Spinach + ricotta + gnocchi– sounds delicious, right? That’s what I thought when I found this recipe on SimplyRecipes.com . I’ve made potato gnocchi before, and have run into the “this chews more like a dough ball than a delicious dough pillow” issue, so upon reading, I was enticed by the author’s promise of ricotta making the gnocchi more forgiving.

I’m going to level with you: this did not turn out well. At all. That’s probably my fault– I accidentally picked up skim ricotta instead of whole milk, and I only used 1/2 the amount of ricotta the recipe called for. I also inadvertently used too much flour. I’m sure all of these things combined to make an epically dreadful gnocchi.

I’m posting this anyway, A: because I promised I would on Facebook before actually trying it out, and B: because I encourage you to try the recipe as it appears on SimplyRecipes.com , or even try my recipe below, but use the proper ingredients/measurements!

Let me know how your version goes!

Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi

Source: Adapted from SimplyRecipes.com.
Makes: Two servings
Takes: About 45 Minutes, Including Prep

Ingredients

• (GNOCCHI) a bunch of fresh spinach; the original recipe calls for 3oz
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 pounds whole milk ricotta cheese, drained of excess moisture (I used skim, and only 1/2 the amount- BIG MISTAKE)
• 1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• tiny pinch of cinnamon
• (SAUCE) 1 28-ounce can Italian-style diced tomatoes
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• salt to taste
• 2 ounces goat cheese
• a bit of white wine
• pepper to taste

1. Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and heat until simmering. Add spinach and cook about 1 minute, till bright. Drain and cool spinach to touch, then squeeze as much moisture as you can out of it; I literally rang it out with paper towels.

2. Add the spinach [chopped], egg, salt, and half of the ricotta to a bowl and mix well, or, add to a food processor and pulse till blended. The original recipe calls for a food processor, but I don’t own one! If you do use a food processor, there’s no need to chop. Transfer mixture to a large bowl, stir in the remaining ricotta and parmesan. Stir a scant pinch of cinnamon into the flour. Add the flour and mix everything with your hands until the mixture holds together as a dough

3. Set the dough out on a lightly floured smooth, clean surface. Knead lightly for about a minute, adding additional flour if needed, if the dough sticks too easily to the board or your hands. Careful with the flour– I overdid the salt, and it was a bit dry. Divide the dough into 4 balls, each about the size of an orange.

4. Set the dough out on a lightly floured smooth, clean surface. Knead lightly for about a minute, adding additional flour if needed, if the dough sticks too easily to the board or your hands. Careful with the flour– I overdid the salt, and it was a bit dry. Divide the dough into 4 balls, each about the size of an orange.



5. Flour your hands lightly. Using both hands, gently roll the dough out with a rapid back and forth motion, starting at the center and stretching the dough out, to form a rope of dough. Roll to about a foot long; repeat with all portions. Cut the ropes into one-inch pieces, and imprint each cut with the back of a fork to create the signature gnocchi ridging.



6. Fill a medium or large pot halfway with water. Bring your water to a boil, and salt. Once you hit a rolling boil, carefully drop your gnocchi into the water, keeping space between each. The gnocchi is done cooking when the pillows raise to the top. Place in a serving bowl, and toss with a few sprinkles of parmesan.

7. For the sauce, heat olive oil in a pan and add your crushed garlic cloves. Heat cloves on both sides to release the oils, and remove. Add your can of diced tomatoes, and heat for about 4 or 5 minutes on medium-to-low temperature. Add a bit of wine– I eyeballed my pour to taste– and continue to reduce until the sauce is thick. Add salt to taste. Melt in the goat cheese. To add a little extra tomato oomph, add in a few dollops of tomato paste, a bit more wine, and a bit more cheese.

Stir the gnocchi into the sauce, top with black pepper and more parmesan. In theory, this dish should have been delicious. Frankly, the sauce was amazing, but the texture of the gnocchi was awful; it was mealy, almost like chewing flour. If you make this recipe, and tweak it until its good, please share your fixes! Email me at Kara@goveeblog.com

I combined bell peppers, goat cheese, quinoa, spinach and Yves meatless ground (along with an aromatic hear, a couple seasonings there…) to make stuffed bell peppers. Bonus– spinach, an important flavor in the dish, is at its peak in the spring.

Try out the recipe and let me know what you think! Email me at kara@goveeblog.com!

