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Okay, was going through meals that I could make out of stuff in the freezer that I made in the past, while I have been stuck in my house.
I had both the Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto in individual portions, and some leftover whole wheat Vegan Homemade Gnocchi.
It took less than 10 minutes to make my dinner (thanks Christine-from-the-past!). You can follow the directions on the two linked recipes above, or I've outlined it down below if you're starting from scratch.
Make Your Meal Even Healthier Tip:
Potatoes are great, but throw some other veggies in there...maybe some broccoli, or some mushrooms. The pesto is a great base for a lot of veg that will soak it up.
Click through for recipe!...
INGREDIENTS:
For the PESTO - Makes ~1 Cup
- 1 cup of sun-dried tomatoes (not in jar, in package)
- 2 or 3 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 cup of pine nuts
- 1 cup basil leaves (packed)
- 1/3 cup of vegan parmesan
- 1/3 cup of EVOO
- salt and pepper to taste
- OPTIONAL: red pepper flakes, or other spicy ingredients, but this is a good base for things, so plain might be best
For The Gnocchi - Makes ~60 Gnocchi
- about 4 to 4 1/2 cups riced potato
- 1 tsp, or a bit more salt
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (more on hand)
- 2.5 cups all purpose flour (make sure you get high quality flour)
TO MAKE THE DISH - 1 Serving
- 1 to 1.5 cup of gnocchi
- 1 to 2 tbsp pesto (judge by how much you like and if you're adding veg)
- 1/2 cup of white wine
- vegan parm
- basil for garnish
- any veg you want
INSTRUCTIONS:
To Make The Pesto:
Pulse all ingredients in a food processor, and then blend. While the machine is running, add in the olive oil slowly.
Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed.
Store in the fridge in a jar for a week or freeze (for a month or so).
To Make The Gnocchi:
Scrub and then pierce the potatoes a few times with a fork and bake either covered in foil or uncovered in the oven at 425 degrees, for at least 45mins, checking to see if they are done by piercing with a knife or fork. This should be easily done, or else they need more time.
Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, rice them. If you’re using a ricer, there’s no need to peel, as it remains behind (like magic), if you’re mashing with a fork or masher, remove the peel.
You really want to make sure there are no lumps left between the potatoes and the flour as you’ll feel them in the gnocchi and they won’t blend.
Place the riced potatoes in a large bowl, and then add the flour, salt and olive oil.
Using your hands squeeze everything together until it makes a ball. If it’s too dry, it might need a bit more olive oil, and if it’s too sticky, give it a bit more flour.
Keep the dough covered with either a clean tea towel, or plastic wrap while you form the dumplings.
You’ll need about 1 to 2 tsp of the dough, rolled into a ball in your hands, and then roll it into an oblong shape.
The pattern that lots of gnocchi has can be achieved by rolling it down the backside of a fork - but really this is just for aesthetics.
I placed the gnocchi on a flat surface and kept it covered in the fridge as I went. If you want to freeze some of the pasta you make, place them, separated on a lined baking sheet for at least a few hours, and then toss into an air tight container or baggie.
There! Gnocchi batch, DONE!
You're going to want about a cup to cup and a half of gnocchi per-person/serving.
To cook it, place a pot with heavily salted water on the stove and bring to a boil, and then tossing the gnocchi in in batches. It’s done after about a minute of it floating to the top (whole process takes about 5 minutes).
Meanwhile in a pan, add a tablespoon of the pesto and heat, then add the 1/2 cup of white wine.
Scoop the gnocchi with a slotted spoon, and add to pot to coat. Add some vegan parm into the pan if you need to thicken it a bit again.
Serve in a pasta bowl, and sprinkle with parm, and fresh basil.
ENJOY!
Let us know if you make this recipe by posting it on instagram or twitter and using the #LiveBarreLife hashtag! And if there are any specific meals, fruits, veggies, or meats, you'd like to see on the blog!
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photos and recipe by: Christine McAvoy
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