Gnocchi with Roasted Broccoli & Garlic Vinaigrette

This is one of our favorite meals! We first had it last fall, and then I mentioned it briefly in December. At some point, we also made it for my parents, who loved it, too.

The original inspiration came from a newspaper clipping of a recipe for Roasted Broccoli. It was meant to be a side dish, but I thought it sounded like a great way to serve pasta.

I made a few changes (as usual!) & paired it with a bag of frozen gnocchi, making it a quick & flavorful dinner. It's filling but not heavy, which I think is often the problem with gnocchi. Most times, it's topped with a creamy sauce & the pasta itself is already so creamy that it really weighs you down.

The bright flavors of the red wine vinegar, the creamy gnocchi, & the earthy walnuts really come together well. It's a melt in your mouth flavor burst! :-)

I hope you try it out!

Gnocchi with Roasted Broccoli & Garlic Vinaigrette
Serves 2-4

4 T red wine vinegar
1 T lemon juice
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, mashed into puree or microplaned
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. salt
1 large or 2 small heads broccoli, chopped
1/3 c walnuts, chopped
1 bag frozen gnocchi
2 oz. parmesan cheese, freshly grated + more for serving

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spread broccoli pieces on a large baking pan sprayed with cooking spray and roast for 20 minutes. Stir and return to oven for 20 minutes. Stir again, add walnuts, and roast another 5 minutes.

In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil and prepare gnocchi according to package directions.

Mix together vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, both peppers, and salt. Set aside until broccoli and gnocchi are finished cooking.

Toss together roasted broccoli and walnuts, cooked gnocchi, and dressing in a large bowl. Top with cheese and stir briefly to combine. Sprinkle with additional cheese if desired. Serve immediately.

Grilled Spicy Tofu & Balsamic Grilled Leeks with Broccoli

Remember last week when I told you I'd have a recipe for wild leeks?

Maybe you didn't find a wilderness that supplies them yet...for you, I'm offering grilled tofu. Both recipes are quick, flavorful & easy.

Weekends are a great time for grilling! Get out & enjoy the spring weather. We have plans to go to a family/church softball game on Friday night, then get some gardening & cooking done on Saturday. It's a big day, too - Cinco de Mayo & the Kentucky Derby! Maybe we'll have burritos & mint juleps to celebrate. :-)

I hope everyone has a wonderful & relaxing weekend!

For those of you with an aversion to tofu, try it this way. Grilled tofu is crispy on the outside, soft on the inside & very flavorful after you let it marinate. I love how distinctly the grill marks show up. We ate ours dipped in a merlot sauce, but I think bbq sauce, ketchup or A1 would also be delicious.

 

Grilled Spicy Tofu

Adapted from Edible Perspective

Serves 2-4

1 package firm or extra firm tofu

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 T pure maple syrup

2 T rice vinegar

1 tsp. liquid smoke

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Remove tofu block from package and rinse. Lay block on it's side and slice into 10 pieces, about 1/4"-1/2" thick. Lay the slices flat between two towels and place a heavy object, such as a cutting board + books, on top, pressing for at least 30 minutes. If pressing overnight*, place in fridge and put the contents of your fridge on top of the board.

Whisk remaining ingredients together in a large shallow dish. Lay tofu slices flat in marinade. Flip to cover, then let soak for 15 minutes. Flip again, marinating another 15 minutes. Most, if not all, of the marinade should have absorbed into the tofu at this point. Preheat grill to 500F & coat grill rack with oil to prevent sticking.

Lay tofu in a single layer on hot grill and close lid. Allow to cook for 5 minutes, then open lid and flip the tofu. If it sticks, let it cook a few minutes longer before turning. Once flipped, close lid and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from grill and serve hot!

*We enjoy tofu the most when we give it plenty of time to press. Some recipes recommend 30 minutes, which will be fine if you're short on time. If you happen to plan ahead, however, give it the extra pressing time.

Balsamic Grilled Leeks with Broccoli

Serves 2

2 c cleaned wild leeks (substitute onion chunks if you don't have access to leeks)

1 c broccoli, florets & stems*

3 T balsamic vinegar

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

salt & pepper to taste

Preheat grill to 500F. In a small bowl or jar, mix vinegar, oil, garlic powder, salt & pepper. Place leeks and broccoli in a grill basket and drizzle with balsamic mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Serve hot!