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Source: GoVeeBlog.com.
Makes: 3 servings, a pair of peppers per person (tongue twister!)
Takes: About 20 Minutes, Including Prep

Ingredients

• 3 bell peppers, sliced and seeded. I used green, red and orange
• 1/2 cup of quinoa, prepared according to package directions. Since I only used 1/2 cup, I cooked them with 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• a few fist-fulls of fresh spinach leaves, chopped. I used two or three.
• chopped green onions, including both the green and white portions. I used four or 5 stalks
• about a tablespoon of Soy sauce. I pour straight into the pan, so the measurements might be a bit off.
• 1 package Yves meatless ground
• goat cheese
• pepper and italian seasonings to taste
• Ritz crackers
• olive oil

In case you don’t know what Yves meatles grounds are…

Directions

1. Heat peanut oil in a skillet. Mix meatless grounds, chopped green onions, soy sauce and spinach. Be sure not to mash the meat. Add pepper and italian seasonings to taste. Follow with goat cheese to taste. Heat for 3-5 minutes.

2. Spoon cooked quinoa into the hollows of your sliced bell peppers. Top with small knobs of goat cheese. Add the meatless ground mixture on top. Spread goat cheese on top.

3. Crumble ritz crackers on top of the stuffed peppers for a bread crumb crust. Drizzle peppers with olive oil, and put into the oven (425 degrees) for about 10 mins, or until bread crumbs are a deep, crispy brown. Remove and serve.

I served this dish with naan; spread goat cheese on half of the naan for a richer flavor that really ties everything all together.

In doing research to find out what vegetables are currently in season, I came across an interactive Peak Season Map at Epicurious.com, which breaks out the season’s best fruit and veggie picks, by state.

Epicurious has come up with a phenomenal tool– they’ve made it simple to find out which fruits and veggies are in season in any given month across the country, and goes one step further by sharing which can be found locally in your own town!

This map has inspired me to launch a series of seasonal veggie recipes, by state, starting with my newly adopted home, California. In CA, you’ll find:

• Apricots
• Artichokes
• Asparagus
• Cherries
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Plums
• Raspberries
• Strawberries

So, what to make?

The other night I saute’d asparagus: Heat a little olive oil in a pan, toss in asparagus– rough ends chopped off– with kosher salt, black pepper and a few squeezes of lemon juice. Allow to heat for a few mins to get a nice sear, then toss in lemon slices and cover for another couple of minutes to make sure it’s cooked through. Easy peasy!

Wish this photo was mine, but I found it at FreeStateStudios.com. The photo was taken by Pat Connor.

If you’re looking for something both a bit more challenging, and more “entrée-quality,” try this risotto recipe posted on About.com. It’s a spinach/mushroom risotto, which I’ve tried sans nutritional yeast and LOVED, but try replacing the spinach with thinly chopped asparagus. I haven’t tried an asparagus iteration yet, but I’m confident it will be delicious.

Sadly, Pasta della California seems to no longer be on a href=”http://www.theppk.com/” target=”_blank”>the Post Punk Kitchen site, but I was able to brush up on the pasta recipe (it had been a while!) using the version found on Food.com. I’m pretty sure that either it was taken from the PPK, or the PPK got their version from here- the verbiage is pretty familiar. I skipped the arugula, but I encourage you to try it. I just wasn’t willing to fit the Safeway bill for it.

Pasta della California

Source: ThePostPunkKitchen.com and Food.com.
Makes: Four Servings
Takes: About 20 Minutes, Including Prep

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb linguine
• 3 cups broccoli, tops cut into small florettes, stalks sliced thinly
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 garlic cloves, minced (love garlic!!)
• 1/4 teaspoon grated lime zest
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup white wine (yum!)
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons lime juice (juice from one lime, depending on the juiciness of your lime)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 dashes fresh black pepper
• 4 cups loosely packed arugula leaves – I omitted this, but I’m sure it tastes great
• 2 avocados, peeled and sliced into 1 inch chunks

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil – I made the mistake of using a small pot, and believe me you don’t want to do that. You’ll be adding veg to it, and will overflow if the pot is too small. Prep all your ingredients while the water boils, as the dish finished really quickly after the pasta is done. Once the water boils, add the pasta and cook as per package directions

2. Preheat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil garlic, lime zest and red pepper flakes and gently heat, stirring often for about 2 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the wine and bring the heat up reduce, about 2 minutes. Add the vegetable broth, lime juice, salt and fresh black pepper and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat.

