October 30, 2019 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

i’ve been meaning to share this post for weeks now. amesy turned 3 years old (!!!) at the end of september. we had a small gathering with family - there was a little dinosaur egg hunt (naturally), a cardboard castle, dinosaur masks, water painting, shake shack burgers and fries, and this chocolate chip cookie cake! amesy is an equal opportunity cookie lover, but his absolute favorite is chocolate chip. naturally, a chocolate chip cookie cake was where my mind went. i’m still not sure where this last year went. while it was one of the most emotional and trying in some ways, it was also such a special year of getting to know my growing little boy as more than a baby, but a little human with interests and ideas, and questions, and curiosities.

i’ve been making amesy’s cakes for 3 years now, and each year they’ve inevitably had a dinosaur theme because, well, he loves dinosaurs! i’ve tried to switch it up each year. for his 1st birthday i went with more dinosaur decorations on the cake - cookie “dirt”, teeny plastic dinos and tropical trees. his 2nd birthday, i made cut-out marzipan dinosaurs to place on the top and sides of his cake. and this 3rd birthday, i opted for the simplest amazon-purchased dinosaur cake topper because i decided to give myself some relief with having my newborn joey and all. and each year i've tried to keep the cake as low in sugar as i possibly could without it tasting like “healthy” cake. when it comes to sugar i usually stick to a few sweeteners: coconut sugar, monkfruit sweetener (both the granulated and the powdered), maple syrup, honey, and stevia. those are what i generally stick to for kids cakes. and just so everyone can partake in the cake eating, i make them gluten-and-dairy-free as well.

in my haze as a mom to 2 kids, one being a newborn, i opted to use google to find myself a chocolate chip cookie cake recipe. the recipe i landed on was grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free cake that looked great! i made a few minor adjustments - using almond butter instead of tahini, swapping out some of the coconut sugar for monkfruit sweetener, and omitting almond extract. i also used store-bought vegan icing, because, if i’m honest, i hate making frosting, and i wanted to cut the time down since i was making the cake while joey napped which didn’t give me much time. i also made the cake layers a couple days ahead of time, and frosted and assembled the cake the day of. this makes it easier to frost (pro-tip: when your cake layers are cold you get less crumbs in the frosting). then i took it out of the fridge about 1 1/2 hours before i was ready to serve it. it couldn’t have been more of a crowd (and amesy) pleaser :)

method

preheat oven to 350°F. oil three 6-inch round cake pans, and line the bottoms with parchment rounds.
in a large bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients until combined.
in a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. using a rubber spatula, add the dry ingredients to the wet a little at a time until fully combined and the batter is smooth. fold in the chocolate chips.
divide the batter evenly between the 3 pans, using your spatula to smooth the tops. bake for 18-25 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. remove cakes and set them on a cooling rack. once they are completely cool wrap them tight in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours (or overnight).
the day of, frost cake one layer at a time. then lightly frost the top and sides of cake. refrigerate until 1 hour before serving. then slice and serve!

chocolate chip cookie cake | gluten-free | refined-sugar free | grain-free

| makes one 3-layer 6-inch cake |

recipe adapted from Ambitious Kitchen

wet ingredients

4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup monkfruit sweetener
1/2 cup coconut sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened almond butter
1/2 cup melted (and cooled) coconut oil, plus more for pans
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

dry ingredients

2 cups super fine blanched almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup chocolate chips (i love Lily’s), plus more for decorating

frosting

two 10 ounce containers vanilla frosting (i used this brand)

this was two.

this was one.

similar recipes:

strawberry rhubarb chocolate cake w/ coco whip

PUMPKIN SEED PESTO SPAGHETTI SQUASH BOWLS / October 23, 2019 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

PUMPKIN SEED PESTO SPAGHETTI SQUASH BOWLS | dolly and oatmeal

we’re heavy into pumpkins at the moment here at our house. amesy is in full-on halloween mode - listening to a halloween album non-stop, asking to watch “it’s the great pumpkin, charlie brown” again and again, and spotting each and every pumpkin on doorstops and grocery stores like it’s his job! which is all to say that the halloween/spooky vibe has never felt so spirited than before, and i’m going with it full throttle. i remember counting down the days until halloween, planning what my costume would be, and i can imagine that’s what amesy is feeling to a certain degree (as much as 3-year old can, of course). for a while there he wasn’t understanding what a costume was, and didn’t want to dress up. then, all of a sudden a couple of weeks ago, all amesy could talk about was wanting to “skooky punkin” (aka, spooky pumpkin). when i asked him what his baby brother should be, he said: a pumpkin. when asked what me and my husband should be, he said: pumpkins! suffice to say, ames is all about the pumpkins, so we’re rolling with that this year (even though i have a sneaking suspicion he’s really going to want to wear his dinosaur costume from last year…we shall see). in any event, i can’t wait to see how halloween unfolds for him - being witness to his enthusiasm for holidays, and life in general, is the greatest gift.

i’m trying (very slowly it seems) to keep up my end of the bargain and cook all things pumpkin, pumpkin spice, etc., etc. but with all the pumpkin everything recipes out there, i thought i would share an equally festive, but savory use of pumpkin, that is: the pumpkin seeds. today we’re making a vegan pumpkin seed-based pesto. we add a bit more seeds than a traditional pesto calls for as that’s where a lot of the full-bodied, nutty flavor comes from. the pumpkin seeds provide a lovely toasted essence and really creamy texture. we also add a mixture of basil and arugula (a combination i love), your typical garlic, lemon juice, and salt, too. i use here Thrive Algae Oil too. since olive oil is what’s typically used in pesto, and because it offers a distinct flavor, i wanted to see if algae oil would be just as good. turns out it is!! not only does the oil let the other flavors shine (algae oil is flavorless!), but it offers the pesto a kind of luscious texture that almost felt buttery, and i don’t have to sacrifice nutrition for better taste and consistency. thrive algae oil actually has more good fats and less bad fats than olive or any other oil, with 90% heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. needless to say, i will be reaching for it anytime i make pesto going forward, and i nudge you to as well! algae oil is widely available at grocery stores nationwide, and online as well.

