Thai Slaw / January 25, 2017 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

so we're in the clear! amesy has been free of his cold as of a few days ago, which is such a relief, plus we're all finally getting some sleep again! he will be 4 whole months on friday and i can't quite grasp how this time has both flown in a sense, while also inching by. since we returned from LA the other week he seems to have grown so much. he looks bigger, more mature; his smiles seem to begin at his toes and work their way up his whole body before he opens his mouth to grin the widest, silliest grin. he's lifting his head, even when laying down, and inching his legs like a caterpillar on his tummy as if he wants to go and explore all the places. it's enchanting and heartbreaking and magical (i.e. all the emotions). all i want to do is eat him up, capture every coo, and take in his general enthusiasm for life and things around him.

now that he's bigger and can hold his head up better, we got a carrier that's easy for frank and i to put on by ourselves, and has the option for ames to face out - which he loves! most nights when i'm prepping dinner, amesy's at his most curious. sometimes he can occupy himself in his rocker with a toy, but most times he's strapped to either frank or i as we clean, chop, and cook. i joked to frank that this babe is going to be meal prepping by age 3! he's super observant, and for the most part a happy camper just watching me go as i simultaneously cook and bop him around. it's been such a fun thing that we've been doing together, i hope it only continues :)

this salad/slaw was way too involved in the prep process to wear the amesy. but while there's a lot to chop, you get to enjoy it for days and days, as it made a hefty portion! it's a recipe from tess masters' newest cookbook, the perfect blend which has nourishing blender recipes for smoothies, snacks, salads, main dishes, and dessert. in this recipe the blender is used for the delicious dressing that tops the slaw! it's cashew-based which makes it super creamy and gives it a delicious flavor, and mixed with vinegar, tamari, sesame oil, and a good bit of lime juice. i typically stay away from salads in the winter, but the raw, crunchy vegetables combined with the lush dressing turned out to be the perfect wintery side. there are so many recipes i'm looking forward to trying, especially this recipe for a cauliflower mac n' cheese with (grain-free) cauliflower breadcrumbs! spring cookbook season is upon us, and i couldn't be more pumped for it!

warm winter hugs! xo

thai slaw

| serves 8 as a starter, 6 as a main; dressing makes 2 cups (480ml) |

dressing

1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest, plus more to taste
1⁄2 cup (120ml) fresh lime juice
1⁄3 cup (80ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1⁄3 cup (80ml) rice vinegar
1/3 cup (80ml) toasted sesame oil
1⁄4 cup (37g) roasted unsalted cashews
3 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce or tamari
3 tablespoons coconut sugar
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1⁄4 teaspoon natural salt

salad

6 cups (480g) firmly packed shredded Chinese or napa cabbage (1 small head)
4 cups (400g) firmly packed shredded red cabbage (1⁄4 large head)
2 cups (160g) loosely packed bean sprouts
2 cups (180g) ribbed, seeded, and julienned red bell pepper (1 large)
1 cup (40g) firmly packed finely chopped cilantro
1 cup (150g) roughly chopped unsalted roasted cashews
1⁄2 cup (25g) firmly packed finely chopped Thai basil
1⁄2 cup (20g) firmly packed finely chopped mint
1⁄2 cup (25g) firmly packed diagonally sliced green onion (green parts only)
natural salt, to taste
limes wedges, to serve

optional boosters

1 cup (50g) julienned leek (white part only)
2 or 3 medium tangerines or mandarin oranges, peeled and segmented
1 teaspoon ribbed and finely chopped kaffir lime leaves, plus more to tast

method

to make the dressing, throw all the dressing ingredients into your blender and blast on high for about 60 seconds, until smooth and creamy. tweak the lime zest to taste.
toss all of the salad ingredients, including the leek, tangerine, and kaffir lime boosters, in a large bowl. fold the dressing into the salad, then chill, covered, for 30 to 60 minutes to allow the flavors to open and mesh. season with salt to taste, and serve with lime wedges.

enjoy!

