soba noodles

Super Simple Spring Green Broth w/ Soba Noodles by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal


i'm not sure about where you live, but spring has kinda been all over the place.  and not to talk too much about weather, but the weather totally informs me of what i want to eat!  you too?  we've had weeks in the cool, breezy 60's.  and next week they're calling for temps in the 80's.  but just recently it's been super chilly, drizzly, and overcast.  it's kind of been fantastic.  we've had the heat on, warm food in our bellies, cozy sweaters, just general coziness all around :)  

i made this broth with health in mind (we all recently got over the flu, and still have a nagging cough), but really, it's just a spring green bowl that hugs you in all the right places.  i added chard to a basic chicken bone broth (you could totally use vegetable broth, too), along with some aromatics, and herbs, giving it that full-flavored, down right gratifying slurp.  i love this time of year when sunny days are warm, you can get a little sun-kissed on the end of your nose, and the apples of your cheeks, but still crave warmth at the end of the day when the sun's gone down and everything gets genuinely chilly.

i added a bunch of spring toppings that i had on hand.  some steamed broccoli rabe, quickly sautéed snap peas (which, when they're this fresh literally take 3 minutes tops to cook!), some sliced radish, and chopped spring onion.  it's a diy toppings kind of recipe, where you could totally add whatever you have on hand and it will be just as virtuous.  

xo's!



spring green broth w/ soba noodles | gf

this is a kind of recipe where you could really use any hearty greens you like for the broth (kale, arugula, collard greens, etc.).  similarly, you could add any toppings that you have on hand here: zucchini noodles, carrot ribbons, cooked beans or lentils, or i could see a roasted or grilled piece of salmon or any type of white fish plopped right in the broth or served alongside.

print the recipe!

| makes roughly 4 servings |

  • 3 cups bone broth, or vegetable broth
  • 2  tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 leeks, white and light green parts sliced thin
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 cups greens, (i used swiss chard)
  • 1/2 cup cilantro
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons gluten-free miso, like chickpea or brown rice miso
  • 1-2 teaspoons gluten-free tamari
  • 1/2 small lemon, juiced
  • salt & fresh ground pepper
  • 1 package 100% buckwheat soba noodles

to serve (optional):

  • steamed broccoli rabe
  • sauteed snap peas
  • thinly sliced radish
  • sliced green onion
  • toasted sesame seeds


method

  1. place the bone broth in a large soup pot over medium heat and bring it to a simmer.  
  2. while the broth is simmering, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a saute pan over medium heat.  add the leeks, and stir.  cook until soft, about 2-3 minutes.  add the garlic, and stir.  cook until fragrant, about 45 seconds. remove from heat.  (keep the pan around, you're going to use it later to cook your veggies.)  
  3. to the container of an upright blender (preferably high-speed), add the broth, leek and garlic mixture, chard (or whatever greens you are using), and cilantro.  cover the container with the top and let the ingredients sit for about 10 minutes, letting the greens soften and wilt a bit.  then, blend on high for about 1 minute, until everything is broken down and blended.  add the miso, tamari, and lemon juice and whiz everything again.  taste and adjust any seasonings, and add salt and pepper to taste. (if you're not using a high-speed blender, and you don't have a smooth, broth-like consistency, you may want to strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve.)
  4.  return the green broth to the soup pot and bring to a simmer.  turn heat down to low, and cover to keep warm while you prepare your soba noodles and veggies.
  5. cook the noodles according the package's instructions.  drain, and cool them under cold water to stop them from cooking.
  6. divide the broth between bowls, add the soba noodles and whatever other toppings you like.  serve hot.

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Shelly's Chilled Peanut Noodles by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal


it's hard to believe that july is at its mid point already.  it seems like forever ago that frank and i were thinking about a little summer getaway, and here we are!  later on this week we're driving to palm springs for a long weekend with my brother, sis-in-law, and their (almost 1-year old!) son, nico.  the last "vacation" we took was when we were living in NYC, amesy was 3 months old, and we thought it was a good idea to fly to california.  big mistake.  if you remember a few of my posts from then, you'll remember that that trip was an epic disaster in many respects.  that preeeetty much scared the crap out of us, so the idea of driving or flying anywhere for an extended period of time was definitely out of the question this time around. and while we are more beach-y kind of people, the idea of staying contained in a house, and having a pool right outside our door seemed very much our speed at this moment in life.  

i'm not sure about you, but the abundance of beautiful cookbooks coming out this summer is everything i need to get me out of my creative rut and get cooking.  i'm sure you know shelly from the blog, vegetarian ventures.  her debut cookbook, vegetarian heartland came out last month and plain and simple, it's a beauty.  it's centered around something i know little about: the midwest.  at first glance the book is vibrant and inviting; shelly's photography is totally stunning. but the book is more than beautiful photography.  it's divided by seasons of the year and in that, things like: campfire recipes (and a how-to on building one!), cozy snow day recipes, and picnic recipes.  i have so many recipes dogeared for times in the future when we feel more ready to take weekend jaunts camping or have a proper picnic.  the book is vegetarian, there are some gluten free recipes, and some vegan ones, but i can imagine that you could adapt many of them as well :)

wishing you all sweet summer adventures! xo



chilled peanut noodles 

recipe from Vegetarian Heartland, by Shelly Westerhausen

i used 100% buckwheat soba noodles here.  they tend to stick to each other a bit more after the chilling period, but they taste just as good ;)  i also subbed green beans for snap peas, and added roughly 3/4 teaspoon salt to the peanut sauce since the recipe doesn't have any.  