*this post was created in partnership with Thrive Algae Oil. all thoughts and opinions are, as always, my own. thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep dolly and oatmeal going!

PUMPKIN SEED PESTO SPAGHETTI SQUASH BOWLS | V & GF

feel free to serve this pesto over spaghetti or any pasta of choice. alternatively, if you’re in a warmer climate, zucchini noodles would be wonderful as well. we generally like to add some protein to the mix here. i love a piece of roasted wild salmon, personally. but you could add ground or roasted chicken (or turkey), chicken sausage, chickpeas, or cooked lentils.

print the recipe!

| serve 2-4 |

1 large spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise
Thrive Algae Oil spray
2 cups fresh basil, plus more for garnish
2 cups baby arugula
1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
juice from 1/2 lemon (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
1 clove garlic, smashed
fine sea salt & freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup Thrive Algae Oil

method

preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
spray the cut sides of the spaghetti squash with oil, and place cut-side down on the baking sheet. cook for 40-50 minutes, until squash flesh is tender. remove from the oven and set aside.
while the squash is cooking, make the pesto. in a container of a food processor fitted with a metal “s” blade, combine the basil, arugula, toasted pumpkin seeds (reserve a few for later), lemon juice, garlic, a few big pinches of salt, and a couple grinds of pepper. with the motor running drizzle in the oil until everything comes together to form a fluid paste. taste and adjust, adding more salt, lemon juice, and/or oil. set aside.
once the squash has cooled enough to touch, use a fork to scrape the strands from each squash half. transfer strands to two bowls, and season with salt and pepper, give it a good toss. add a few tablespoons pesto to each bowl, garnish with chopped basil, and reserved pumpkin seeds. serve with protein of choice (optional), and enjoy warm.

similar recipes:

baked purple kale & spaghetti squash cakes

broken lasagna w/ vegan white pesto & broccoli rabe

COZY BANANA BREAD GRANOLA / October 2, 2019 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

COZY BANANA BREAD GRANOLA | dolly and oatmeal

early fall will forever be granola season in my house, i’m never able to really deep-dive into autumn right away (especially when daytime temps are still pretty warm), and granola is the perfect touch of cozy that shifts everything towards a more snug vibe, plus it’s a cinch to make, and lasts for breakfast and snacks throughout the week! but the kicker here is that the banana and spices give your home the coziest fragrance that immediately puts you in the mood for all things fall.

weekday breakfasts tend to be an eat-and-go situation where frank and i are independently huddled in some corner of the house trying to get food in our mouth while we feed amesy, and in between nursing joey. almost 2 months of juggling 2 children, and we still haven’t really gotten our groove, but having prepared breakfasts are key to starting our day out nourished and feeling our best. i love granola just for this reason: it has the ability to be the cornerstone of wholesome breakfasts and snacks.

this granola is grain free, and made from chopped nuts and seeds. we add a good bit of spice here to help with the banana bread flavor we’re going for. but the glue that holds it all together is my new favorite oil, thrive algae oil! it’s a wonderful oil to cook, bake, and make sauces and dressings with, especially when you don’t want any unwanted added flavor in what you’re cooking or baking. take this granola for example. we really want the banana to shine here, and thanks to this flavorless, odorless oil, it very much does! unlike most other flavorless oils, algae oil is high in the kinds of healthy monounsaturated fats our bodies love, and low in saturated fat. it’s really been a game changer in my kitchen. i also love that it’s widely available and isn’t a niche product. i get it at my local whole foods, but it’s available on amazon, and at grocery stores nationwide.

i hope you all are enjoying the first weeks of fall so far. our mornings in southern california are cool, but the afternoon temps are still in the 80s. but nevertheless, we’re planning on getting out and living up all those fun autumn activities - i’ve been looking into where L:A picks apple and pumpkins (it’s harder to find patches here than i thought), i’m also trying to get ahead of the game when it comes to halloween costumes for both the boys (!!), while also decking out our entrance for all things fall/halloween (amesy, who’s now 3, is alllll about it!).

big cozy hugs! xo

*this post was created in partnership with Thrive Algae Oil. all thoughts and opinions are, as always, my own. thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep dolly and oatmeal going!

cozy banana bread granola | v & gf

feel free to swap out any of the nuts and seeds for what you prefer or have on hand. if you don’t want this to be grain-free, by all means swap out some nuts for rolled oats or even puffed quinoa or rice. this is the kind of recipe that begs for customization.

print the recipe!

| makes roughly 3 cups |

1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped almonds and cashews
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 sunflower seeds
3 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 ripe banana, peeled
1/4 cup Thrive Algae Oil
2 tablespoons good maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

method

preheat oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
in a large bowl, mix together the chopped nuts, seeds, spices, and salt. set aside.
add the banana, oil, maple syrup, and vanilla to the container of a food processor fitted with a metal “s” blade. pulse until the mixture is completely smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides, as needed.
pour the banana mixture over the nut and seed mixture. use a rubber spatula to thoroughly stir everything together. turn the granola out into the prepared baking sheet; use a spatula to evenly spread the granola out.
baked for 15 minutes, then add the coconut and toss it together with the granola. bake for another 10-15 minutes, until lightly toasted and fragrant.
let granola cool completely, then store in a lidded container. granola can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days.