Basil Gnocchi with Mushroom Ragu

Long time, no post! I know, I know. It's been a combination of adjusting to my new job, studying, spending time with Doug and a certain adorable beagle and primarily, just having zero motivation to post about, well, anything.

But you're not here to read about my excuses and my lack of posting, are you? Didn't think so. Well, to help get me back into the swing of things, I decided to try a new recipe that involved making gnocchi. From scratch. For the first time.

Whilst catching up on my tweets today, I came across a recipe from Fitness Magazine for Basil Gnocchi with Mushroom Ragu, perfect for Meatless Monday. I had all of the ingredients, more or less, so I decided to give it a shot. We have pre-made gnocchi in the pantry, but I had some potatoes that needed to be used up, so I rolled up my sleeves and started preppin'.



Mushrooms, onion and garlic. I used white mushrooms instead of cremini since I already had some on hand. Added garlic for more flavor.



Gnocchi taking over my counter space, waiting to be boiled.



Cooked (and not in a million pieces like I feared!).



Topped with mushroom ragu and parmesan.

Aside from using different mushrooms and adding garlic, I also used dried basil instead of fresh. And for accuracy, I re-calculated the nutritional info for my version:



Although it took longer than 30 minutes to put together (hey, I even microwaved the potatoes instead of baking them), I still really enjoyed it. I had to sprinkle on some more salt and black pepper at the end, but after that, it was pretty damn good. When I put extra time into a dish, I worry that it won't end up being worth the effort, but this one was.

Even though I can buy it pre-made, I wouldn't mind making gnocchi from scratch again; I liked the texture (a bit more rustic, if you will) and being able to add herbs to the dough. Perhaps next time, I'll try sweet potatoes and make it over the weekend. Aside from the higher carb content, I was pleased with the nutrition and how filling it was. No complaints here!

Vegetable Curry, New Belgium-Style.

Yesterday's Meatless Monday dish combined two things that I enjoy: Curry and beer. But last night was the first time I enjoyed the two together. It was quite the tasty experiment.

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a stipend to purchase New Belgium Brewery products and ingredients for a meal made with and/or paired with the beer.

I chose the Trippel Belgian Style Ale.



Since the main spice is coriander, Doug suggested a curry of some sort.

And so, New Belgium Vegetable Curry was born:



Ingredients:

• 1 bottle of New Belgium Trippel style beer
• 1 head cauliflower, chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 can diced tomatoes (14 or 15 oz, I believe)
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 bag of frozen peas & carrots (12 oz)
• 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 1-2 tsp of garam masala
• dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 cup basmati rice, uncooked

Add the oil to a large pot, set to medium heat. Add the onions and allow them to sweat for about 10-15 minutes. You're not trying to caramelize them, but rather slowly sweat and tenderize them. Add curry powder and stir for a minute or two.

Add the garlic and ginger and stir for a couple of minutes. Stir in tomatoes, salt then the beer. Let simmer for about 10 minutes.

While the base is simmering, prepare the basmati rice according to the package instructions (to save some time, we did the microwave option; place rice in a 2 quart microwaveable dish, add 2 cups water, cover and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Remove, stir and microwave for an additional 15 minutes on 50% power. Let sit for 5 minutes.)

Add the cayenne (if using) and additional salt, if necessary to the base. Stir in cauliflower and peas/carrots. Cover and continue to simmer until cauliflower is tender, about another 10 minutes or so. Add garam masala during the last few minutes of cooking. Serve with rice.



Great, flavorful dish. We sipped the beer by itself in between bites and aside from cooling down the effect of the cayenne, it also had a crisp finish and a smooth aftertaste, thanks to the coriander and the complementing spices in the curry.

Living in Colorado, I've been familiar with New Belgium Brewery for quite some time and have had a few of their beers in the past, but never really considered myself a huge fan. It wasn't until this Foodbuzz opportunity that I decided to give New Belgium another shot. I was pleased to discover how much I enjoyed the Tripple variety and even more impressed with how well it worked with our recipe. Warm curry, cold beer… What more could I ask for on a Monday night?

Meatless Monday.

Last night's dinner was simple, delicious and meat-free, so of course I had to share in case you're still looking for some Meatless Monday ideas.

