Strawberry Coconut Kale Slaw / June 1, 2017 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Strawberry Coconut Kale Slaw | dolly and oatmeal

when we were in LA for vacation last january we made a stop at the whole foods in downtown for a quick dinner. it was the second night of our trip, and i remember amesy was particularly irritable, so a fast dinner was in order. at the prepared counter at the whole foods in in new york, there are slim pickings, and they rarely change up what's on the menu, so i thought my decision in LA would be a quick one. it turned out that i was wrong. there were mounds of beautiful fresh salads and my dinner choice couldn't have been harder to decide. i wanted to sample each dish, but my crying babe quickly brought me back to reality so i hurriedly got the strawberry kale salad.

that split second judgement couldn't have been better. that salad transported me from my bleak winter blues, into the land of plenty where strawberries were already being served atop fresh greens. cranky baby aside, that meal was heaven. and apparently i'm not the only one out there that loves that particular whole foods salad. there's at least a few recipes on the web dedicated to recreating it as well! this version here is more of a slaw. the kale is chopped in shreds, and marinated a bit, and it generally has a lighter feel. there's a good amount of toasted coconut shreds tossed in and more on top for good measure, along with some toasty pine nuts. it's all dressed in a really simple honey-lime vinaigrette that i love. it's a great salad for a gathering, and will serve up to 10 people. this past weekend my man and i served it up to a small crowd alongside a potato salad, some grass-fed burgs, and a simple blueberry lemon cake. all about those easy-peasy dishes ;)

happy june. big hugs, all!

strawberry coconut kale slaw

you could easily halve this recipe. but leftovers will keep well in the fridge for up to a few days, and might i say will taste better as the days go by. the slaw can also be made the day before and be stored in the fridge. make sure to take the slaw out an hour or so prior to serving.

inspired by whole foods

| serves 6-10 |

3/4 cup toasted coconut shreds
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
2 bunches kale, stemmed and shredded
1 tablespoon liquid extra virgin coconut oil (or extra virgin olive oil)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
fine sea salt & fresh ground pepper
1 pound strawberries, halved or quartered
5 green onions, white and light green parts sliced thin

honey-lime vinaigrette

juice from 2 limes
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons raw honey
fine sea salt & fresh ground pepper

method

heat a large skillet over medium-low heat, add the coconut shreds. toast the coconut until lightly brown and fragrant, shaking the pan every now to prevent burning. remove the coconut and let it cool. in the same pan, toast the pine nuts until lightly browned, shaking the pan every now and then. remove the nuts and let them cool.
add the kale, oil, lemon juice, and big pinch of salt to a large mixing bowl. massage everything until the kale has softened, about 5 minutes. add half of the coconut, the pine nuts, strawberries, and green onions.
in a lidded jar, combine the lime juice, olive oil, and honey. fasten the lid and give it a good shake, season with salt and pepper.
drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to distribute the dressing. garnish the top of the salad with the remaining toasted coconut.

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies / May 24, 2017 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies | dolly and oatmeal

amesy is at the point where he's emerging from that infant-baby stage into what seems like an older baby stage. he'll be 8 months old this saturday, and while i definitely cannot say the time has flown by (by any means), i've certainly felt a very noticeable shift. he's in an interesting in-between where he needs us wholeheartedly for most everything, but he's also becoming a bit more autonomous in his physical actions and emotions. he's been crawling now for a few days and has pretty much gotten it down! he kind of does this plank/downward dog/crawl thing and it's really too cute. i love that he's exploring a whole new world, i can see his intense curiosity behind his big brown eyes. it hits me from time to time that there will be a moment when he doesn't need me to feed him, or will no longer look for my hands to help him up, and that he won't bury his face in chest when he gets bashful. i can tear up at a moments notice about these things, which is silly, i know. he will need me for other things as he gets older. our relationship will manifest in different ways, i suppose. but for now i'm already living in the nostalgia of yesterday.

