Balsamic Gnocchi with Garlic Butter & Roasted Butternut Squash

Have you ever eaten gnocchi before?

If your answer is no, you better go out to the grocery store right now and pick some up - it's the bombdigity!

I hadn't had gnocchi until recently. I've seen it and always thought the cute little potato dumplings looked appealing, but never got around to trying them. That was until the day I saw a recipe on How Sweet It Is for Balsamic Gnocchi.  This recipe is easy, delicious and Derek said that he would eat this meal every single day ~ this says alot considering no meat was involved.

I am not going reiterate the recipe for Balsamic Gnocchi because I pretty much stuck right to Jessica's recipe. The only changes I made were that I added lots more veggies (sorry Jessica, that might ruin the recipe for you).  I used one pepper, 4 green onions, 1 small zucchini and a handful of crimini mushrooms and I used Earth Balance instead of butter for the basil garlic butter.

This recipe is to die for. It only takes 20 minutes to whip up and would be a great meal to wow your guests with.

As a side, I decided to roast a butternut squash (ok, I admit it....I cheated and I bought a pre-cut squash). Squash is one of my all-time favourite foods in the winter and there is no other way to make it other than slow roasting in the oven. I just wish they would peel like an orange - my wrists are so sore by the time I finish the peeling and chopping, I can hardly use my stirring hand to finish the meal! I could eat a whole roasted squash myself....in fact I probably have :-) At least squash is good for you; that's better than eating a whole cheesecake by yourself .. er, not that I would know or anything.

Roasted Butternut Squash

1 butternut squash

2 tbsp olive oil

1 - 2 tsp sea salt

sprinkle of pepper

Peel and cut the butternut squash into bite size pieces. Place in large bowl. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper and stir to evenly coat the squash. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 400 for approximately 15 minutes.

 Flip the squash pieces and cook for an additional 15 minutes. I like my squash to come out crispy and starting to brown - the pieces are so sticky and sweet you will understand why I could eat the entire squash myself. If you are like me and you don't time all the components of your meal quite right, you can speed up the baking time by putting the broiler on for just a few minutes per side.

Perfection!

...and in as easy as 1, 2, 3 you have an amazing meal that will wow your family and  friends and even your meat lovin' husband.

Right about now you're wishing you were my friend aren't ya?? :-)

What's your favourite type of squash?

Do you have an awesome recipe of gnocchi you'd like to share?

I hope you all have a relaxing Sunday evening and to my Canadian friends, Happy Family Day tomorrow....and to my American buddies, Happy President's Day! I hope your day off is filled with family, friends and lots of good eats.

Andrea

Warm You to the Soul Winter Vegetable Casserole

I don't know about you, but I am starting to tire of this cold wintery weather. The only thing that I miss once spring arrives is the warm comforting food that I make in the winter to warm us from the inside out. I just love root vegetables and chilis and stews and all the hot steamy bowls of heart-warming meals we have from December through to March!!

My grandma made a delicious vegetable casserole last week and I decided that I was going to put my spin on it and see what I came up with.

Warm You to the Soul Winter Vegetable Casserole
~ inspired by Grandma L.

2 large red skin potatoes, sliced
1 med butternut squash, peeled and sliced
2 leeks, white parts only, sliced
1 c. celery root, peeled and sliced
2 c. vegetable broth
3/4 c. unsweetened original almond milk (regular milk would work)
1/3 c. all purpose flour
1 tbsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sea salt
Topping:
1/4 c bread crumbs
2/3 c. walnuts
3 tbsp of Earth Balance, melted (butter would work as well)

Preheat oven to 425. Grease a large casserole dish.

Mix potatoes, squash, leeks and celery root in a large bowl.

Doesn't that mix look divine???  

Next, in a large pot heat the vegetable broth, milk, half of the melted Earth Balance, rosemary, nutmeg, pepper and salt.

Whisk it all together to ensure it is well mixed.

Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Cook until sauce has thickened - make sure you stir constantly because it will stick to the bottom.

This sauce thickens very quickly and it gets really thick, so if it gets too thick for your taste, just add a bit more almond milk.

This is the kind of creamy sauce that I like...yum yum!! It looks good enough to eat with a spoon!

Once the sauce has thickened, add it to your vegetables and mix well.

