Wow, I’m a FOODIE!

THANK GOODNESS Tuesday is over!! As I mentioned yesterday, I hate Tuesdays. This Tuesday was no exception! For some reason, my students are nearly always nutty on Tuesdays which makes for a long school day. I did, however, have a great workout at Jazzercise and feel MUCH better after burning 650 calories! I got home from class, and Adam said “I got you something!” and handed me a Barnes and Noble bag. Inside, was a new cookbook!!

Expect to see some new Indian recipes in coming weeks!!

We had decided that dinner tonight would involve, somehow, the gnocchi we bought last week. I didn’t want just marinara sauce, because I knew that I’d get hungry soon after eating. I figured I’d just go to the grocery store and see what struck me. As usual, I wandered around the produce section to see what looked good, and lo and behold there were cheap packages of fresh basil. Another insight into my thought process:

• Hmm… gnocchi and basil sound good.
• ooh look cheese!
• I like cheese
• Can I get away with making cheese fondue? NO! GNOCCHI!
• Goat cheese is on sale, I like goat cheese
• I still want an avocado (see yesterday’s post)
• basil, goat cheese, and… baby tomatoes! We have baby tomatoes
• Can I do avocado? NO! Ok, cheese it is.

Upon walking through the proteins section of the market, I found that there were frozen pre-cooked shrimp on killer sale. Usually, I wouldn’t have bought them, but I really trust the protein at this place. It’s always been good! I went home with a small bag of goodies and my ideas reeling about what exactly to make.

Gnocchi with Pesto Chavrie and Grape Tomatoes

Ingredients

1 package potato gnocchi

1 pint grape tomatoes

4 oz. chavrie (soft mild goat cheese)

1/2 c. basil leaves

1 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. olive oil, divided

3 cloves garlic, peeled, 1 crushed

1 lb. frozen cooked shrimp, thawed

1 Tbsp. fat free half and half

salt, pepper, and oregano to taste

Directions

Place the basil, 2 cloves garlic, and 2 Tbsp. olive oil in the bowl of a food processor, or a container for an immersion blender. Puree until basil and garlic is a fine paste. Add the chavrie and gently combine. Set aside. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large non-stick skillet and add the remaining garlic (crushed). Add the tomatoes and spices and cook, shaking the pan occasionally to get even cooking. While the tomatoes are cooking, start cooking the gnocchi. Add the shrimp to the tomatoes, and heat through. Then, add the goat cheese/basil mixture, and stir until evenly coated, and then add the fat free half and half. Drain gnocchi, and serve shrimp and tomatoes on the gnocchi.

When I finished cooking, I asked Adam if he wanted to eat. He said he’d have “a little”. I told him he may want more than just a little. He asked me if that was a challenge… and I said “no, dinner is just THAT good!” And boy was it ever!! This is one of those dishes that if I’d put it on a prettier plate and served it with a glass of wine, it would be one super fancy meal! I’m quite happy with the results, and am even happier that I served myself half a portion so I can go have MORE! I’ll definitely be having some of my new obsession too: Simply Decadent Coconut Milk Ice Cream. It’s far too delicious!

Remember a couple weeks ago when my friend Jessie did a guest post? I mentioned that I was going to be doing a post for her blog on a slightly different subject than food… and my post is up here today! Check it out! Its um…interesting.

QOTD: Who and where are you??? This is something I’ve wondered for a LONG time now! There are 400+ of you that look at my blog every single day, and I’m wondering who you are! You don’t have to give major identifying information, but the time has come… DE-LURK YOURSELVES!!!!! (You don’t have to, I’m just super curious!) Oh, and to get you started: I’m Mara in Hoffman Estates, IL

It’s Biggest Loser night, so I’m going to park myself in front of the TV and enjoy the stink glow from my workout!

Tagged as: Italian, pasta, seafood, simple recipe