AVOCADO-KALE PESTO PASTA (VEGAN) /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

i used to love making dinner on a whim. looking inside my refrigerator for something that inspired me to make meal. i wish that were the case these days, sadly it’s not. if i’m honest, sometimes i mourn the simpler days where life wasn’t constantly feeling like a hustle, but i know that things will inevitably shift, and that perhaps i may look back on this period in some nostalgic way. i have a feeling a lot of you can relate. whether that’s because you have a family, a demanding job, or just don’t find cooking all that fun.

this is why this dinner recipe comes in clutch! i’ve made it countless times now, and i love its heartiness, you may be asking: what’s the difference between this pesto pasta versus any other pesto pasta. my resounding answer is: AVOCADO! i don’t know about you, but every time i eat pasta for dinner, i end up grabbing a snack about an hour later. i’ve been adding more healthy fats, protein, and fiber to my meals to help keep my blood sugar in check, and ever since doing so, i’m less likely to be likely to noshing on something i’m not even hungry for.

so let’s talk avocado-pesto. there’s an entire avocado mushed up in this recipe which adds richness, and also a good amount of healthy fat. you may be curious if this is just mushed up avocado flavored with basil, or if it even resembles pesto. in the traditional sense, no, this is not your grandmother’s pesto (but we’re rolling with the times, and building off classics to make new classics - amiright!?). we add a cup each of basil and kale, they’re blended up with toasted pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. we reserve some pasta water to thin it out a bit, which dilutes it a bit, but not too much that it doesn’t perfectly cover every strand of fettuccine. true love in the form of green pesto pasta sauce! i really hope you get the chance to make this one :)

big love! xo

avocado-kale pesto pasta | v & gf

there are so many ways to go about making pesto. if kale isn’t your thing or don’t have it on hand, add spinach, arugula, or more basil. you could even swap the toasted pine nuts for walnuts. there are a variety of ways you could go about making this pesto - just don’t skip the avo!

print the recipe!

| serves 2-4 |

pesto

  • 1 ripe avocado

  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed

  • 1 cup torn kale (from about 3 big leaves), packed

  • 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • 2 cloves garlic

  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • salt & pepper

pesto pasta

  • 1/2 cup avocado-kale pesto

  • 1/4 cup pasta cooking water

  • 1 package gluten-free pasta of choice (i personally love capello’s fettuccine)

  • 1/4 cup baby arugula

  • handful toasted pine nuts

method

  1. in a food processor fitted with a metal “s'“ blade, combine the avocado, basil, kale, pine nuts, lemon juice, and 2 garlic cloves. cover with the fitted lid, and blend; with the processor on, drizzle in the olive oil until incorporated. stop the machine and scrape down the sides, add salt and pepper to taste and blend again until smooth and creamy. taste and add more salt, pepper, and/or lemon juice if necessary.

  2. cook pasta according to the instructions on the box until al dente (don’t forget to skim 1/4 cup of pasta water from the pot before you drain the pasta). drain the pasta and run it under cool water. while the pasta is draining, whisk together the 1/2 cup of pesto with the 1/4 cup of pasta water in a serving bowl until combined. add the pasta and toss until completely covered in the pesto.

  3. taste and add more salt if necessary, top with arugula, and pine nuts, then serve while hot. (store leftover pesto in a lidded container in the fridge for up to 4 days.)

more pasta recipes:

vegan caesar pasta salad

vegan caesar pasta salad

crusty baked .vegan alfredo w/ caramelized shallots & kale

crusty baked .vegan alfredo w/ caramelized shallots & kale

creamy garlicky pasta w/ charred broccoli & figs

creamy garlicky pasta w/ charred broccoli & figs

PEANUT BUTTER MOCHI CAKE FROM "A COMMON TABLE" /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

i’m so excited to share this recipe with you today, it’s delicious and subtle, and the perfect thing to break up frigid winter days. i think i’m preaching to the choir when i say that peanut butter is pretty good at doing that! the first time i was acquainted with mochi was in the form of ice cream at the grocery store when frank and i were dating. frank was a big fan, so that night we went home with a box of bubbies mochi ice cream. the mochi was a smooth dough that enveloped the entire hunk of ice cream, making it the ultimate ice cream sandwich - it was such a treat! from that point on i was hooked, but i had never seen many recipes utilizing mochi until i opened the beautiful pages of cynthia’s book.

again, i’m probably preaching to the choir, when i express to you how undeniably lovely cynthia’s work is. i became a big admirer of her blog, two red bowls, back in the day (circa 2014 maybe?). we were both living not too far from each other in brooklyn, and i remember just diving in to her beautiful world. i still continue to find myself mesmerized by her ability to weave food, photography, culture, and most importantly human connection into everything she does. it’s something so rare to be able to do with such honesty.

cynthia’s book, much like her blog, is beautifully woven with recipes that pull from her chinese heritage as well as her upbringing in the south. you’ll find recipes from all sections of her book that intertwine and honor her culture. most notably (at least to me) her cheddar-scallion biscuits (which i made for thanksgiving and are out of this world delicious), a traditional swirl bread with matcha glaze, mochi pancakes (!!), kimchi quesadillas, shoyu poke, and i’m still troubleshooting a gluten-free version of her black sesame chocolate loaf!