there's no smooth transition here, but i'm sure your inbox and instagram feed may be flooded with a ton of great picnic-ready recipes for the long weekend - pasta salads, leafy greens in a bowl, things to cook on a bbq. and maybe there's a recipe for a light and airy yellow cake intricately decorated with whipped cream and fresh berries. maybe it's just me, but sometimes an overabundance of recipes options have me feeling significantly overwhelmed to the point where i retreat back to the recipes that i've made time and time again. they're like a good pair of jeans that way: forgiving, reliable, and comfy. they usually include a guacamole or hummus freestyle, a green salad with a creamy dressing, maybe a hearty pasta salad or frittata depending on the season/occasion, and a simple cake that could please (hopefully) anyone.

which is why i'm so grateful when i come across a recipe like these peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. kathyrne, from cookie + kate, just came out with a brilliant new book, love real food, and i received a copy few weeks ago. amesy happened to be napping, so i got to thumb through the pages and landed on this recipe. it's one of those go-to recipes that has a short list of pantry ingredients, and is a one bowl kind of situation. i was thrilled at its straight forward nature, and simple technique (stirring, scooping, baking - done!), plus nothing bad ever comes out of pairing chocolate and peanut butter. the best part is that the last batch had finished cooking just as amesy was waking up. it really couldn't have worked any better. and it's definitely one of those reliable recipes that will be used over and over.

but kathryne's book is filled with beautiful, accessible recipes that make you feel like you can get it all done and have a nourishing meal all at the same time. as someone who can overcomplicate things at times, i'm really thankful for attainable recipes that are composed of readily available ingredients. the book is organized by breakfast items, salads, soups, a happy hour chapter (yes!), entrees, desserts, and extras. most recipes come with instructions on how to substitute ingredients to make the recipe gluten free, dairy free, or vegan at times. you'll also get to see more pictures of her super cute pup, cookie, and a really wonderful intro that talks about kate's journey to eating real food, and how everyone can achieve a balanced, more nourished, outlook on home cooking.

wishing everyone a beautiful weekend! xo

peanut butter chocolate chip cookies | gf (with a vegan option)

recipe from: Love Real Food by Kathryne Taylor. reprinted with permission.

i didn't have a cookie scoop, so i used a tablespoon measure to scoop the dough which worked perfectly but made less cookies (about 26). to make these dairy-free, i used this chocolate and chopped it up to make chips. kathryne gives some notes on how to make these vegan which are included below.

| makes 42 small cookies |

2 cups lightly packed coconut sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 jar (16 ounces) creamy peanut butter (1 3/4 cups)*
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips, preferably 60% cacao

*kathryne's notes:

natural peanut butter works well here. she notes to use standard salted peanut butter. if you are using unsalted peanut butter add an additional 1/4 teaspoon to the recipe. almond butter and sunflower butter work too, although she prefers the peanut version.
make these vegan by using vegan chocolate chips and omitting the eggs. she notes that egg free cookies will be lighter and be more meringue-like in texture and will be slightly gritty.

method

preheat the oven 350°F. line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
in a medium bowl, combine the coconut sugar and eggs and whisk until smooth (the eggs might resist incorporating into the sugar at first, but keep whisking!). whisk in the vanilla and salt until blended.
add the peanut butter and whisk until the dough is smooth and the peanut butter has completely blended into the batter (you might need to switch to a big spoon toward the end, which you'll need for mixing in the chocolate chips anyway). add the chocolate chips and stir until the chocolate chips are evenly incorporated.
for cookies that stay perfectly mounded, chill the dough for 15 mintues before proceeding (if you're in a hurry, skip the chilling step). use a 1-tablespoon cookie dough scoop or two spoons to scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 1 to 2 inches of space between each one. chill any remaining dough while you make the first batch.
bake until the cookies are golden at the edges but still just a little underdone in the center 11 to 13 minutes. let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring them with a metal spatula to a cooling rack to cool completely. repeat with the remaining dough. (if your first round was a little too doughy, bake this round for 1 minute longer, or if they were done past your liking, bake for 1 minute less -make note of this time, because you'll probably want to make these cookies again!)
these cookies keep well at room temperature for about 4 days, and freeze well for up to 3 months.

