The Great Pumpkin Gnocchi Recipe

Random Thought: 

What if ...we ate through our bellybuttons. I have been pondering this all day.

In other news, it's my parents' 24th anniversary. Yay!, I am so honored to be a a product of their love. Congrats Mom and Dad! In celebration and as a "thank-you" for life, I am making them dinner: pumpkin gnocchi. Gnocchi is a funny word, it sounds like it's spelled Y-o-n-k-y. Thank god, it was never given to me during a spelling bee.


Pumpkin is so underrated and the poor thing is only really utilized during Halloween and Thanksgiving, when in reality it's deserved year-round recognition. Team Pumpkin! It's my first-time attempting to make this veggie pasta, but the recipe looks easy enough so lets go!

What you'll need:

• 1 (15 oz.) Can Pumpkin 
• Nutmeg & All-spice (to taste)
• Cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon or to taste)
• 2 3/4 Cups All-Purpose Whole Wheat Flour
• Minced Garlic
• Salt and Pepper 
• Sauce of choice

Directions:

1.) Mix flour, canned pumpkin and seasonings together to form a pumpkin-y dough.  You may need to keep adding flour until it becomes a doughy consistency.

                                         

2.) You may need to add additional flour if the dough is sticky or falls apart; keep adding small amounts until it's no longer a sticky mess. FYI... taking pictures + rolling dough = a phone covered in flour

3.) Create a lightly floured surface, and divide dough into 6 parts. Pretend you work as an Auntie Annies' pretzel maker and roll each piece into a rope about 1 inch in diameter. This recipe made me realized that Annie would have fired me.

4.) Begin boiling a pot of water...add salt to the water, too!

5.) Take the first rope and cut into 1 inch pieces, roll each in the floured surface so it has a light, floured layer. When cutting, I found that small pieces worked best but do you. Place each rolled "gnocchi" on a floured baking sheet. 

6.) Repeat until all of the ropes have been cut and rolled into lovely gnocchi shapes.

7.) Once the water is boiled, add salt and drop in the gnocchi a handful at a time. Gnocchi are finished when they float to the top (like little buoys). Retrieve each veggie noodle with a slotted spoon as they come afloat.

8.) Gently rinse the gnocchi off with warm water, then plate and top off with hot, tomato sauce!

I was pleasantly surprised that the pumpkin gnocchi had the same consistency as regular, pasta gnocchi; so good! Another success were the green beans (above) which were mixed and marinated in pesto sauce.

 Bon Appetite! 

Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit...

The more you eat them, the more you _______.

a) Newt
b) Toot
c) Boot
d) None of the above

I would have to say d) none of the above. Are beans even a fruit? That's the better question.

So it was a typical Manic Monday, I was on the gym's elliptical reading about beans in my Self magazine. The usual, and I came across some really good information about legumes.

I love beans: coffee, jelly, and especially the ones inspired by an organ. Legumes are heart-friendly and high in fiber, so they'll fill you up without filling you out. Self had a great beans buyer's guide that I wanted to share. To buy canned or dried, both have advantages. So without further ado....ahem:

A Buyer's Guide to Beans

When they're in a bag....

• They're cheaper. Buy dried beans and save almost half of what you'd buy if canned. One bag of dried Goya red kidney beans costs $1.80, the same amount in a can in $4; that's a 53% savings!
• You control the salt. Dried beans have little to no sodium. If you add salt to taste, wait until after they're cooked because salted water can make beans tough.
• BPA free. Bagged beans have no BPA (bisphenol-A, a chemical linked with increased risk with breast cancer and heart disease). Some canned goods contain the chemical, yuck.

If they come in a can....

• They're a huge time saver. It takes only seconds to open a can of beans while dried beans needs a night of soaking. Make sure you rinse and drain them well to reduce sodium levels.
• Toots are muted. You read correctly. Beans have sugars called oligosaccharides that we can't digest; as a result, we get gassy. But, the canning process eliminates some of these stinky sugars to reduce those biffffsss...
• You have more options. The canned varieties are wider than the dried versions; ex: green beans.

I leave you on one, final note:

Genius 

Have a great week!

Monday Yumday: Marinated Veggies

In attempts to mimic our role models on Food Network, my roommate and I are starting to get crafty in the kitchen. We're attempting to plan our meals ahead of time in hopes to eat healthier when we come back from class ravenous. 

One easy food tip I learned in college: dressing makes a great and cheap marinade. I also learned that you can basically marinade anything. Hence, our craftiness. Italian dressing + Vegetables = Greatness

We marinated onions, squash, and a giant zucchini in Italian dressing overnight. Simple. I sauteed mine along with a few green beans and batta bing batta boom, dinner. It's not rocket science, but it's simple which makes its a quick and delicious meal. Pair it with chicken, whole wheat pasta or savory by itself. Yum. Gosh, I love vegetables. 

Our next planned meal is yellow squash spaghetti from scratch. Stay tuned, y'all.