May 23, 2019 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

CRISPY SMASHED POTATO SALAD W/ GARLICKY YOGURT VINAIGRETTE & PICKLED RED ONIONS | dolly and oatmeal

we’re gearing up for memorial day weekend over here, aka the unofficial start of summer! i’m still not sure how it works here in LA, but back where i grew up on the east coast, pools and beaches open this weekend, and you can reliably count on warm, sticky weather until about mid-september. it also marks grilling season! and even though it’s been chilly, cloudy, and sometimes rainy here in los angeles, frank bought a small grill which just feels like we’re making a bigger commitment to cooking at home on the weekends, while also settling into our space and making it more “us” since moving in over a year ago. i’m so excited about the grill though, and since it’s not charcoal, i feel more confident to get out there and use it myself. i’m already conjuring up a bunch of recipes, i’ll share them when i do!

but memorial day weekend is also the unofficial/official start to potato salad season. if you’re familiar with my site, then you know i have quite a few potato recipes on here. around this time last year i shared a recipe for these salty smashed potatoes, and since then i’ve made a few different iterations of them. my favorite being a smashed potato salad. this one’s kind of a deconstructed potato salad as the potatoes aren’t completely smothered in a sauce/dressing (although you could totally toss it all together), rather they’re drizzled with a punchy, creamy garlicky vinaigrette, and sprinkled with sharp but sweet pickled red onions. it is by far my favorite potato salad yet! the potatoes are perfectly crunchy on the outside, and velvety on the inside. and if you’re a fan of traditional german potato salad, then you will dig this vinaigrette - at its’ base is plant-based yogurt mixed with apple cider vinegar, good dijon, olive oil, and few other pantry staples that really bring everything together. it’s the perfect, perfect side dish to bring to a bbq, serve alongside your summer meals, and while they’re best when straight out of the oven, the whole dish does make for pretty delicious leftovers.

be on the lookout this sunday, i have an announcement that i’ll be sharing with you all that i’m pumped about! until then, make this potato salad! ;)

xo!

crispy smashed potatoes w/ garlicky yogurt vinaigrette & pickled onions | v & gf

print the recipe!

new potatoes or baby potatoes yield the creamiest smashed potato. if you can, try to find fresh potatoes at a local market or baby potatoes at your grocer.
i use avocado oil spray here and it makes all the difference in even crisping. brushing it on from a bottle will give the potatoes a bit of a different flavor profile and goes on a bit thicker. if you don’r have avocado oil spray, then i suggest using an olive oil spray.
if you are not opposed to dairy, simply substitute the plant based yogurt for greek yogurt.
both the pickled red onions and vinaigrette recipes make extra. i like using the extra onions on salads, to top tacos or fajitas, etc. the extra vinaigrette can be used as a dip for sliced veggies or roasted sweet potatoes, i’ve also used it in chicken salad which was so good!

| serves 4-6 |

salt
2 pounds baby potatoes
avocado oil spray
flaky salt
roughly 1/4 cup pickled red onions (recipe below)
roughly 1/2-3/4 cup garlicky yogurt (recipe below)
2 tablespoons chopped herbs (i favor a mix of chives, parsley, and dill)

pickled onions (makes extra)

1 cup filtered water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 small red onion, thinly sliced

garlicky yogurt vinaigrette (makes extra)

1 cup plant-based unsweetened yogurt (i use kite hill greek-style unsweetened yogurt)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 clove garlic, grated over a microplane or minced
fine salt & fresh pepper

method

to a large pot, add a fat pinch salt and the potatoes. cover the potatoes with water, and bring to a boil. cover, and lower heat to a simmer. let the potatoes cook until tender when pierced with a sharp knife, about 15 minutes. drain potatoes and let them cool until ready to handle.
preheat oven to 450°F and prepare 2 baking sheet with parchment paper, and spray each one with a thin coating of avocado oil. one by one, place the potatoes on the baking sheets, and using the bottom of a large glass, press down lightly and smash them. repeat with all the potatoes. spray the tops and sides with more avocado oil, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. cook for roughly 20 minutes, until tops are lightly golden, then flip the potatoes over. place back in the oven and cook for another 10-15 minutes, until edges are golden and crispy. remove from oven and let cool for roughly 10 minutes.
place potatoes on a large platter or a large shallow bowl. drizzle over the garlicky yogurt vinaigrette, and add the pickled onions. if you want, give everything a light toss, just to cover the potatoes (add more vinaigrette, if needed), and top with the chopped herbs. serve immediately.
make the pickled onions. in a bowl, whisk together the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt until everything has dissolved. place the sliced onions in a jar and cover with the pickling solution. cover with the lid and store in your refrigerator for up to 1 week.
make the vinaigrette. in a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, oil, vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, and garlic. season with salt and pepper. taste and adjust if necessary. vinaigrette can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

more potato recipes:

roasted fingerling potato salad w/ romesco sauce & herby black quinoa

warm fingerling potatoes w/ garlic -turmeric sauce

salty smashed potatoes w/ harissa yogurt

HOW TO PREPARE ASPARAGUS 7 DIFFERENT WAYS / May 16, 2019 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