Pour the mixture into your casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make your topping.

Add walnuts, breadcrumbs and remaining butter. Mix well.

After the casserole has been in the oven for 30 minutes, remove and sprinkle on the topping.

Reduce heat in oven to 350 and bake an additional 40 - 45 minutes. Insert a knife into the middle of the casserole to ensure all of the veggies are soft. If not, you might need a few more baking minutes.

Once done, remove and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Doesn't this look fantastic??

This casserole is so delicious.I loved the taste and aroma of the rosemary and the crunchy walnuts just put it over the top. If you aren't a nut fan, you could probably doing a breadcrumb crust that would be just as fabulous! The smell in the kitchen was so mouthwatering, I could hardly wait the 5 minutes before digging in!

I was a little concerned about whether or not Derek would like this dish because he tells me that he likes his food "plain" and that I don't have to make things "fancy" for him (this is the guy that would eat a steak and microwaved 'baked' potato for every meal, so you can appreciate what I put up with ;-) Anyways, he absolutely loved it, so it is yet another keeper in my recipe vault. 

Between you & I, it wouldn't have been a heart breaker if he didn't like it ~ I would have been quite happy to eat the whole thing myself <sigh> ...I have issues :-)



Hope you had a happy & productive hump day...now we can all look forward to the weekend!

Andrea

Vegetable Stew with Heart-Shaped Biscuits

Stew is something I have always loved. Before becoming a vegetarian, I would whip up a big pot of beef stew from scratch---I just loved the stuff! Lately I have found myself craving stew, but I've never attempted to make a vegetarian version, so yesterday I thought what the heck, I was home alone so if it didn't work out, no one would be the wiser....but I have some fabulous news....it turned out absolutely amazing!! I am feeling like a proud mama about this stew because it is the first recipe I have developed completely from scratch that I can call my own!! Of course, in keeping with the Valentine's Day theme and my new cookie cutters, I had to whip up a batch of whole wheat biscuits (cut into cute little hearts) to serve on the side.

This stew is full of delicious, healthy veggies, which are smothered in a red wine mushroom gravy....are you drooling yet??

Vegetable Stew

2 Tbsp Earth Balance (or butter)

2 onions, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 potatoes, chopped

1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped

2 carrots, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

2 c. mushrooms, sliced

¼ c. dry red wine

5 c. mushroom or vegetable broth

1 – 2 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp rosemary

4 tbsp cornstarch

½ c. water

Place Earth Balance in a large pot over medium heat. Once melted, add in onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add garlic and 1 tsp salt and continue cooking for another 3 minutes.

I could eat this mixture with a spoon - adding the salt brings out the flavours just perfectly.

Add in carrots, potatoes, sweet potato, celery and mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes.

You will have to stir frequently so the veggies don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Add red wine and stir to coat veggie mixture.

Add mushroom or vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. You can add rosemary while the pot is simmering.

In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water until dissolved. Once veggies are tender, add to simmering pot. Allow to cook for a few more minutes until stew is at the desired consistency. Add additional salt and pepper, if desired.

This stew is rich and savoury and very filling. Derek came home several hours later and asked what was cooking...the aroma was still mouth-watering!

Heart-Shaped Biscuits

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. white all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 c. Earth Balance (or butter)

3/4 c. unsweetened original Almond Milk (or regular milk)

Pre-heat oven to 375 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Blend together flours, baking powder and salt.

Cut Earth Balance into the dry ingredients.

Add the milk and stir. Once you get it started, you will need to finish mixing with your hands. Knead the dough until all of the ingredients are mixed and the dough is smooth.

Place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out until to a 1/2" thickness. (the easiest way would be using a rolling pin, however mine seems to be MIA, so I pressed it out with my fingers which worked as well)

Cut biscuits into squares or circles or use your favourite cookie cutter (mine of course were cut into little hearts ;-))

Place onto baking sheet and bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with the stew. These little guys are best when served immediately.

Mmmmm....I guarantee you are going to love this meal....& if you're lucky (like I was) you will have just enough leftovers to have for lunch the next day. I have a feeling the stew might even be better on day 2.

Wishing you a happy Sunday....put your feet up and get in some good ol' rest & relaxation.

Andrea