3. When your pasta is just about done– about one minute left– add the brocoli and cook for another minute or two, then drain.

4. Add the broccoli and pasta to the pan and toss it around, making sure to get everything coated in garlic, for about 3 more minutes. Add the avocado and turn the heat off. Gently toss the pasta to incorporate the avocado without mashing just until it is warmed through, about a minute. Serve with generous doses of fresh black pepper. If there is garlic left in the pan, spoon that over your bowls of pasta.

Have a recipe to share? Send it to recipes@goveeblog.com.

So I made this dish months ago, but never got around to posting…

Irony of ironies, I’m posting this mouthwatering macaroni dish about a week after deciding to go vegan for the month of March. Sigh… it’s already been a bumpy seven days, and tempting myself with the memory of this dish might make things even harder. Oh well, someone can see this and get inspired.

I don’t remember the exact measurements I used, but then again, I rarely keep track when I’m cooking from my head. Because this was made so imprecisely, I’m not going to post a specific recipe. That said, I will share the ingredients I used, which include:

Silken tofu, soy chorizo, a mexican cheese blend, almond milk, margarine, wheat flour, salt, pepper, chili sauce and, of course, macaroni noodles.

This is an incredbily rich and satisfying meal, but be warned– while vegetarian, its NOT healthy. This is a “once every couple of months” kind of dish.

Have an oh-so-tasty, but oh-so-bad-for-you dish you want to share with me? Send your recipe and photos along to recipes@goveeblog.com.

Image from Circle B Kitchen

Artichoke Salsa

Source: www.Safeway.com for original recipe
Makes: Four-Six Servings
Takes: About 15 Minutes, Including Prep

Ingredients

• 1 (6.5 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 3 roma (plum) tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped black olives
• 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• 1 handful fresh basil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the artichoke hearts, tomatoes, onion, olives, garlic, salt, and pepper.

2. Serve chilled, or at room temperature, with tortilla chips. If not using lime tortilla chips, try squeezing a bit of lime juice on the salsa.

Have a recipe to share? Send it to recipes@goveeblog.com.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, so I figured I’d jump back in with a recipe staring quinoa. This super-food offers complete protein, as well as a range of vitamins and minerals.

Try this delicious quinoa cake/salad recipe, inspired by quinoa-afficionado site cookingquinoa.net, for lunch or dinner. It’s hearty, so it won’t leave you hungry, and its quick, so you wont be slaving in the kitchen for hours.

Test it out and let me know what you think.

Quinoa Cakes with Spinach and Artichoke Salad

Source: www.cookingquinoa.net for original recipe
Makes: Four-Six Servings
Takes: About 30 Minutes, Including Prep

Ingredients: Quinoa Cake

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 scallions
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1 egg
• chili sauce
• Panko breadcrumbs
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil or vegetable (for frying)

Ingredients: Dressing

• 1/2 lemon
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp plain yogurt
• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• sea salt
• black pepper

Ingredients: Salad

• a few handfuls of pre-packaged spinach
• 1/2 can of artichoke quarters

Directions

For Quinoa Cakes:

1. Mash chickpeas in a bowl with a fork. Mince parsley, garlic and carrot shavings (made by using a peeler), and add to chickpea mixture. Add quinoa, breadcrumbs, chili sauce, scallions, salt and pepper to taste. When the mixture is seasoned to your liking, add the egg.

2. Palm the mixture to make 8 small patties. Add to heated, oiled frying pan. Cook on either side for 3-5 minutes, till crispy.

For Dressing:

1. Combine ingredients in a bowl.

2. Blend with a fork or spoon until well-mixed.

For Salad:

1. Add to a plate, and top with quinoa cakes and dressing.

Have a recipe to share? Send it to recipes@goveeblog.com

You want pasta, but you could go for a taste of the Southwest at the same time? This is the dish for you. This recipe doesn’t call for salt, which I think makes it a little bland. To kick up the flavor, I add a little chili sauce and cheddar cheese.

Black Bean Pasta

Source: allrecipes.com
Makes: Four Servings
Takes: About 30 Minutes, Including Prep

Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked spiral pasta
• 1 cup finely chopped green pepper
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• add chili sauce, salt and extra cheddar to taste

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan coated with nonstick cooking spray, combine the green pepper, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin and red pepper flakes.

2. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until tender. Add tomato sauce and black beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until heated through. Add salt and chili sauce to taste. Stir in pasta. Sprinkle with cheese.

Have a recipe to share? Send it to recipes@goveeblog.com

Not the healthiest way to prepare broccoli, but man is it delicious. This is also a pretty good way to get in a good serving of protein. I like to serve this with spicy brown rice, which I make by seasoning the boiling water with salt, garlic powder and red pepper flakes. I also add 1/2 block of tofu to up the protein, and to add more substance. Test it out and let me know what you think.

Broccoli with Garlic “Butter” and Cashews

Source: allrecipes.com
Makes: Two-Three Servings
Takes: About 15 Minutes, Including Prep

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
• 1/3 cup margarine – the original recipe calls for butter, but I substituted margarine
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar – I found that later, I upped this a bit, by taste
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce – I found that later, I upped this a bit, by taste
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar – I used apple cider vinegar. Also, I later upped the amount, by taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, minced – the original recipe calls for 2
• 1-2 hand-fulls of cashews – the original recipe calls for 1/3 cup; that works as well
• 1/2 package of firm or extra firm tofu – the original recipe does not call for tofu

Directions

1. Place the broccoli into a large pot with about 1 inch of water in the bottom. Bring to a boil, and cook for 7 minutes, or until tender but still crisp. Drain, and arrange broccoli on a serving platter.

2. While the broccoli is cooking, melt the margarine in a small skillet over medium heat. Mix in the brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, pepper and garlic. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. The original recipe tells you to remove from heat, however I like to keep the pan on heat to create a slight glaze.

3. Mix in the cashews and tofu, and heat for 1-2 minutes more. Pour the sauce over the broccoli. Serve immediately with spicy brown rice.

Have a recipe to share? Send it to recipes@goveeblog.com

Hi all, this is Matt from FaveDiets.com. Now that the weather is getting to be a bit cooler, I have a strong urge to be busting out my baking supplies and warming up the oven. I mean, who doesn’t love the smell of delicious baked goods wafting throughout the house. For me, the quintessential baked good is banana bread. My mother would save loads of overripe bananas in our freezer, waiting to defrost them
to make her delicious easy banana bread recipe. Just thinking of her moist banana bread recipe makes me salivate a little bit.

However, I have found two main issues with her original recipe: 1) Like most traditional baked goods, it’s far from a low-cal option. 2) It’s definitely not vegan-friendly. With a few twists, I remade my mother’s traditional moist banana bread recipe so that it’s not only a healthy banana bread recipe, but a vegan banana bread recipe too!

Have a recipe to share? Shoot an email to recipes@goveeblog.com

HEALTHY VEGAN BANANA BREAD

Source: Matthew Kaplan, www.FaveDiets.com
Makes: One loaf
Takes: About 1 hour and 25 minutes, not including prep

Ingredients

• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed into a pulp
• ½ cup homemade applesauce (To make your own applesauce, you can use my go-to recipe, which can be found on favedietsblog.com
• 1 ¾ cup stone-ground whole wheat flour
• 1 ½ cup sugar (I used regular refined sugar because it’s all I had on hand. I’m sure you could also use raw sugar or a sugar substitute suitable for baking)
• ½ cup canola oil
• ¼ cup vanilla almond milk or vanilla soy milk
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 3x5x9-inch loaf pan with cooking spray

2. Mash the bananas in a large bowl, and combine with the applesauce, oil and almond milk

3. To the bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir to combine

4. Pour the mixture into the loaf pan and bake for 1 hour and 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean

The end result is simply delicious. It is a bit more crumbly than your average banana bread recipe because it has no eggs to bind everything together, but it is still plenty moist. Using whole wheat flour adds lots of fiber, protein and nutrients to the mix, as does using my Homemade Applesauce instead of eggs. If you’re worried about your calorie and/or sugar intake, opt for a sugar substitute that is suitable for baking and make sure you’re using unsweetened almond milk. Also, this would be great with chopped nuts, say walnuts or pecans. I didn’t have any on hand, but they would be a great flavor and texture addition to this. I’ve been eating this for breakfast for the past week, and I got to say that it easily beats cereal in the morning. Enjoy!