Knock on Gnocchi

I had a hankering for gnocchi recently after smelling someone at works lunch. It sure looked delish even though there was a dead carcass in it. lol So I decided to make myself some with the whole wheat gnocchi I picked up at Famous Foods on Kingsway.

Zesty Gnocchi with spinach:

5 Sun dried tomatoes, rehydrated
2 garlic cloves
1/2 lemon
2 handfuls pine nuts
1 bunch spinach
1 package whole wheat gnocchi
salt to taste
1 tsp olive oil

1. Cook Gnocchi according to package. Make sure not to over cook as they get mushy easily.
2. Put sun dried tomatoes, garlic, lemon juice, and pine nuts in a food processor and process till smooth.
3. Heat oil in a skillet and add the mixture made previously. Cook until heated thoroughly, about 2 minutes.
4. Add gnocchi and spinach and cook until spinach is wilted.
5. ENJOY!

It was really tasty but very filling. Gnocchi is def not something I eat very often but it sure is good.

On the weekends I like to make my own juice. My mom bought me a juicer for Christmas last year and I love it! I wish I had more time in the mornings to make it daily but its already a tough enough time crunch. I used to make juice with fruits but I always put the freshly made juice in a smoothie with berries and a banana so I opt for just straight up veggie juice.

Now I drink and eat some hardcore healthy foods but this time, it was too much even for me. I juiced bok choy, red cabbage and carrots. Then blended it with just a banana cuz that's all I had. It was WAY to veggerific. But of course I did not waste it.

It looks pretty and a good colour. I added some Hemp Hearts for protein. I saved half of the juice for Sunday. I blended it with a whole mango. That was DELISH.

I also made more of my fig dips for the office. Its the last of the season. Sigh. Apparently fresh figs are crazy expensive. So I probs won't be making any for a while....

I have been on this baking kick lately. Not sure why. I don't even eat it all (thankfully). I just make it and give it away to friends or bring it to work. Work peeps are my guinea pigs. The banana bread recipe came from Fat Free Vegan . There is no oil or fat in it. Other than what's in the almond milk. PS I don't drink soy milk, so I subbed for almond. I also didn't have any blueberries so I just omitted them.

Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 3 large over-ripe bananas
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) almond milk
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) agave nectar
• 2 cups (240 g) whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (240 ml) blueberries

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray or wipe a 9×5-inch loaf pan with oil (I used a silicon loaf pan).
2. Mix the soymilk with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and let stand until it curdles.
3. In a large bowl, mash the bananas and add the remaining lemon juice, soymilk, and agave nectar. Stir well to combine. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture, and stir just until the mixture is well-combined.
4. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting and serving.

That's my FIRST EVER banana bread! So easy to make. And this recipe is pretty darn healthy.

So other than the soy milk and blueberries, I followed her recipe exactly. It came out light, fluffy and delish. The thing I would change for next time is I would add another banana and maybe a tad more agave.

I checked out this small shop near Tinseltown on Saturday afternoon. Its called Something Healthy. Sounded right up my alley so I gave it a shot. They had a vegan pattie made with brown rice, chickpeas, mushrooms, etc. Put it on a flax seed whole wheat bread with some fillings and voila! Great little lunch!

I'm not very good at taking pics of food sometimes. I am too hungry and too excited. Lol

My Jams: Mr Nice Watch, Lights Please - J Cole. Well the whole album really. Its a Cole World!

Peace

xoxo

K