Gnocchi

Once you have gnocchi you will always crave more – or at least that’s how I felt as soon as I tried it a couple of years ago while studying abroad in Australia.  In fact, my all time favorite meal out happened at a fancy restaurant our last night in Oz.  I ate the most decadent melt in your mouth sweet potato gnocchi pie for dinner followed by chai for dessert.  *sigh*.

Not knowing how to replicate that I felt I should at least take a stab at making some regular gnocchi.  While my natural food store does sell frozen gluten free gnocchi, alas, it is not vegan.  So off to the kitchen…

I found this recipe here on Cupcake Kitteh’s blog and love it!  So does my little sister (a gnocchi convert now;)  The two of us spent a whole afternoon rolling gnocchi.  She even made a little limoncello for the occasion.

Ingredients:

1 lb potatoes
1 egg or egg substitute (I used ground flax seeds with water for a slightly nutty flavor)
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 tbsp chickpea flour
2 tbsp potato starch
Salt to taste

Bake the potatoes in the oven (if you boil or steam them the gnocchi might get a bit mushy).  Mash the potatoes and add the rest of the ingredients.  Mash/stir until smooth (lumps make the gnocchi taste more like hash browns).  Break off bits of dough and form small balls.  Then press down lightly with a fork for texture.  Alternately, use your thumb

to form a small dimple in the dough.  Or, make up your own gnocchi style!  Then fry in oil and add topping.  Tastes great with marinara or pesto.

Note: gnocchi is normally made by forming a small ball, then rolling the dough out and cutting every inch or half inch to form basic shape.  I had trouble getting my dough to stay together so I didn’t attempt this, but perhaps with egg replacer this would be possible, and certainly would save time.

recipe from: Cupcake Kitteh and Italy Mag UK

photos by: Tessa Bevans

“Vodka Sauce”

Here is a pasta sauce recipe that one of my friends invented. To me it is just plain comfort food.

Ingredients:
vodka (optional)

1 cherry pepper or a handful of jalapenos seeded and diced
1 onion
2 diced tomatoes
1 box of sunshine burgers (these are GF soy free veggie burgers!)
Marinara sauce – most of a jar
1 1/2 – 2 cups of nutritional yeast
non-dairy milk or cream

Sautée the chopped onion with the cherry pepper. Add 2 diced tomatoes. Break up the sunshine burgers and add them. Add vodka (if using) and allow to boil off for a while.  Add marinara sauce and nutritional yeast. Simmer until sunshine burger is minimal and the sauce is creamy. Add some vegan creamer or rice/almond milk. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve over pasta for a hearty diner.

recipe from: Nick Verrastro

Pasta Carbonara (sort of)

Ingredients:
rice pasta
vegetables, cut into thin slices
suggested: broccoli, zucchini, carrots, and anything else you have lying around
Fennel-Cauliflower Sauce

Cook rice pasta and set aside. Sauté veggies and add to pasta. Drizzle sauce over pasta and serve with salt and pepper.

Pumpkin Chickpea Pasta

1) Cook whatever gluten free pasta you like

2) Cook whatever veggies you like on the side
suggestion: sauteed cremini mushrooms and a big handful of baby spinach

I used leftover kale salad and it tasted great.

3) Make pumpkin sauce in a small saucepan on stove. When hot, combine with other parts.

* 1/2 a cup of canned pumpkin or real pumpkin cooked and mashed
* 1/2 a cup of a milky liquid
suggestion: 1/3 cup leftover light coconut milk plus a splash of hemp milk

I used rice milk (my favorite).

* 1/4 tsp nutmeg
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1 tsp dried sage
* 1 tbsp nutritional yeast

4) Add 1 cup of cooked chick peas.

5) Top with 1 more tbsp nutritional yeast

recipe adapted from: http://www.katheats.com/?tag=chickpeas