Monday, July 25, 2011

Nuts for Gnocchi, Crazy for Kale, and Cheers for Cherries

I love gnocchi. It reminds me a lovely Italian restaurant (unfortunately, I forget the name) the Fannie Mae crowd used to lunch at when I worked in NW DC. Pretty much the only vegan item on the menu was gnocchi, but it was so good! Gnocchi is fun to say and fun to eat. I unknowingly mispronounced it for years until we moved to Savoy, Illinois next to Joann. She corrected me on all things Italian (her parents came from Italy and she visited her relatives still in Italy quite often). She was also a mother  figure for me when my my mom died and a surrogate grandmother for Parker and Dema (Josie wasn't born yet). We moved and she moved to the coast, but I will always think of her when I eat gnocchi. I'm too lazy to make gnocchi myself, but I splurged on Caesar's Organic Gnocchi with Potato (I thought all gnocchi had potato? Where is Joann when I need her?). I found this gnocchi in the freezer at our co-op. I know they carry a fresh (I think it is just on the shelves) whole wheat gnocchi (with sweet potato, I believe) from Gia Russa too. I buy that infrequently, but it is quite good. Anyway, I don't buy or make gnocchi often because my two youngest are nuts. Rob, Parker, and I could all eat ourselves sick, but Dema and Josie turn up their noses. I think it is the texture. More for us!
I topped the gnocchi with sauce made from the Gnocchi with Red Wine-Tomato Sauce recipe in 1,000 Vegan Recipes. Robin Robertson gives directions to make the gnocchi and the sauce is simple, but with fresh from our garden tomatoes it was perfect! We sauteed some kale and Asian greens from the farmer's market with another splurge (on sale at the co-op), Smoked Apple Sage Field Roast Sausages. Kale was fitting since I started Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's book Vegan's Daily Companion today. Kale is the first entry. I can tell I will love this book. It is broken out into 365 days (duh!) with "For the Love of Food" on Mondays. How else would one start a vegan daily companion book than with kale? The greens were Josie and Dema's favorite part of the meal, oh and they loved the cherries too.
Who doesn't adore cherries? This is Josie this morning saying, "I just ate $10 worth of cherries by myself, can we please go buy some more!" Okay, she has no idea she ate $10 worth of cherries, but she was pretty proud that she ate them all at one go and she begged for more. I couldn't say no, could you?
This afternoon we bought both Rainer and dark sweet cherries. We may have to go back again tomorrow for more. If the taste isn't enough for you, here are some more reasons to eat these lovely treats.
All in all, this was a super simple satisfying meal, perfect for yet another hot summer evening.

6 comments:

mydogoona said...

HI Linda,
Your post reminded me of something I wanted to ask you. When is Robin Robertson's new book coming out and what is its title?

VeganLinda said...

Glad you asked, she is always working on a cookbook it seems, but the last one I did testing for is Quick-Fix Vegan and due out...soon. She just emailed me for my address to send a copy. I'll let you know when I hear a date. It is available for pre-order on Amazon.

palindrome said...

those field roast sausages are on sale at my local co-op now too! i think they are really tasty!

VeganLinda said...

Palindrome,

I love to make my own sausages, but when the smoked apple sage flavor is on sale I can't resist!

Jacqueline said...

Oh, the cherries! I've just discovered a passion for cherries - fresh, dried, the juice, tart or sweet - this year. How did I not get their wonderfulness until now?

VeganLinda said...

Jacqueline,

Yes, cherries are awesome! We have friends with a cherry tree and last year was my first time dehydrating them at home. So fun and soooo yummy! I'm always amazed at the foods out there just waiting to be discovered/rediscovered. I don't remember eating cherries a lot as a kid (seasonal eating), but they were always a huge treat! Now as an adult, I love finding the many varieties of cherries and loving each one for their unique characteristics.