HOW TO PREPARE ASPARAGUS 7 DIFFERENT WAYS | dolly and oatmeal

may is unofficially asparagus season (🙌🏼) - hurrah! among a few other pieces of product, like rhubarb for instance, asparagus is my absolute favorite spring vegetable. since moving to LA, i’ve come to appreciate it even more. back in new york, my mom had a good portion of her garden dedicated to asparagus. beginning in mid-april we would watch it peak through the soil until it got mature enough to harvest. and the moment you cut that first stalk you knew that spring had officially commenced. i love to let the asparagus flavor shine by using simple flavors including: oils and vinegars, herbs, and light spices. this time of year asparagus should be tender and sweet, and bright green or sometimes purple (depending on the variety). my mom’s garden asparagus was so tender that it only required a minute of cooking, and in some preparations you could it eat raw altogether. either way, this is the best month to partake in cooking all the asparagus!

here are 7 of my all-time favorite asparagus recipes, and the various ways you can prepare, what flavors you can pair with asparagus, and how to serve asparagus right alongside the rest of your spring haul. there are a couple soups for those brisk, chilly spring days, a few ways to roast asparagus with the most complimentary flavors to best serve this delightful vegetable with. we also have an asparagus sandwich with avocado and punchy dijon, and a spring rainbow bowl that will perk up your lunch game big time.

i hope these recipes offer some ease and comfort in these warm/hot/chilly/cold days :) xo!

CASHEW CREAM OF ASPARAGUS & SPRING ONION SOUP

this soup shouts asparagus. it uses about 2 whole bunches, plus some aromatics to really make it sing. we add some soaked cashews to make it a luscious, creamy vegan bowl. it’s perfect for this season when it’s not quite hot enough at night (or even during the day sometimes) to do away with all the cozy that soup brings. this is also perfect appetizer, or to right alongside your main dish.

BALSAMIC ROASTED ASPARAGUS W/ FRIED CAPERS & 7-MINUTE EGGS

this bowl combines so much of the beauty that is spring. there’s balsamic roasted asparagus, fresh baby greens, pea shoots, and runny eggs. the colors alone scream spring with all those green and yellow tones. it’s the kind of meal that' combines the ease of preparing fresh ingredients, with the bits of complexity in flavor. the balsamic-roasted asparagus is one of my favorite ways to prepare it, the flavors are surprisingly complimentary of one another. this is a great dish to whip up for lunch, or a quick dinner.

this soup knows no bounds with the amount of flavor going on here. there’s enough tahini added here to make this soup a bit creamy without any dairy or the need for any starchy vegetables. what you get is essentially spring in a bowl, with a good dose of zing from the lemon juice. add all the garnishes, or just leave it be. whatever you choose to do it will be absolutely delicious either way.

CILANTRO BLACK RICE W/ ROASTED GARLIC SCAPES & ASPARAGUS

this recipe is an old standby. it combines a wonderful array of spring vegetable you likely see at your farmers’ market or grocer this time of year. it’s a humble dish with lots of flavor. the rice is cooked with cilantro sprigs which is a simple technique to infuse a good amount of herbaceous flavor into your rice. the garlic scapes and asparagus are given a quick sauté making them bright and flavorful. add some toasted almonds to top and you’ve got yourself a simple little side dish, or a lovely bed to top with your protein of choice to make it a heartier meal.

ASPARAGUS, PEA & BROCCOLI RABE SAUTE OVER A CHIVE-CHICKPEA MASH

this fan favorite from years ago is one of my absolute favorite dishes on this site. while it may sound like a ton of ingredients, it’s quite simple to put together. this dish bursts at the seams with everything spring - i think i tried to cram everything spring forward into this dish, and it tastes that way too. there are freshly shelled peas, broccoli rabe, and sweet asparagus sitting a top a simple chickpea mash with delicate onion flavor thanks to spring’s first spring onion: chives. it makes for an impressive meal - both for your eyes and belly.

SAUTEED ASPARAGUS & DIJON AVOCADO SANDWICH

this is simple, humble sandwich that is easy to put together at home, or take on the road. it’s a wonderful compact meal that stands up to the elements while also delivering a little punch of flavor, creaminess, and crunch. it’s wonderful for spring picnics, for a random sweltering spring beach day, or just to take as your desk lunch.

