Plant-Powered Protein Pancakes / March 15, 2017 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Plant-Powered Protein Pancakes w/ Passion Fruit | dolly and oatmeal

hey, hey! i just completed my 3-week cleanse/elimination diet this past sunday, and i couldn't be more thrilled about how i'm feeling, but also that it's now over! it was somewhat of rollercoaster being that our little one went through/is still going through some sort of sleep regression (??) - again! (gosh, i hope it passes soon!) but overall i came out of these 21 days with a bit more clarity, which, whatever you're doing in life, i think is always a good thing. overall, it informed me that our bodies are capable. period. that given the capacity, our bodies are ready and able to adapt - to let you know what's working, and what's not.

seriously though, the only hard thing about being on somewhat of a strict diet for the past few weeks was not making and eating everything in laura's new, amazing cookbook! i'm sure i'm preaching to the choir, but her book is nothing short of totally lovely. i've been such a fan of the first mess blog for quite a while. it was one of the first blogs i reached for when i had changed my diet and was hunting for answers/inspiration/help. much like the best things in life, her blog has a way of luring you in, sweeping you up, gently encouraging you to try something new.

her book is only an extention of that - deeply nourishing both visually and substantively. laura's flavor combinations, kitchen techniques, her wildly ingenious recipes, and her stunning photography all ooze with inspiration. even when it's something as simple as a tea latte, laura has this way of making it special, and making it something you want to share in with others. there's also something to be said about a good recipe title, and laura's are enticing, yet cheeky, like: thai-ish cabbage salad, go-to kale salad with "master cleanse" dressing, lazy steel cut oatmeal, a casually specific green smoothie, and homemade popcorn with magic dust. maybe it's just me, but recipes with "casually specific" titles speak to me ;)

i made these plant-powered pancakes a few times, and (not surprisingly) they're aces. i'm not going to lie, i'm always on the lookout for an easy, lady-with-a-baby-recipe (i.e. anything involving little cleanup and a short cook time). and these pancakes are a one-bowl (blender container) situation, and are quick to make, which checks all the boxes. plus, the recipe calls to make 2 huge pancakes, instead of a few little ones, and i'm not sure why i never thought to do that! the pancakes are squidgy and earthy, and hearty, but light. i topped them with almond milk yogurt, some tart passion fruit, and drizzled it all with coconut nectar. you can really do no wrong with one of laura's recipes, so i would nudge you to go out and buy this book!

congrats, laura. this book is a gem.

here's to longer days, and the eventual pops of spring! xo

plant-powered protein pancakes | v & gf

| serves 2 |

1/4 cup certified gluten-free rolled oats (not quick-cooking oats)
1/4 cup raw buckwheat groats
2 tablespoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons hulled hemp seeds
1 cup boiling water
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup, or to taste
virgin coconut oil, for cooking

for serving

chopped fresh fruit
nut or seed butter
pure maple syrup

method

place the rolled oats, buckwheat groats, chia seeds, and hemp seeds in a high-speed blender. cover with the boiling water. place the lid on the blender and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.
set a medium pan over medium-low heat.
after 5 minutes, add the applesauce, baking powder, vanilla, sea salt, and maple syrup to the blender. whiz the blender on high until you have a relatively smooth, pancake-like batter. you'll still see little flecks of chia and this is okay.
lightly oil the saute pan and pour in half of the pancake batter. spread the batter with a spatula. let the pancake cook for a good 2 minutes on one side, or until the edges of the pancakes dry and the underside is quite browned. carefully flip the pancake over and cook for another full minute. repeat this process with the remaining half of the batter.
serve the pancakes with fresh fruit, nut or seed butter, and maple syrup if you like.