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Lemony Fennel, Radish, and Kale Salad / May 17, 2017 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Lemony Fennel, Radish, and Kale Salad | dolly and oatmeal

it's seems as though i left one spring behind in new york, and am experiencing a completely different one here in LA. when we left brooklyn the buds of trees were just beginning to bloom, and my raspberry and elderflower bushes were getting all bushy too. los angeles couldn't be more different. as many times as i've visited here, i think i haven't paid as much attention to the utterly diverse worlds that exist on each coast. when amesy and i take quint on his walks during the day i'm blown away by plants that i've never seen before, flowers that grow a foot high in NY but are gigantic bushes here, and the passion fruit that grows effortlessly on a neighbors fence. it's fascinating, while being entirely overwhelming - i want to get properly acquainted with each and every leafy thing here! in due time, i suppose.

we spent the weekend getting situated in our new apartment. our space is a 2-bedroom, which is huge for us - both literally and figuratively. we have a washer and dryer (!!!!), something that is inconceivable in nyc, a ton of natural light, and the babe has all the room to spread out and explore :) everything here feels airy and light, there's a feeling of ease in each day. it's kinda crazy how a new space can do that for you. but the clutter of our last place was something that was bothering both frank and i in a lot of ways. half of the year was great because we had our backyard to use, but the other half of the year felt cramped and tight. we only had 2 exposures and for people who vibe off natural light it felt like a big deal. in some ways i think that crept into our daily outlook on things which sometimes felt very limited. so for many reasons we are super grateful to be in sunny LA.

and another reason i'm thrilled to live in this new city is that i'm practically neighbors with the author of the recipe here today. if you're not already acquainted with lily diamond, she's the beautiful soul behind the blog, Kale & Caramel. her blog is an easy-breezy space filled with beautiful photography, and recipes that are textured, and playful, and filled with joy. her affinity for food and her wanting to share it with us beams through every recipe that occupies the pages on her site. her writing is a thing of beauty, they have a way of evoking feelings perhaps you didn't know were there, or thoughts you had never thought yourself. she is, if anything, an immensely inspiring woman.

her book, Kale & Caramel: Recipes For Body, Heart, and Table is a deeper look into her glorious mind and i'm so happy she's let us in - if only a little bit. the book is organized around herbs and flowers, think: basil, fennel, oregano, lavender, and rose petals. there are recipes for face masks, and salads, and beach-y spray for your hair. there are tarts, and chocolate mousse, and things that will care for your soul and make you smile in the process. it seems as though lily is there on each page encouraging you to nourish and care for yourself.

lemony fennel, radish, and kale salad

recipe from Kale & Caramel: Recipes for Body, Heart, and Table by Lily Diamond

to make this recipe dairy-free i subbed the feta cheese with little dabs of this kite hill almond milk ricotta cheese, which was delicious.

| serves 4-6 |

8 large leaves dinosaur (lacinato) kale
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups sugar snap peas, washed and eds trimmed
3 cups very thinly sliced or shaved fennel bulb (about 1 medium-large), fronds reserved
5 to 6 radishes, very thinly sliced or shaved, about 1 cup
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 1 3/4 ounces)
freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

method

remove the stems from the kale and chop the leaves into thin strips. place the strips of kale in a large bowl and massage with the oil, about 30 seconds, until the leaves grow deep green, reduce in volume, and take on a mellow sheen.
slice each sugar snap pea in half diagonally across its midsection to reveal some of the peas (or do the same for green beans). add the sliced peas, fennel, and radishes to the bowl with the massaged kale.
on a cutting board, give the parsley, mint leaves, and the reserved fennel fronds a coarse chop. add to the bowl of kale and veggies. add 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and the salt, and toss vigorously to combine. Add the feta and toss gently to integrate. taste and adjust the salt and lemon juice as desired.
serve immediately. the salad will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.