boiling water

frosting

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup tahini
2 cups powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

toppings

notes:

to make the cake gluten-free, i substituted the flour 1:1 with an all-purpose gluten-free flour mix, i used arrowhead mills heritage gluten-free flour mix (which i found at my local whole foods). i also replaced the sugar 1:1 with coconut sugar. to lessen the amount of refined sugar. to make the cake dairy free, i substituted the whole milk 1:1 with califia's unsweetened almond creamer. and i opted for melted coconut oil instead of flavorless oil for a more wholesome substitute.
to make the frosting dairy-free, you can replace the butter 1:1 with non-hydrogenated palm oil.

method

to make the cake: preheat oven to 350°F. grease and line the bottom of two 8-inch cake pans or one 13x9-inch baking dish.
in a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. in a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, oil, and tahini. add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. whisk in the boiling water.
pour the batter into the cake pans or baking dish until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. begin checking for doneness at 28 minutes for round cakes and 32 minutes for a sheet cake.
let cool in the pans or dish for 10 minutes and then remove to a rack to cool completely.
to make the frosting: in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter and tahini until creamy. gradually ass the powdered sugar and mix to combine. mix in the salt, cinnamon, and vanilla.
for a layer cake, level the round cakes and stack them with a layer of frosting between them. frost the top and sides of cake.
for a sheet cake, spread the frosting on top and cut into squares, or chill in the refrigerator until the frosting is firm and use a biscuit cutter to cut into mini cakes.

similar recipes:

cranberry, lemon & poppy seed breakfast slice

chocolate layer cake with macadamia mousse

Gingerbread-Spiced Vegan French Toast / December 14, 2016 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Gingerbread-Spiced Vegan French Toast | dolly and oatmeal

i've written about how special breakfast is to me countless times probably. so, i won't bore you with describing my adoration for morning time meals again. but french toast has recently become one of my favorite AM nibbles once again! when i was a kid my dad was in charge of breakfast on the weekends, and he was awesome at them! his specialties included cheesy scrambled eggs, pancakes from the box, and challah french toast.

most times french toast was reserved for the days following rosh hashanah, the jewish new year where we always had extra pieces of the pillowy bread. he never measured the eggy batter, usually just adding a bit of milk here, and a cap-full of vanilla extract there. the toast always came out just right, and always, always tasted like perfection! my standards were pretty high, so when i went gluten-free years later, i never thought french toast would be an option since i couldn't get bread that came anywhere close to challah. but when i was developing recipes for my cookbook, i really wanted to make a vegan french toast with a slightly sweetened chickpea flour batter. i tried a couple different gluten-free breads, but finally settled on this one. while it's not challah by any means, it holds together with a wet batter, and has that doughy center that i love.

so when i was pregnant and wanted a "fancy" breakfast frank would whip up a slice for me. and now, post-pregnancy, i still crave it all the time, and i wanted to come up with a french toast that gave a nod to the holiday season. something that incorporates all the flavors we love to eat, and all the fragrances we love to smell wafting through the kitchen. so what better than a gingerbread-spiced toast. i got together with my favorite, go-to spice brand, Simply Organic - who truly have the most vibrant, robust spices that make up this homemade gingerbread spice mix. the spice recipe is enough to have extra gingerbread spice on-hand for the holiday season for whenever you want some - maybe in your coffee or tea latte, maybe in your cookies or quick bread. but hopefully for this jazzed up french toast, because honestly, it's a really good one :)

this recipe was created in partnership with Simply Organic. all thoughts and opinions, as always, are my own. thank you so much for supporting the sponsors that help to keep dolly and oatmeal going!

gingerbread-spiced vegan french toast

in my opinion, the chickpea flour-based batter is the best alternative to eggs. it's fluid, but holds together, and offers a great texture when cooked. however, if you don't have chickpea flour and don't need to be vegan, you can certainly use eggs here.

| serves 2-3 |

gingerbread spice mix

3 tablespoons Simply Organic ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon Simply Organic ground allspice
1 tablespoon Simply Organic ground ginger
1 tablespoon Simply Organic ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon Simply Organic ground cloves

french toast

1 cup chickpea flour
1/4 cup arrowroot flour
3 1/2 teaspoons gingerbread spice
pinch of salt
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon maple syrup (preferably grade b), plus more for serving
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
hearty gluten free bread or your go-to vegan bread (about 6 slices)
extra virgin unrefined coconut oil, for cooking
1 cup unsweetened coconut yogurt, for serving
2-3 tablespoons chopped pistachios, for serving

method

in a small bowl, whisk together the ground spices thoroughly. then transfer to a lidded jar and store in your pantry.
in large shallow bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, arrowroot powder, 3 teaspoons gingerbread spice, and a pinch of salt. in a separate bowl, whisk together the almond milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until fully incorporated. if the batter is too thick add more milk by the teaspoon until the batter is more fluid.
heat a skillet over medium heat. once the pan is hot, add a nub of coconut oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan), dip 1 bread slice at a time into the batter, then transfer to the pan. cook a few minutes on each side, until golden brown.
serve the french toast with yogurt, maple syrup, chopped pistachios, and a dusting of gingerbread spice.