SPRING RAINBOW BOWL W/ HONEY MUSTARD TAHINI

if you meal prep, this dish is for you. i love taking the odds and ends leftover from meal prep to combine a bright bowl. this bowl also happens to contain the sunshine-y vibes that spring inspires. and when you combine it with 2 vivid dips how could you wrong? there’s roasted asparagus, roasted purple sweet potatoes, cucumber and carrot ribbons, ripe avocado, sautéed greens and mushrooms, and a runny egg. it basically has everything you could want in a lunch bowl.

RHUBARB CAKE LOAF W/ ROSY RHUBARB GLAZE / May 9, 2019 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

i don’t think i ponder motherhood as much as i should, or at least as i think i should. it’s difficult at times with the messy, busy, grinding days to take a breath and fully absorb the magnitude of raising a child, carrying a child, and what that role means - to you, to the one/s you are raising, to your spouse, to the general public. it’s something i’ve come to realize is different for us all. when amesy was first born i was very hard on myself. i was scared, and exhausted, and i often felt guilt for these feelings. instead, i thought i should be feeling euphorically in love with my little human 100% of the time like i had seen in movies, or on TV, or on various social platforms. it took me a while to be comfortable with the idea that not everything about motherhood is rosy (even if you are blessed with the sweetest little baby). and as i’ve spoken to friends and colleagues over the years, it’s become more evident to me that this is a common trait with a lot of women, regardless of whether you have children or not. the permission to be honest, to not go along as if everything is perfect. to embrace the messy, to talk about it, and most importantly to share in it and grow from it. i see this popping up more and more in some circles, and it’s very so refreshing.

rhubarb is something that will forever remind me of my mom. she grew a bushel of it in the garden just outside her kitchen. we would wait for it to pop up from the ground each spring, and usually by the time mother’s day rolled around we had enough stalks to harvest to make a pie or crumble. i love rhubarb for so many reasons. its blush-y hues, and tartness, and the variety of ways you can use it. it’s strong and hearty, and soft and fragile all at the same time. and for those sweet memories its provided me with.

in this recipe we use it in 2 different ways. the first is chopped small and folded in the cake batter. it bakes up moist, adds a bit of tartness, but is enveloped with enough cake that you get both the sweet and tart altogether in one bite. the second way we use it here, is to saute it a bit, blend it with some blood orange juice (just to punch up the color a bit), and use the juices to make the most beautiful shade of pink for a tart-but-sweet glaze. there are a couple different gluten-free flours used for the cake to give it a light and tender crumb. while it’s in loaf form, don’t be fooled, this is all cake - just the way it should be :)

here’s to being kind and patient with yourself, and to cake! xo

rhubarb cake loaf w/ rosy rhubarb glaze | gf & df

print the recipe!

| makes one 9x5-inch loaf |

1 cup fine brown rice flour
3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar (i use monkfruit sweetener or coconut sugar)
zest from 1 lemon
2 large pasture-raised eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped rhubarb, cut evenly into 1/4-inch pieces
poppy seeds, to top (optional)

glaze

3 teaspoons coconut oil, for cooking
1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb, cut evenly into 1/2-inch pieces
juice from 1/2 blood orange
2-3 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
1 1/2 cups powdered monkfruit sweetener
1 tablespoon vegan butter, melted and cooled

method

preheat oven to 350°F. grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan. line with parchment paper, leaving enough paper to overhang on each side.
in a large bowl, whisk together the flours, arrowroot, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. set aside.
in another large bowl, use your fingers to rub the sugar and lemon zest together, letting the zest oils release. whisk in the eggs, almond milk, oil, and vanilla.
slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet until combined, then fold in the rhubarb. pour the batter into the prepared pan. bake for 55-70 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. let the cake cool on a rack, then use the parchment wings to remove it from the pan.
while the cake is cooling, make the glaze. heat a large saute pan over medium heat. add the coconut oil and rhubarb, cook for about 3 minutes; until soft. transfer the rhubarb and juices to a high-speed blender. add the almond milk and a few teaspoons blood orange juice and whiz everything together on high, scraping down the sides as needed until everything is smooth. add another teaspoon blood orange juice if you want the glaze a deeper pink. place a fine mesh colander over a large bowl, pour in the the rhubarb mixture in, and use a rubber spatula to work it through, discarding any solids, and preserving the liquid.
sift the powdered into another large bowl, start by whisking in 3 tablespoons of the rhubarb liquid, adding more if needed to get your desired consistency (i used about 6 tablespoons to achieve a spreadable glaze). spread over top of your cake, use an offset spatula to evenly cover the top. then sprinkle with poppy seeds, if using. slice and serve :)