Real Food - Day 4 (Jan 4th) - Squash Gnocchi

For breakfast we enjoyed some delicious whole grain french toast.  The bread we had at home was store bought bread, so it didn't follow all of the rules, but after breakfast I went out and bought some whole grain bakery bread which is much better - so the next french toast will be right on!  We topped the french toast with tropical fruit (I used frozen that I had thawed in the fridge), and only a tiny drizzle of maple syrup.  YUM!

Lunch - leftover pasta from last night.  Leftovers are so wonderful.

For dinner, we had guests!  My husband and I love to entertain, so we enjoy having the excuse to make something fancy or to try something new.  Last night we had salad (cranberries, walnuts and romaine...provided by the guests), and Squash Gnocchi with a Goat Cheese Rosé sauce.  I used this recipe for the gnocchi, except instead of 1 3/4 C all purpose flour, I used 1 C whole wheat flour and 3/4 C all purpose flour.  I needed to add a few more tablespoons of flour because my dough was pretty sticky, and I used whole wheat for that too.  I also did not use a potato ricer - I just threw the squash and potato into my food processor (separately).  Oh, also, the recipe says to cook it for about 15 minutes...I only cooked mine for about 5 or 6, and it was just fine.

Here are some pictures of the process.  It certainly took some work, but was a nice thing to do for company.  I have also made the dough in a big batch before, then froze it for later..  I forgot to take a picture of the final product because we were too busy enjoying our company :)

Dough separated into balls, ready to be rolled out.

Dough rolled out and ready to be sliced.

Gnocchi dumplings ready for cooking.

Starting to float to the top.

Frying them up makes the outside a little crispier.

Sauce - plain tomato sauce with goat cheese, garlic, sautéed vegetables, and herbs.

For dessert we enjoyed yogurt parfait - plain greek yogurt (with a touch of honey added), layered with fruit and granola, topped with real whipped cream.  It was delicious!  Again, no picture...but I am sure I will make it again!

The main challenge of today was that our neighbour, who makes the BEST LONG-JOHN DOUGHNUTS EVER made some and dropped them off at our house...and I COULDN'T EAT THEM!!!  Waaaahhhhh!  But, our company enjoyed them, so that's great, and now they are no longer sitting on the counter tempting me.  Challenge overcome.