| serves 4 |

  • 8oz (230g) soba noodles or whole wheat spaghetti
  • 1 cup (100g) snap peas
  • 1/2 cup (130g) peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 2 teaspoons hot chile sauce (such as sriracha)
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
  • 1/3 cup (80ml) water
  • 1 green bell pepper, seeded, deribbed, and thinly sliced
  • 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
  • 1 cup (140g) peanuts, chopped, for garnish
  • fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish


method

  1. bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  add the soba and cook until almost al dente, 7 to 10 minutes.  add the snap peas and let boil for 1 minute more.  drain the soba and snap peas and transfer to a large bowl.
  2. in a high-speed blender, combine the peanut butter, sesame oil, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, honey, chile sauce, lime juice,  and water and blend until smooth, about 30 seconds.  pour over the soba, add the bell pepper and carrots, and toss until everything is completely coated in peanut sauce.  transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator or a small portable cooler for up to 4 hours.  just before serving, garnish with peanuts and cilantro.

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Green Soba Bowl w/ Olive & Sesame Yogurt Sauce by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal


happy summer, everyone!  our backyard garden is finally bustling with tons of herbs, gigantic lacinato kale, the sweetest green beans, lacy elderflowers, and even some baby strawberries!  i was so used to tending to a super small fire escape  garden in our last apartment, so it's been such a shift having an actual backyard with a tree and other life-y things that like to get into every nook of our space back there.  we've had our fair share of run-ins with critters who liked our broccoli too much, and even an infestation of ants on our tiny rhubarb plant.  the squirrels are another issue - they're so completely ravenous that i've decided not to grow any summer squash this year because it's just too heartbreaking when they come through and decimate the flowers and fruit.  so far they've left our tomato plants alone, but when i see them out on the power lines or scurrying up our tree, i send our little guard pup, quint to chase after them.  he's proven to be quite the intimidator, 9 pounds and all!

aside from the day-to-day hustle and flow, we've been trying to prep our little apartment as much as we can for our september babe :)  i'm kind of the worst when it comes to planning these big, life-changing things (our wedding probably would've never have happened if my mom didn't organize most of the logistics), so our list/registry has been on hold until we've had the chance to check some things out in person. frank planned a saturday excursion to a baby mega store, (aka babies r us) which, if it weren't for him literally pushing me inside, i would have bolted and gone home.  i know those stores are great, and have so many options, but it's just something that i cannot for the life of me embrace.  i'm much more into the notion of purchasing the basics like a crib, and other essentials, over buying everything at once.  so we'll see how that method works going forward - keep your fingers crossed for us! being in a 1 bedroom makes it easier in some respects, but also a lot tougher in others.  there will be no baby nursery but he will get a whole wall, guys! ;)   small victories, for city life, i suppose.  i keep telling myself that we'll make it happen, as so many have before us, and hopefully one day in the near future we'll laugh and tell funny stories about it all.  

in the spirit of keeping things simple and fun and lighthearted, i have this recipe for a cool, green soba bowl with a snappy olive and sesame yogurt sauce!  it's made with my only go-to soba noodles from Eden Foods which are made with 100% buckwheat and have such a great texture and nutty taste!  they're the only brand i trust when it comes to really good gluten-free soba noodles (just to note - their noodles are 100% gluten-free but were made in a facility that handles wheat), and they're great for everything from a traditional pesto/pasta situation, to a cold weather soup.  but this time around i paired them with zucchini noodles and a creamy yogurt sauce to give the dish more of a pasta salad vibe, because, SUMMER!  the olives deliver a punchy brininess, and the herbs a fresh summer flavor.  i totally see this served as a summer BBQ side, or a hearty 2-person dinner.  either way, it's a crisp way to pop off the summer!  

wishing you all the best of warm, sweltering seasons! xo's *oh, and stay tuned, i'm working on a little something special for this friday that i hope you'll all like!  :)

*this post was created in partnership with Eden Foods.  all opinions, as always, are my own.  thank you so much for supporting the sponsors that help dolly and oatmeal running!



green soba bowl w/ olive & sesame yogurt | gf + v

| serves 4 |

olive & sesame yogurt

  • 1 cup unsweetened cultured coconut yogurt (or yogurt of choice)
  • 2 tablespoons sesame paste (tahini)
  • 1/4 cup green olives, minced (preferably castelvetrano olives)
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil, minced
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • fine sea salt & fresh pepper
  • 1 zucchini (or summer squash)
  • fine sea salt & fresh pepper
  • 1 package Eden Foods 100% Buckwheat Soba (*while these noodles are 100% gluten-free they were made in a facility that handles wheat)
  • 1/2 cup chopped herbs (i used a mixture of basil, oregano, and dill)
  • 1/2 cup green olives, roughly chopped (preferably castelvetrano olives)
  • 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
  • dill flowers, for garnish (optional)


method

olive & sesame yogurt sauce

  1. in a mixing bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients, taste and adjust adding more sesame paste, lemon, or salt & pepper.  set aside or cover with cling wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

noodles

  1. using an inspiralizer, make your zoodles.  (you can just as easily use a julienne peeler to make zucchini noodles as well.)  place in a large mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper, set aside.
  2. cook buckwheat soba according to the instructions on the back of the package.  while the noodles are cooking, prepare a cold water bath (not an ice bath, just very cold water) and set aside.  drain soba and then place in the cold water. use your hands to gently rub the noodles (this removes any excess starch and makes the noodles less clumpy and sticky).  drain the pasta once more and combine with the zoodles.
  3. add about 1 cup of the sauce, then the herbs, olives, and the pine nuts, toss together until everything is evenly coated.  taste and adjust any seasonings or add more sauce.  garnish with dill flowers and serve.

enjoy!


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