Pesto Gnocchi with Zucchini and Olives

Pesto Gnocchi with Zucchini and Olives

Takes about 1 hour, 45 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Gnocchi:

1 lbs russet potatoes, diced

2 tbsp water

½ tsp salt

½ tbsp olive oil

1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour

1 recipe lime-almond pesto (recipe follows)

1 zucchini, sliced into quarter slices

1 cup mixed sliced seasoned olives, any type
1 cup cherry tomatoes

1. Boil potatoes 10 minutes.  Mash with a fork, add water, salt, and olive oil.  Mix in the flour and work into a dough.

2. Cut the dough into eight pieces.  Roll each piece into a long round roll and chop into ½ inch pieces.  Press each piece down a little with a fork so that there are lines on it.  Place on a cookie sheet and cover with a towel.

3. Boil a large pot of water with a small amount of oil added in.  Drop in the gnocchi in batches – you should have about 3 batches.  Make sure they are in a fairly single layer.  Boil until about 1 minute after the float (3 – 4 minutes total).  Remove with a slotted spoon and put in the next batch.

4. In an oiled skillet or wok, sauté the zucchini for about 4 -5 minutes until slightly softened but still crisp.  Mix in with the gnocchi and add the olives.  Pour the pesto over the gnocchi and mix the whole thing together.  Serve warm or cold.

Lime-Almond Pesto

Makes about ½ - ¾ cup pesto

Takes about 15 minutes

This is a variation on normal pesto.  Using almonds, instead of pine nuts, is substantially cheaper and the taste is not very different.  Lime juice instead of lemon makes for a nice change.

Ingredients:

1 tightly packed cup of basil (overflowing is good)

¼ cup slivered or blanched almonds

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tsp fresh minced ginger, unpeeled

3 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp lime juice

¾ tsp salt

1. Combine all the ingredients in the food processor.  Pulse until you reach your desired consistency.

Almond-Miso Tempeh with Cabbage

Almond- Miso Tempeh with Cabbage

Serves 4

Takes about 1 ½ hours from start to finish, much inactive

This dish is very colorful if you use purple cabbage but you can use green cabbage, too.  It has a rich, creamy flavor and pairs well with a mix of brown basmati and wild rice.

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz) packages of tempeh, sliced into 1/3-inch thick strips

Marinade:

2 tbsp roasted almond butter or tahini

3 tbsp golden miso

¼ cup water

1/3 cup sherry

2 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp sugar

1 ½ tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder

1 tsp nutritional yeast

½ tsp chili powder

½ tsp cumin

1 onion, sliced

½ head of cabbage, sliced

3 cloves of garlic

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 cup water

1 tbsp rice vinegar

½ tsp powdered ginger

Pepper to taste

1. Steam or boil tempeh slices for 20 minutes.  As tempeh is steaming, mix all marinade ingredients together and stir until smooth.

2. Once tempeh is done steaming, place it in a single layer in a container for the refrigerator.  Reserving the rest of marinade, pour ½ cup over the tempeh.  Allow tempeh to soak in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes but up 24 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 400.  Oil an 8-inch baking pan and place the tempeh in a single layer in it.  Bake for 10 – 15 minutes, being carefully not to burn the tempeh.

4. To cook the cabbage portion, heat the sesame oil in a pan or a wok.  Add onions and sauté for several minutes.  Add garlic and sauté for a minute more.  Add cabbage and water.  Cover with a lid.  Simmer for about 7 minutes until cabbage wilts and becomes somewhat softer.  Remove cover.

5. Still cooking for 2 more minutes, add the reserved marinade, rice vinegar, and powdered ginger.  Stir well.  Serve tempeh and cabbage together over rice or quinoa.

Cinnamon-Almond Granola

I figured I'd put one more in to start out.  Granola is so easy to make but yummy and filling.  It is way cheaper to make your own than to buy it at the natural foods store.  This recipe is pretty flexible - you can change out some of my ingredients with your own favorite granola ingredients.  Good as a snack or for breakfast.

Cinnamon-Almond Granola

Makes 4-5 servings

Takes about 30 minutes

2 cups oats

2 cups rice crispies or 1 cup extra oats

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup craisins or raisins or both

2 tbsp whole flax seed (optional)

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp salt

1 tbsp molasses

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp almond extract (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.  Spread the granola out on a cookie sheet.  Bake for about 15 minutes, until granola is lightly browned.  Turn the pan a couple times during baking to ensure even cooking.

Variation: Use walnuts instead of almonds.

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