Gnocchi with Shrimp, Asparagus and Pesto

If you are hosting a St. Patrick's Day dinner party - this meal would be a great one to make. This dish unfortunately doesn't photograph too well - but its one of those ugly ducklings. 

In the mix:

• 1 pkg gnocchi
• 1 lb shrimp
• 1 lb asparagus
• 1 batch of homemade pesto

If you have never made your own pesto before - its the worth the few minutes of extra effort.  There is something to be said about being able to control the flavors & oil content.  And of course, it helps to have a food processor to throw everything in.

*A little side topic - I am very much aware that I speak of my food processor as though it is a love affair. It's probably been the most used counter-top appliance that I own.  I use the thing for just about everything - salsa, hummus, pesto, shredding cheese, shredding cabbage...  If you don't own one - I highly recommend the investment - and no - KitchenAid did not pay me to write this.

Back on track: Pesto

• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic
• ~4 teaspoons olive oil

Place all ingredients sans oil in processor, blend until smooth, while drizzling in oil until the mix reaches the desired consistency.

This dish is almost a one pot wonder - my favorite type of meal to make on a busy work day.

• Boil gnocchi for 4 minutes
• Remove gnocchi from water with slotted spoon
• Add shrimp & half-ed asparagus to the still boiling water for 3-4 minutes
• Drain, and add gnocchi to the shrimp & asparagus.
• Toss with pesto, and top with a hint of parmesan.

The pesto gives the gnocchi a creamy texture without feeling too heavy.  A quick meal, but unfortunately not too appealing to serve to company.  This guy goes in the repeat offender list when in a bind.

Garden Fresh Salad

We have to brag just a bit - this salad contains 90% home-grown veggies.  Green leaf lettuce, spinach, cucumber, and a neighbor gave us a couple of his tomatoes. I tried to sneak in a few posts - hoping that no one will notice that we haven't posted since August - eeks!  This salad was crafted back in September - with the bouty of our little garden.  Who would have thought that all 30 lettuce & spinach seeds that I planted would actually all grow?  Thus - resulting in quite a few salads like the one pictured above.

I would beg to differ that nothing tastes more satisfying than fresh, from the yard vegetables.  In our attempt to lighten up the dinner plate a little bit a salad was a refreshing change to a heavy meal.  This salad was packed full of spinach, green leaf lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, a handful of croutons and a splash of Annie's Organic Balsamic Vingarette. Annie's dressings are unfortunately a dollar or so more than regular dressings - but the short list of ingredients that I actually recognize is well worth the price. 

I can't wait until next summer and the variety of veggies we will have - we'll hopefully have an abundance of veggies that aren't just lettuce & spinach :)

Mushroom & Spinach Quesadilla

Sauteed mushrooms - tons of spinach, gooey jack cheese, inside a toasted tortilla - pretty much heaven - if you like mushrooms and spinach.

We have a quesadilla maker, which every now and then we need an excuse to drag it out of the cupboard. There is something comforting about a bit of "junk food" every now and then.  In an attempt to eat some symbolance of nutrition - I sauted up a few sliced mushrooms with a hearty spoonful of minced garlic.  Layered between a large handful of spinach - the combination of mushrooms and jack cheese was tasty gooey. 

Definately not the healthiest of meals - but this probably isn't too terrible in the calorie department sans cheese.