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Food Blog Vegan MoFo

#VeganMoFo Day 25: This One Goes Out My Good Friend

One of my favorite people is a vegetarian who’s a picky eater. I’m gonna guess a significant chunk of my cooking repertoire would not appeal to her palate. But we’ve definitely got a few favorites in common: Falafel. Fresh corn tortillas. And gnocchi.

Her dad, she tells me, is the gnocchi maker in her family. I’m certain mine isn’t as good as what his doubtless well-practiced hands make, but I have made a decent enough version. And, as it’s in her honor, I’m serving it simply–sauteed in a little vegan butter and olive oil with fresh thyme, lemon zest, and garlic. (If I were actually able to make it for her this time, the seasoning might be a bit different. But those are things I had on hand that seemed like they’d rock my fresh, handmade gnocchi. And they did.)

Side note to the person this is about: Falafel with avocado sometime soon? Been too long.

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Food Blog Vegan MoFo

#VeganMoFo Day 2: Impress Me!

Honestly, I don’t have a go-to here – I plan my menus around the people eating them and the food I find.

But there are some things that always sound impressive, require some effort, and come out like something made with love. Gnocchi is one of these. It’s easier than pasta (no special equipment required) but it sounds fancy and special.

I’ve found that a little goes a long way, so I made as much gnocchi as a single russet potato could produce.

To go with it, I made a lovely, chunky sauce with yellow onion, eggplant, plum tomatoes, garlic, and plenty of red pepper flakes, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. I also made a quick cashew-hemp seed-almond milk creamy sauce to mimic a bechamel or cheese topping and baked everything together like a casserole.

Since this is actually a weeknight meal, I needed some more protein (pan-fried tofu) and greens (spinach), which I cooked with a little bit of the extra creamy sauce. It was, frankly, overkill – some people like rich food; I am not often among them – and the appearance wasn’t as “ooh-la-la” as I hoped, but it was still good.

Gnocchi is always special, even if it’s not magic.