Vegan Gnocchi: When Carbs + More Carbs = Dinner
I haven’t shared an entrée recipe in a while. Sometimes I
think about sharing one but worry that it detracts from the “junk food” aspect
of the blog.
Well, today’s dinner was delicious junk food.
Carbs or starches often get labelled as "junk." The star of tonight's meal was two carb-heavy ingredients: mashed potatoes and white flour.
Seriously. These two carbs come together to make a dish called gnocchi.
Often, chefs will add egg, but I don't cook with eggs and my gnocchi turned out just fine. Here's what I did...
I was raised eating gnocchi without any fancy lines. If you
want to make lines on it, like many stores sell it, you can roll the dough
against the tines of a fork.
I brought a pot of water to boil and dropped my gnocchi into the water. When they floated to the top, I drained the pot and rinsed my potato pasta.
Yay, time to eat!
Before you say, “You can’t
be a dietitian. That’s all carbs,” let’s look at some ways to round out the
meal...
I added tomatoes and vegan
mushroom “meat.” Peppers, onions, and vegan
sausage would also be good choices. Maybe add some nutritional yeast for a
cheesy flavor. (Non-vegans might enjoy
some animal sausage and Parmesan cheese. )
I'm also a fan of having a glass of non-dairy milk with my meal. Soymilk and pea milk are my go-to choices, because nut milks don't usually contain much protein surprisingly.
For me, that was enough. Admittedly, I'd eaten two afternoon protein-containing snacks, so I wasn't really looking for a big dinner.
If you want a bigger meal, adding a salad is would be a good option. Vegetables would provide fiber to help fill you up and, depending on what you add, salad can be a source of protein, too.
Have you ever made gnocchi? What's your favorite way to dress up pasta and make it more nutritious?
Have you ever made gnocchi? What's your favorite way to dress up pasta and make it more nutritious?