but let’s talk peanut mochi cake because i’ve been wondering why the heck i’ve never baked with sweet rice flour until now. it’s naturally gluten-free and gives you the most springy soft texture - win, win! and this recipe couldn’t be easier to make. while cynthia mentioned a few different fillings, i went with peanut butter. when i was flipping through her book, what drew me in the most to this recipe was the perfect little dollops of peanut butter filling. the peanut butter mixture is dolloped across half the batter, then topped with the remaining batter. so when it’s all said and done, you get delightful mochi squares filled with creamy peanut butter. a dream situation, really. they’re the ideal dessert, that is satisfying, yet doesn’t leave you feeling like you’re on a sugar high. this, like every other recipe i’ve made from cynthia’s book, will leave you feeling just plain happy.

xo, friends!

peanut butter mochi cake | gf (with a dairy-free option*)

from: A Common Table, by: Cynthia Chen McTernan

| makes one 8-inch square cake |

  • 6 tablespoons peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)

  • 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

  • 1 1/2 cups (225 grams) sweet rice flour, like mochiko blue star

  • 1 cup whole milk

  • 1/4 cup sugar

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil or other neutral oil

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1/2 cup roasted peanuts

*dairy-free option:

  • replace the 1 cup of whole milk with full-fat coconut milk

method

  1. preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper. in a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. set aside.

  2. in a medium bowl, combine the the sweet rice flour, milk, sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth. you don’t need to worry about overworking the batter and making the cake dense, because sweet rice flour doesn’t contain gluten - mochi cake is dense to begin with! small lumps will appear in the batter at first, but they will dissipate as you whisk.

  3. pour half the batter into the prepared baking dish. drop small spoonfuls of the peanut butter filling evenly across the batter, then pour the remaining batter over the peanut butter filling. bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

  4. while the mochi is baking, place the peanuts in a food processor or blender and pulse until crumbly. remove the mochi from the oven, and sprinkle the crushed peanuts across the top, then return the cake to the oven and bake until the center bounces back when pressed, an additional 15-20 minutes. enjoy warm or at room temperature. the mochi will slice much more cleanly when cooled, but there’s nothing like enjoying a piece warm from the oven.

similar recipes:

peanut butter & cacao nib cereal bars

peanut butter & cacao nib cereal bars

peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

GOLDEN CAULIFLOWER KABOCHA SOUP /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

it’s been raining for a few days straight here in socal, and i couldn’t be happier. life is slower, food is warmer, and we all just hunker down and get cozy. this past saturday night we made pizza, watched finding nemo (for the millionth time) and ate dinner on the couch. - ultimate cozy-ing down. to be honest, i haven;t made a single soup this entire fall/winter, so this golden number was long overdue.

if you’ve hung around this blog long enough, you may know i have an affinity for kabocha squash (if you’re not familiar with it, it’s a japanese winter squash variety that is has a beautiful velvet texture when it’s cooked, and an earthy, yet sweet flavor). i use it for soup, biscuits, and even chocolate muffins. it lends such a lovely texture to just about anything it touches.

this golden cauliflower kabocha squash combines cooked cauliflower and roasted kabocha giving you the silkiest, creamiest soup i’ve ever made. we use a few aromatics and spices to give this soup a flavor profile. i wanted something warming and cozy, so naturally i went with ginger and turmeric, with some cumin thrown in there for an extra little flavor nudge. the best part though comes when you add the (plant-based) yogurt. it gives this earthy-sweet soup some much needed tang. i hope you get the chance to make this soup, it’s a good one!

happy january, loves! xo

golden cauliflower kabocha soup | v

print the recipe!

- you can substitute the kabocha squash with any winter squash variety you have on hand (although i really urge you to find a kabocha squash if you can).

| makes 4 servings |

  • half of a large kabocha squash (or 1 small one)

  • avocado oil (or another high heat oil)

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 medium onion, diced

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1-inch knob ginger, peeled and minced

  • 1 head cauliflower, cut into evenly sized florets

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 32 ounces (1 quart) low sodium vegetable stock

  • 1/2 cup unsweetened greek-style almond milk yogurt (preferably this brand, but i also like this one by so delicious)

  • salt & pepper

toppings:

  • toasted sesame seeds

  • chopped chives

  • microgreens

  • toasty bread

method

  1. preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment. rub the cut side of the squash with avocado oil, and place cut side down onto the prepared baking sheet. roast for 45-60 minutes, until cooked through and tender. remove from the oven and let rest until it’s cool enough to handle. once cool, spoon out and discard the stringy center and seeds.

  2. heat a large soup pot over medium heat. once hot, add the oil and onions and cook, stirring every now and then until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. add the garlic and ginger, and cook for 45 seconds to 1 minute, stirring, until fragrant. add the cauliflower and spices, and stir, cook the cauliflower until slightly soft, about 5 minutes.

  3. add the stock, turn up to the heat and bring the soup to a simmer. let the soup simmer until the cauliflower is cooked through, about 12-15 minutes.

  4. add the roasted kabocha squash, and give everything a stir, breaking up the squash.. remove the soup from the heat, and let cool for about 10 minutes.

  5. carefully transfer the soup into a blender (i prefer using a high speed blender, but a traditional blender, immersion blender, or a food processor with work too), add the yogurt, and salt & pepper to taste. blend on high for about 1 minute, tasting the soup and adjusting the salt if necessary, until the soup is silky smooth.

  6. pour the soup back into your soup pot, and heat it over medium heat until nice and hot.

  7. divide soup between your bowls, and top with chopped herbs, toasted sesame seeds, microgreens, and your favorite toasted bread.

similar recipes:

turmeric carrot apple soup

turmeric carrot apple soup

kabocha squash, fennel, & ginger soup spicy coconut cream

kabocha squash, fennel, & ginger soup spicy coconut cream