Kale Pecan Pesto (Recipe)

A couple nights ago I realized I have very little in my refrigerator that easily screams dinner. Throwing aside my go tos, I decided to be creative. The following recipe is what I created...

Kale Pecan Pesto

Ingredients:

1 bunch of roughly chopped curly kale (steamed)
½ cup coarsely chopped pecans
5-7 cloves of garlic
1 large lemon
½ cup white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
½ tsp Chili powder (optional)
½ cup shredded parmesan cheese (or less- up to you)
1 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wrap garlic and pecans in foil and place in oven for approximately 20 minutes.

In a food processor, combine the steamed kale, pecans and garlic, pulse until well blended. Using a spatula, scoop off the sides of the processor to make sure all is well combined. Add parmesan, salt, pepper, chili powder and lemon zest and again pulse until mixed. Again, remove any stray pesto mixture from the sides of the processor. While blending, add lemon juice, white wine, and olive oil. Remember, you can always add, but taking away is not so easy.

Mix in the pesto sauce with your favorite pasta and serve (or you can add a little more to make it an extra filing meal. I added “Chicken” cutlets and mushrooms in lemon white wine sauce to the pasta for some extra protein) Recipe to follow....

Gnocchi!!!! (Recipe- vegan)

I love gnocchi. The little lead bullets of goodness are the perfect vehicle for any type of sauce. Forever did I think these dumplings were a difficult and mysterious creation from the Italian god of perfection, probably together with Bacchus (because wine shouldn't be left out of a good meal). Anyway, back to my discovery... I decided to try to make these delightful creations, only to find out that they are SUPER easy!!  So, here it goes...

Ingredients:

1 pound Yukon gold potatoes
3/4 cup of flour (or enough flour for the dough not to be sticky)
salt to taste

Process:

Bake the potatoes in the oven until soft- approximately 1 hour or so, depending on their size. Once baked allow to cool.

Remove the skin. In a large bowl, using either a ricer or a fork, mash them up well. Add flour and salt; mix together. Keep adding flour until the dough doesn't feel sticky. Let rest for approximately 5-10 minutes.

During this period of time you can get the water pot started (like you would for any store purchased pasta)

Take a handful of the dough and begin rolling it between your hands to form a log. Then, on a floured cutting board, continue rolling until the dough roll is about the size of your thumb (unless you have really large thumbs, then roll it a little thinner.) Once rolled, cut the dough every inch. Make an imprint in each piece and then roll slightly to create the barrel look. Place on the side (not touching) Do this until all the dough is formed into the individual pieces.

Once the water in your pot is boiling, place your gnocchi into the salted water. Allow to cook until the piece begins to float (approximately 3-4 minutes). Remove from water, place in bowl with favorite sauce and mangia! This recipe feeds about 3-4 people.