Shelly's Chilled Peanut Noodles / July 13, 2017 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Shelly's Chilled Peanut Noodles | 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

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.
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.

similar recipes:

cauliflower couscous w/ cherries & sumac

Iced Matcha Latte, Two Ways / July 6, 2017 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Iced Matcha Latte, Two Ways | dolly and oatmeal

hey, everyone! i hope you all had a good holiday weekend :) we pretty much stayed put. aside from a morning outing to beach that went way wrong (bummer!), we had a super fun day hanging with my brother, sister-in-law, and their little one, nico. amesy and his cousin had some pool time, and in between diaper changes, multiple sun block applications, playing/smashing toys, crawling, and naps, we adults had a few minutes to catch up as well ;)

life at home with amesy is hectic too. often, the days go by so quickly, and between both of our schedules i don't have much time to make intricate recipes. so in lieu of anything too exciting, i'm sharing my go-to, afternoon pick-me-up. i gave up coffee when i was pregnant with amesy, and after having him i gave it up completely due to adrenal fatigue. so matcha has been my sidekick for a while now. i've grown to love it's flavor and its ability to leave me feeling energized without the crash and burn i so often felt with coffee. among many of its benefits (boosting brain powder, being rich in antioxidants, etc.) it's a fun thing to sip. you can adapt a matcha latte in so many different ways, whether you make a bulletproof matcha, add any variety of nut milk or nut butter; some people sift and whisk, others blend, there's oodles of ways to prepare one.

i personally love the taste of matcha. and whenever i add milk that flavor is a bit more undetectable. i started adding tocos (tocotrienols a bio-available source of vitamin E) to a lot of my beverages a few months ago when i began experiencing a postpartum hormone imbalance. i love its creamy quality, which is perfect for a milk-less matcha. it gives a latte the perfect creamy/frothy consistency without diluting the matcha taste. but, i know a lot of people don't have access to tocos (nor do some of you have the desire to buy them), so i added a second iced matcha latte recipe, a version with milk, that is super creamy, a bit frothy, and just generally a good time :)

happy july! big summer hugs <3

all ceramics provided by wolf ceramics

iced matcha latte, two ways | v

if you're interested in buying tocos, you can find them here and here. i call for coconut butter but you can use a nut butter or coconut oil (it will have more of a coconut flavor though). similarly, you can use any sweetener of choice. i generally use a 1:1 ratio of matcha powder (in teaspoons) to water (in cups). but if you are sensitive to caffeine you can always reduce the amount of matcha powder.

| serves 1 |

no-milk creamy matcha latte

1 1/2 teaspoons matcha powder
1 teaspoon coconut butter
1 teaspoon coconut nectar
1 tablespoon tocos
1 cup hot filtered water
1/2 cup ice, plus more ice for serving

creamy matcha latte (w/ milk)

1 1/2 teaspoons matcha powder
1 teaspoon coconut butter
1 teaspoon coconut nectar
1 cup steamed unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup ice

method 1

to a high-speed blender, add the matcha, coconut butter, coconut nectar, and tocos. add the hot water and ice. blend on high for 45 seconds - 1 minute, until everything is combined and frothy.
fill a glass halfway with ice and pour the matcha blend over top. enjoy immediately.

method 2

to a high-speed blender, add the matcha, coconut butter, and coconut nectar. add the steamed milk and ice. blend on high for 45 seconds - 1 minute, until everything is combined and frothy.
fill a glass halfway with ice and pour the matcha blend over top. enjoy immediately.

similar recipes:

fizzy lemon-limade w/ crushed raspberries

cold-brewed shiso hibiscus tea iced latte

Raspberry-Tomato Yogurt Pops / June 28, 2017 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Raspberry-Tomato Yogurt Pops | dolly and oatmeal

the idea for this popsicle has been in the works for a little over a year now. it all started last spring when frank and i went for this walk/picnic at stone barns. it happened to be sheep shearing day, so they had a buffet of spring treats, and a raspberry-tomato yogurt smoothie was one of them. if it weren't for the smoothie's beautiful blushy color i most likely would have let it be. tomatoes and raspberries muddled together with yogurt seemed like a bad idea. until it wasn't. i should mention, that i was emerging out of the first, very queasy, trimester of my pregnancy, so i was feeling adventurous. i was surprised by the subtle tomato flavor, the hint of sweet raspberries, and a good amount of tart creaminess provided by the yogurt. it was a welcomed beverage to sip on. since then, i've been wanting to turn them into popsicles. i was too late for billy's #popsicleweek last year, so i started testing this recipe weeks ago in anticipation of today.

getting the ratio of tomato to raspberry proved to a bit tricky especially if you're not using seasonal tomatoes. i tested these a few weeks ago with tomatoes from the super market and it made somewhat of a difference. overall, it gave the pops less tomato flavor, and more of a watery/acidic taste. so i would definitely recommend buying tomatoes from a local market, or hot-house tomatoes. but in the end you get a really great mix of flavors that is such a great refresher this time of year. they're also super low in sugar so they're great for kids, or a snack after dinner :)

and if you haven't already seen the abundance of beautiful pops gracing the internet this week, hop over to billy's site to check it all out!

big summer hugs! XO

raspberry-tomato yogurt pops | v

these pops have a subtle sweetness, so add more to your liking if need be. feel free to leave off the nuts or replace them with another variety.

| makes 7 popsicles |

1 1/2 cups raspberries
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
1 cup unsweetened coconut or almond milk yogurt
2 tablespoons coconut nectar, more for dipping
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds (optional)

method

combine the raspberries, tomatoes, yogurt, and coconut nectar in a blender (preferably high speed). blend on high for roughly 45 seconds - 1 minute, until the mixture is smooth.
pour the mixture evenly into 7 popsicle molds. insert popsicle sticks and freeze until firm, about 5 hours, or up to 3 days.
pour some extra coconut nectar into a small bowl. place the sliced almonds in a separate small bowl. dip the tops of the popsicles into coconut nectar and then into the almonds. eat right away or place on a large platter and freeze.