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Za'atar Swirl Bread / March 2, 2017 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

as i'm sure a lot of you know, my love for chickpea flour runs deep, deep enough to write an entire cookbook dedicated to it. that's not to say that my affinity for the flour didn't fade. after recipe testing with it for over a year or so, i developed a distaste for it. after i turned in my manuscript, i was somewhat repulsed by its subtle flavor for a good year. each time i went to the grocery store i stocked up on chickpea flour, so when i was done with writing it, i felt a sense of freedom that i could shop without the demand to purchase it. there are still some favorite recipes that i make almost weekly, namely socca. frank loves it. plus, it's an easy meal to pull together with a hearty vegetable for dinner, and (bonus!) frank knows how to make it, so that means i can get a night to not worry about prepping a meal.

since having amesy our meals have become somewhat of a routine; a well-oiled machine, i would say. i generally worry about what we're going to eat way too far in advance of dinner. so having a little schedule provides some much needed sanity in a world of baby-uncertainty and chaos. and while i love routine (almost to a fault), i also crave spontaneity at times. which is why i love this za'atar bread recipe with my whole heart. it's very much like socca in that it's made from chickpea flour and water, but it's is baked, not fried, and has an abundance of flavor from the za'atar. this little dish was all i needed on "socca night" to get me out of my routine (while still kinda existing in one) and jazz it up a little. plus, i'm not sure i had this much fun cooking a dish in a really long time (thank you jessica!). polka-dotting the bread batter with za'atar oil, and then swirling them to make super easy/fancy looking swirls is a good night in my book. i guess the moral of this story is go beyond what makes you comfortable, if only a teeny bit, it may make all the difference.

this recipe comes from jessica murane's debut cookbook, one part plant. i was first introduced to jessica via twitter (i think), when we were first starting out in the blog world. jessica had graciously asked me to contribute a little write-up on one of my favorite ingredients and i was completely taken aback that someone was interested enough in what i thought, let alone what a favorite ingredient of mine was. and from that time on, i learned that jessica's way was to engage, discuss, and understand, as she had done on her blog, and now, on her podcast. she carries that beautifully into her book with a frank conversation about how she healed her body/mind/soul with plant-based whole foods. her recipes are simple, full flavored, and vibrant. there's a recipe for white bean buffalo hummus (for those of us who can't digest chickpea easily - hello!), an open-faced falafel sandwich, and a recipe for chocolate hazelnut crispies that are all on my to-make list when i'm off of my cleanse. in the meantime, i'll be swirling some za'atar into my bread from now on!

xo's!

za'atar swirl bread | v + gf

the za'atar bread is amazing as is. i happen to love garlic, so i added a clove to the batter after adding the water. i also sprinkled some flaky sea salt on top when it had finished baking.

| makes 8 servings |

2 tablespoons ground sumac
5 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the pan
1 cup chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour
1 cup water

method

first, make the za'atar mixture: in a small bowl, combine the sumac, sesame seeds, thyme, salt, and oil. set the mixture aside to let the flavors meld until your batter is ready.
add the flour to a medium bowl and stir in a little water at a time until you have a thin batter. set it aside for 2 hours.
preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8-or 9-inch round pan (jessica notes that she prefers a cast-iron skillet for this - and so do pour the batter into the pan. drop and scatter 1/2-teaspoon-size scoops of your za'atar spice mixture on top of the batter. it should look like za'atar polka dots. with a knife or skewer, zigzag and swirl through the batter from one side of the pan to the other. make sure you go all the way to the edges; you want to be sure to distribute the spices throughout.
bake the bread for 25-30 minutes, until the edges begin to brown and the dough pulls slightly away from the sides. let it cool for at least 5 minutes. cut and serve. jessica notes: this bread makes a great appetizer to go with dips and spreads, especially hummus and baba ganoush.

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stuffed za'atar roasted squash w/ pepper-lemon tahini sauce

Golden Dandelion Latte / February 22, 2017 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Golden Dandelion Latte | dolly and oatmeal

a few posts back i wrote a bit about some of my postpartum struggles/issues with inflammation, and hormonal shifts (to put it lightly). the first few months after giving birth were great. i felt wonderful - my hair was still thick and shiny, i felt pretty good physically, and most of the pains in my lower back from the last month of pregnancy had gone away. my mood was still all over the place, but that's been a struggle my whole life ;) enter 3 1/2 months postpartum and i began losing hair, clumps at a time. i felt tired and sluggish in the morning (no matter what time i went to bed the night before), and the pains in my lower back, while different, came back with a vengeance. i would be lying to say that ingesting more turmeric made it all go away, that's not what happened. truth is, is that i'm still working to get back on my feet and feel good again. so i've been making some life changes in an effort to be only healthier, happy, but more knowledgeable about the root causes of these afflictions. and from what research i've done, it seems like hormones play a huge part.

