Gnocchi with Zucchini Ribbons and BSI Entry!

by Mara @ What's For Dinner? on March 29, 2009

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Happy Sunday all! I can’t believe my Spring break ended today with a 3” snowfall! I’m not thrilled, but at least the weather is supposed to pick up later this week.

When I saw my mom earlier this week, she told me about a great recipe she’d come across in Eating Well Magazine. My mom hasn’t failed me yet with a recipe, so I of course had to try it. It was FANTASTIC, and I’m so happy to share the recipe with you! The original link is here, but I modified it a bit. I left out the nutmeg and lowered the amount of butter a little bit, but seriously, this is worth the little bit of extra effort to make the zucchini ribbons!

Gnocchi with Zucchini Ribbons and Parsley Brown Butter

Ingredients

1 pound fresh or frozen gnocchi
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium shallots, chopped
1 pound zucchini (about 3 small), very thinly sliced lengthwise (see Tip)*
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Cook gnocchi until they float, 3 to 5 minutes or according to package directions. Drain. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until the butter is beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add shallots and zucchini and cook, stirring often, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt, nutmeg and pepper and continue cooking, stirring often, until the tomatoes are just starting to break down, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and parsley. Add the gnocchi and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

*Tip: To make “ribbon-thin” zucchini, slice lengthwise with a vegetable peeler or a mandoline slicer.

I’m sure this recipe would be great with other add-ins, such as mushrooms, eggplant, or other hearty veggies.

Thanks for such a great recipe Mom!!

BSI Entry!

When I found out that the BSI Ingredient for this week was eggs, I was stumped. I know, sounds weird, but there’s just SO MUCH that can be done! I wasn’t going to even think of anything, but then my sweet tooth hit last night, and I decided to go for it. This is a simple version of healthy chocolate chip cookies that only requires a few ingredients!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients

1 c. plus 1/4 c. rolled oats, divided

1 egg

1/4 c. fat free milk (or milk sub)

2 packets Splenda (or 2 tsp other sweetener)

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbsp. almond butter

1/4 c. chocolate chips, or equivalent smashed chocolate bar (i used 3 squares of a Dove 72% dark bar)

Directions

Pre-heat your oven to 400*. Mix together 1 c. oats, egg, milk, sweetener, vanilla, and almond butter in a blender, food processor, or stick-blender-safe container. Thoroughly mix until mixture is almost smooth. Stir in remaining oats and chocolate. Divide into 3-4 cookies on a prepared cookie sheet and bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Enjoy!

The nutritionals for these cookies are FANTASTIC, considering each one was as big as my hand and quite satisfying: 224 calories, 10 g. fat, 8 g. fiber. Keep in mind, MOST of that fat is from the almond butter! HEALTHY FAT!

Check out my guest post at “Say Yes To Salad”!