Carrot Gnocchi and Bread

I have had one life changing gnocchi experience, one really good gnocchi experience, and many terrible gnocchi experiences. The life changing one occurred at a completely legit Italian restaurant in San Francisco where their Italian accents were still so pronounced that I could barely understand their English when they spoke to us. The really good gnocchi was at Pizzeria 712 in Orem, UT and it was a ricotta gnocchi with a creamy goat cheese sauce.

Tonight I made this gnocchi. Here are my tips:
*It says it serves 4 but I doubled the recipe and it just fed the three in our household who have advanced past baby food.
*I didn't have any Parmesan cheese so I didn't use it. I also didn't have fresh sage.
*WHEN I make this again I will make the dough in the morning instead of doing it all at once.
*I don't know why it says to boil them for 6 to 7 seconds, mine took much longer.

I made a coconut sauce to accompany them and I just made a roux with some butter, flour and Better than Bullion chicken stock mix (about 1 tsp) and once that was combined and cooked I added about 1/2 a can of light coconut milk. Once it had thickened I added just a bit of cinnamon and ginger.

I also made this bread which can be made in less than 2 hours. I made one loaf instead of three.

We rounded out our meal with some of the wilted maple spinach. Great dinner. My kitchen is now a mess.

Pinto Bean Soup

This soup doesn't sound like much, but it is very good. You just need to remember to soak your beans.

1 1/2 c dried pinto beans, soaked in water for 8 hours or overnight

Drain beans and put in a pot with 2 quarts (I never measure this) of water and slowly bring to a boil. Skim the scum off the surface and reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add 1/4 c chopped onion and some salt and simmer for an additional 30 minutes or until tender. Using an immersion blender if you are fancy like that or just a plain old blender if you haven't gotten around to purchasing an immersion blender yet (someday, someday) blend this mixture to your desired consistency. We like ours with some puree and some roughly chopped beans. Sidenote - I never use all of the liquid when I blend the soup because I think it makes it too runny. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with:
A good dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream in each bowl
Chopped green onions
Pine Nuts (don't forget these)
Candied Bacon

Candied Bacon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put your bacon on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake until crispy, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven to cool and then crumble. You will never make bacon again without brown sugar.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Prepare:
3/4 lb sweet potato - peeled, chopped, and cooked until tender in boiling water for about 15 min

Combine in a medium bowl:
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c cornmeal
3 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t ginger

Combine in another bowl or large measuring cup:
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 to 2 c milk
2 T butter, melted
1 t vanilla
Mashed/cooked sweet potato

Blend wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Make pancakes. Serve with coconut caramel sauce or maple syrup.

A few good links.

Best pie crust. Ever.

You can make caramel sauce with coconut milk. It is amazing with sweet potato pancakes. Or on a spoon.

Our version of Easter eggs.

Anyone interested in a recipe for sweet potato pancakes? Pinto bean soup with bacon, pine nuts, and green onions? Let me know.