similar recipes:

mole black bean tacos w/ cabbage & cilantro slaw

sprouted quinoa burgers w/ cucumber slaw

crunchy sweet potato lunch bowl w/ golden dressing

Butternut Squash Chili w/ Cilantro Yogurt / January 18, 2017 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Butternut Squash Chili w/ Cilantro Yogurt | dolly and oatmeal

a quick hi, hi! we recently returned from our first trip with bebe amesy and it was eventful to say the least. we took a long weekend to see my brother, sister-in-law, and meet our 5-month-old nephew, nico :) our intention was to get the little cuzzies together and have fun in california since we hadn't seen them in quite some time. we were able to get a couple of breakfasts together, and some chill time at my brother's house to have the babes hang with each other, which i'm super grateful for. but it essentially turned into our sweet, chill baby not being his happy, content self, and ultimately coming down with a cold. baby colds are a whole different animal. it's quite scary to watch our teeny guy cough and sneeze the way that us large humans do given his little body. so with all with coughs, sneezes, snot-sucking, steam showers, and general guilt and worry, i'm happy to have our family home.

this brings me to this chili pot. it's warm, plentiful, nourishing - all the things that are needed this time of year. there are some belly warming spices like cumin, and chili powder, some cocoa powder for a bit of depth; and a cool, tart cilantro yogurt sauce to balance all the heartiness. plus it's makes leftovers which is so essential with a sick babe. i hope you all are finding warmth and comfort this week especially. big hugs! xo

you can find the recipe for this butternut squash chili w/ cilantro yogurt over on the shop simon blog :)

similar recipes:

black lentil, sweet potato & kale chili w/ kabocha bisquits

Chipotle Cauliflower Rice & Black Bean Enchiladas / January 11, 2017 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Chipotle Cauliflower Rice & Black Bean Enchiladas | dolly and oatmeal

it seems like every year i find myself craving the same foods in a given month. does that happen to you too? maybe because i document my real life eats for a living and tend to pay attention to the blog's archives, but every january i'm on some sort of taco/enchilada/put-something-in-a-tortilla kick. and it's no surprise this year because frank and i found these tortillas that are made here in brooklyn and we are completely obsessed. he came home the other from the store and i frantically asked him if they had the tortillas because we were low and i couldn't imagine lunches and dinners without them. i throw them over our gas stove, char them a bit on each side and they're good to go with all the things. most notably, enchiladas.

i have to admit, we're more of a taco family, but every once in a while we make enchiladas at home, maybe once or twice a year, tops. i always thought it was too time consuming - maybe because you have to make the filling and heat the enchiladas up in oven? maybe i thought it would be too many dishes to clean? in any event, i endeavored to make these tasty, quick, and easy on prep and execution. what makes this fun and easy is the play on a typical rice and beans dish. making cauliflower rice, instead of cooking rice reduces the overall amount of time it takes to make (an A+ in my baby-consumed life), and it's so, so simple. i generally make cauliflower rice in my food processor, but since receiving Vitamix's new Ascent 3300 blender that has an awesome pulse feature, i was intrigued to see how it worked in this application. i use my Vitamix at least 3 times a day, mostly on a general blend setting for smoothies and my morning coffee concoction, so playing around with the pulse setting was a whole new experience, and an effortless one at that.

this post was created in partnership with Vitamix. all thoughts and opinions, as always, are my own. thank you for supporting the sponsors that help keep dolly and oatmeal going.

chipotle cauliflower rice & black bean enchiladas

if you do not own a Vitamix or food processor, you can simply use a cheese grater for the same cauliflower rice effect, it will just take a bit more time to do it manually.

| makes roughly 4 cups cauliflower rice |

one head of cauliflower, stalks trimmed and cut into florets
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 can 15-ounce canned black beans, drained and rinsed
sea salt
corn tortillas
2 cups enchilada sauce (i like this one)

toppings:

extra enchilada sauce
avocado
cilantro
red onion
sliced radish
toasted sesame seeds

method

preheat the oven to 350°F.
in batches, blend the cauliflower on low until it is broken down into rice-size pieces. place in a bowl and set aside.
heat a large saute pan over medium heat. add the oil and shallot and cook until translucent and soft, about 3-5 minutes. add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. turn the heat off, add the cauliflower rice and spices, and stir until evenly mixed. add the cilantro and black beans and stir to combine, set aside.
char tortillas over a gas grill or warm them slightly in the microwave to get them nice and soft. set aside.
spread a couple tablespoons of the enchilada sauce across the bottom of a large baking dish. fill the tortillas with the cauliflower rice and beans and roll them up as tightly as you can. place them seam-side down and repeat with remaining tortillas. lightly cover the tops of the enchiladas with more sauce and bake until warmed through, about 15-20 minutes.
serve enchiladas with more sauce, diced avocado, cilantro, chopped red onion, sliced radish, and toasted sesame seeds.

enjoy!