These veggies can be cooked alongside the Grilled Spicy Tofu. Just stir when you open the lid for the tofu.

*If the stems are very thick & tough, peel before eating. We like to use as much of the broccoli as possible, and grilling/roasting are great ways to cook the stems.



Red Cabbage & Pear Salad with Mango Dressing

I can hardly believe it's almost 2012! Every time I stop to think about it, I'm in shock. Really, it makes me feel old...3 years married, home-owning, closing in on the 5 year college reunion mark OLD.

But that's a good thing. I'm happy with what I've done so far in my life & I look forward to the upcoming years with anticipation of what's to come.

The surest way to make sure my hubby & I have a chance at enjoying a long life together is to feed us well. Incorporating lots of nutrient dense foods into our life will give us energy to handle whatever 2012 & beyond throws at us. I'm ready!

I'm not planning any big new year's resolutions. My main goal is to empty the freezer because it's in dire need of a defrosting. That might not sound too hard, but I have (happily!!) a major grocery shopping problem. So the hard part of emptying the freezer is that I have to stop buying more food. I'm aiming for a defrost in late March. We'll see...maybe by then I can put the contents outside to stay cold while it defrosts? 

This salad was inspired by a jar of Trader Joe's mango butter, a chunk of red cabbage, & some overly ripe pears that were sitting in my fridge. When I googled ways to combine red cabbage & pears, many of the recipes included sliced mango, giving me the idea to use that flavor in the dressing. If you don't have access to a Trader Joe's & can't find mango butter elsewhere, I'm sure you could use apple or pear butter in it's place & add mango slices.

Red Cabbage & Pear Salad with Mango Dressing
Serves 6-8

1/2 head of red cabbage, shredded
1 carrot, grated
1/4 of a large red onion, sliced
1 pear, chopped
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 T extra virgin olive oil
3 T mango butter*
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Combine cabbage, carrot, onion, & pear in a large bowl. Whisk together vinegar, olive oil, mango butter & sea salt. Pour dressing over the salad. Stir & allow to marinate for 30 minutes before serving.

*Feel free to substitute apple or pear butter if you can't find mango butter. If you still want the mango flavor, add a few slices to the salad.

Rossetti's Italian Vinaigrette

This is the ultimate salad dressing. The one we use almost daily. It gets requested by my grandparents and several friends, too.

My Grandma Rossetti always hand-dressed her salad. Literally. She'd add the ingredients and then stick her hands in there and mix. Personally, I don't want anyone questioning whether my hands were clean before I handled their lettuce and I don't like getting my hands greasy, so I use a spoon & fork. You can take your pick.

Dad tweaked Grandma's recipe a little, and then Mom tweaked his. She didn't change the flavor, just started using a measuring spoon, mostly to get him to use less ingredients. They were ending up with soggy lettuce and lots of leftover dressing in the bottom of the bowl. No one wants either of those!

The best part about this dressing is that you can measure the ingredients right on top of the lettuce & veggies and mix. No extra bowl necessary.

Added health bonus: vinegar has been known to be a great digestive aid and has a lot of health benefits. This dressing has plenty of vinegar. We always eat our salads after dinner and I really think it works! It's also light on the oil, so it is naturally "light." Olive oil is a healthy fat that helps the body absorb the nutrients from the vegetables.

Rossetti's Italian Vinaigrette
For 1 large salad

1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp granulated garlic (or garlic powder)
1/4 tsp salt
1 T extra virgin first press olive oil, organic
1 T balsamic vinegar
2 T red wine vinegar

Prepare salad. Sprinkle dry ingredients one at a time onto the salad. (Don't dump them in a little heap! Sprinkle!) Do the same with the wet ingredients. I usually use the salad spoon in lieu of a tablespoon, and it works fine. The main thing is to have the ratio correct and not to add too much liquid. You can always go back and add more if needed. Toss salad well, making sure you don't see any clumps of dry ingredients. Add more vinegar if it is too dry.

Note: It's best to wait until right before dinner is ready to dress the salad. This keeps it nice and crisp.

Rossetti's Italian Vinaigrette