while i was always skeptical that hormones were at the root cause of a lot of my issues, i didn't know where to begin. right now i'm in the midst of reading this powerful book (thank you jessie!), and just finished the second day of a 21-day elimination cleanse to kind of reset my body. i thought i was kind of crazy for doing a cleanse while caring for an almost 5-month old, but i keep telling myself that i want to feel stronger physically/mentally/emotionally to take good care of my babe. i'm currently quite hungry, but the whole idea of the cleanse is to lighten up your diet to give your body a break from digestion, so it can spend time cleansing and healing. i can report that i've gotten some of the best, most restful sleep in a while (and yes, amesy sleeping through the night doesn't hurt either!), and that eating a smoothie for breakfast and dinner is super easy and good on the clean up especially with a babe on my hip. there's something i really enjoy about challenging my body in different ways i didn't know/think it was capable of, since so many times it's a mind over matter game.

but no matter what, turmeric tea is my old standby as an overall restorative beverage. i've began sipping on this latte when i was first pregnant, and i finally had the time to share the recipe. it's super basic, but i've included some steps for a simple turmeric paste that makes leftovers for soups, smoothies, shakes, potions - whatever you like! the mixture is ground turmeric, water, coconut oil, and black pepper. and interesting side note: the coconut oil and black pepper play an essential role in the body absorbing the anti-inflammatory properties in turmeric. in any event, i enjoy this drink first thing in the morning or as an afternoon soother. i've been loving it in between lunch and dinner when that 3pm hunger hits :)

i hope you're all feeling well and in good spirits. i would be curious to hear how you've gone about dealing with any hormone or post-baby ailments? (and if you're not into publicly commenting, i would love to chat through email!)

big hugs, all! xo

golden dandelion latte | v

you can use any tea here, but i like dandelion tea which is known to soothe digestive issues, strengthen the immune system, and balance blood sugar levels. however, for a nighttime tea i do use chamomile, as well. i included some optional boosters below. i use tocos for a creamy effect, plus it's known to brighten your skin. ashwaghanda is an adaptogenic herb which aides in a slew of things including stress and anxiety. collagen peptides also aid in digestion, joint and bone health, and it's also an amino acid which is great for hair growth.

| makes 1 latte |

turmeric paste (makes extra)

2 tablespoons ground turmeric
1/2 cup filtered water, plus more for thinning
1 tablespoon unrefined extra virgin coconut oil
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

latte

1 cup (8 oz) boiled filtered water
1-2 dandelion tea bags
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 tablespoon unrefined extra virgin coconut oil
2 teaspoons coconut nectar (or maple syrup)
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric paste

optional boosters

1 tablespoon tocos/tocotrienols
1/2 teaspoon ashwagandha
1 scoop collagen peptides

method

make the turmeric paste. place the ground turmeric in a small saucepan, whisk in the water and turn heat to a low flame. continue whisking to until the mixture has thickened but is still fluid, about 6-8 minutes. (if your mixture gets too thick before the 6-8 minute mark, add more water a few teaspoons at a time.) remove from the heat and whisk in the coconut oil and pepper. let cool completely, then place in a lidded jar and store in the refrigerator.
make the latte. pour the water into a large mug, steep the teabag/s for about 5 minutes (for a stronger tea flavor use 2 bags). while the tea is steeping, warm the milk over the stovetop until it steams a bit, remove from heat. add the milk, oil, coconut nectar, and turmeric paste to a high-speed blender. whiz on high for 20 seconds, until frothy. remove the teabags from your mug and pour the milk over top. top with a dusting of black pepper and ground turmeric and drink while hot. (if adding any boosters, whiz them in the blender with the other ingredients.)