Last week, I downloaded an awesome Real Simple recipe app for planning meals based on ingredients and time. It came in handy last night, seeing as it had been the ultimate Lazy Sunday with no real desire to cook in sight. Still, I thought it wouldn't hurt to look for some inspiration and a few taps later, I came across Fettuccine with Artichokes and Beans.



My modifications: significantly less oil (less than 1 tbsp for cooking the garlic and about the same for tossing with the pasta at the end), added crushed red pepper flakes, used about 1 tbsp Italian-style breadcrumbs (instead of making my own) and used 9 oz. of Ronzoni Smart Taste spaghetti. Also added my preferred amounts of salt, oregano and black pepper.

I was glad we decided to pick up some canned artichoke hearts at the store the other night! This meal really was a breeze to make and so delicious. Goes great with a little grated parmesan cheese sprinkled on top!

Meatless Monday.

Yesterday's Meatless Monday dish was full of excitement and experimentation. Why was I so excited? Because I won a special, special jar of peanut butter from my favorite folks at Peanut Butter & Co.!



Why was it so special? Because The Heat Is On is the only PB&Co. flavor that I can't seem to find in local stores. The spicy nuttiness demanded a kitchen experiment:



(crappy camera phone shot)

Tofu & Veggie Stir-Fry with Quinoa and Spicy Peanut Sauce.

For the Stir-Fry:

• 1 block firm tofu
• Broccoli
• carrots
• oyster mushrooms
• minced garlic

For the tofu: Marinated in soy sauce, a bit of teriyaki and garlic powder. Drizzled with canola oil and then baked at 400˚F for about 40 minutes, flipping about halfway through.

I sauteéd the veggies together with the garlic, canola oil, some salt & pepper and a bit of soy sauce.

For the sauce:

• About 2 or 3 green onions, chopped
• 3 tbsp. The Heat Is On peanut butter
• about 2 tsp. rice wine vinegar
• about 2 tbsp. water
• 1 tsp. minced ginger
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• about 2 tbsp. pineapple tidbits w/ juice (I would have definitely used more pineapple, but I was finishing off what we had left in the fridge.)
• 2 tsp. honey

I whisked all of the sauce ingredients together. Added it to the veggies, threw in the baked tofu and stirred until evenly coated. Serve over quinoa (or rice) and you're all set!

This meal yielded 4 servings and was super-filling. I sampled the sauce before adding it to the stir-fry and had mixed feelings, but after tasting it with the the quinoa, tofu & veggies, it really came together quite well. And even though it took longer to bake, I was really pleased with how the tofu turned out; I liked the drier texture and it seemed to hold the flavors from the marinade a lot better.

I LOVE this flavor of PB. It's plenty spicy on its own, so I didn't need to add any other heat to the sauce. It's also pretty good with carrots, celery and even bananas! There's no sweetness in this particular variety, so it lends itself to both savory and sweet/spicy applications.

Meatless Monday.

I usually have a meatless day once or twice a week, but it doesn't always fall on a Monday... Well, today I finally timed it right!

Broccoli Tofu Stir-Fry:



Not a particularly special dish because I make it quite often, but it's one that I've more or less mastered and sometimes make with chicken.



I cooked the veggies and the tofu separately. For the veggie mix, I used:

• broccoli
• onion
• zucchini
• minced garlic
• minced ginger
• crushed red pepper
• low sodium soy sauce

Sauteéd altogether until cooked down.

For the tofu, I used this tofu prep post from Tina at Carrots 'N' Cake to get me started. I always try to drain my tofu as much as I can, but it still ends up a bit soggy, so the towel/weight method did the trick! I chopped it up and threw it in a pan with some soy sauce until those nice, crisp brown edges started to form.

Once the tofu was done, I added some Panda Express Orange Sauce and threw it all together in a bowl.



I made rice as well, but I just wanted a mess of veggies and tofu, so I skipped the rice and saved it for Doug. I ended up adding a little extra soy sauce and some Sriracha on top.

It doesn't look like the most exciting dish, but it was definitely loaded with flavor. The leftovers are gonna make a bitchin' lunch tomorrow!