cauliflower gnocchi Archives - The Shooks Life

Nacho Average Cheese Sauce

Meghan — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 01:00:46 +0000

When you think you’ve seen every imaginable combination of cauliflower gnocchi, you haven’t. And I’m not cheesin’ around with this one – it’s a “cheesy” sauce that does triple the work as the base for 3 recipes: a fully loaded cauliflower gnocchi bowl, broccoli mac ‘n “cheese” sauce and a creamy nacho cheese dip. Best thing about it? This sauce is plant-based, highly nutritious (thanks to sweet potato and nutritional yeast), plus you know it tastes legit when it passes the test of this cheese state native. With everyone sheltering, I know you’ve got time to cheese around, so let’s get cookin’!

What do you mean there’s no cheese in the cheese sauce?

If there is any food that could unite the world, it might be cheese. But, after sheltering in the place during this wild pandemic, I found myself in a horrific situation: no cheese. And, my husband and I just made a pact to try to tough it out an entire week without visiting the grocery store to work through our inventory of canned and frozen foods. Now a week might not seem like a lot for most people, but I am a grocery shopping, fresh food fanatic. So, rather than fret, I decided to get creative with what I had on hand. And voila, this “cheesy” sauce was born.

So what kind of witchcraft creates cheese out of, no cheese?

5 Simple Ingredients

Sweet Potato
Cashews
Nutritional Yeast
Broth
Apple Cider Vinegar

The real star, is the nutritional yeast, which provides the savory cheesy flavor. It gets its name from all the protein, antioxidants, minerals and vitamins it contains. Nutritional yeast is actually a complete protein because it contains all nine essential amino acids, making it a good source of protein for vegans. It also contains two carbohydrates – alpha-mannan and beta-glucan, which support the immune system. And we can all use as much help as possible in that department right about now!

This sauce couldn’t be easier to make, but here are a few helpful tips.

Tips ‘n Tricks

1.) Split Up the Meal Prep: Make the sweet potatoes in advance to cut down on the time. I like to roast a few sweet potatoes at the beginning of the week and use for a variety of recipes.
2.) Soaking Cashews: You can either soak the cashews in water overnight OR, if you forget (like I often do) you can “quick soak” them by placing the nuts in boiling water for 30 minutes. This allows the cashews to soften.
3.) Get Creative: What I love about this sauce is the versatility! Feel free to add in some chipotle seasoning for a southwest vibe, or use regular potatoes if that’s all you have on hand. Want to add carrots? Go for it!

Ready to ladle this cheese sauce on everything in sight? Me too.

Loaded Cauliflower Gnocchi Bowl
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
“Cheese” Sauce
– 1 sweet potato
– 1 C soaked cashews
– 1/4 C nutritional yeast
– 1/2 C broth
– 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
– 1/2 tsp salt
Gnocchi Bowl
– 2 bags of Trader Joe’s frozen caulflower gnocchi
– 12 slices of bacon, crisped
– 1 bunch of chives, thinly sliced

Directions:
Step 1: Cut the sweet potato in half and pierce with a fork on all sides. Spray with cooking spray or rub oil around the entirety of both halves. Then, choose your method for roasting: oven or microwave. If baking in the oven, set the temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and placing on a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Bake for 40 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork. Alternatively, microwave on a microwave-safe dish for 5-7 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, peel off the skins.
Step 2: Make the “cheese” sauce by placing all of the ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Add enough salt for you taste.
Step 3: Place the frozen gnocchi in a microwave-safe dish and thaw for 1-2 minutes in the microwave. Then, spray a frying pan with oil, heat to medium and crisp the white portions of the chives, reserving the greens to top the bowls at the end. Once crisped, add the thawed gnocchi to the pan in a single layer and saute for 2-3 minutes with stirring. Flip the gnocchi once browned on the first side and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes on the other side. Turn off the heat.
Step 4: Assemble the bowls! Add the “cheese” sauce to the frying pan and mix to cover the gnocchi (you may have extra sauce). Distribute in individual bowls. Crumble the bacon on top and finish by topping with the greens of the chives.

Broccoli Mac ‘n “Cheese”
Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients:
“Cheese” Sauce
– 1 sweet potato
– 1 C soaked cashews
– 1/4 C nutritional yeast
– 1/2 C broth
– 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
– 1/2 tsp salt
Macaroni Bowl
– 1 box of your favorite pasta
– 2 cups of frozen broccoli

Directions:
Step 1: Cut the sweet potato in half and pierce with a fork on all sides. Spray with cooking spray or rub oil around the entirety of both halves. Then, choose your method for roasting: oven or microwave. If baking in the oven, set the temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and placing on a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Bake for 40 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork. Alternatively, microwave on a microwave-safe dish for 5-7 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, peel off the skins.
Step 2: Make the “cheese” sauce by placing all of the ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Add enough salt for you taste.
Step 3: Make the noodles, following the directions on the box. Simultaneously, warm the broccoli by either placing in the microwave for 2 minutes in a covered bowl with a touch of water or, place it in the boiling pasta water for the last minute that the pasta cooks. Drain the pasta.
Step 4: Assemble the bowls! Add the “cheese” sauce to the noodles and stir to combine. Distribute evenly in individual dishes and top with broccoli.

Nacho “Cheese” Dip
Makes: 1.5 cups
Ingredients:
“Cheese” Sauce
– 1 sweet potato
– 1 C soaked cashews
– 1/4 C nutritional yeast
– 1/2 C broth
– 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
– 1/2 tsp salt
Nachos
– 1 poblano pepper, diced
– 3/4 – 1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle seasoning
– your favorite chips!

Directions:
Step 1: Cut the sweet potato in half and pierce with a fork on all sides. Spray with cooking spray or rub oil around the entirety of both halves. Then, choose your method for roasting: oven or microwave. If baking in the oven, set the temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and placing on a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Bake for 40 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork. Alternatively, microwave on a microwave-safe dish for 5-7 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, peel off the skins.
Step 2: Make the “cheese” sauce by placing all of the ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Then, add the chipotle seasoning in 1/4 teaspoon increments, blending after each addition until you reach your desired level of spice.
Step 3: Place the “cheese” sauce in a bowl and add the diced poblano peppers, mixing with a spoon. Enjoy with your favorite chips!

Time to get “cheesy”! Let me know what other ideas you have for adapting this sauce to everything and anything!

The post Nacho Average Cheese Sauce appeared first on The Shooks Life.

May Favorites

Meghan — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 11:40:38 +0000

Awww…snap! Summer is in season, my friends! Before we jump into June, let’s rewind on May. Check out the list below of my May favorites – places, products and passions. As per usual, if you have a suggestion of a workout, product or recipe I should try in June, let me know in the comments. Happy kick-off to summer!Roll out the red carpet, here’s the top 10 places, products and pastimes from May!

1.) Favorite Places to Lolly Dolly: every spring I look forward to the opening of the Green City Market Lincoln Park. It’s my favorite farmer’s market in Chicago for the rows of fresh produce, divine bits like fresh tamales and a great spot for Moose to meet new pooch friends. I love how the market evolves as new produce pops up throughout the season!

2.) Favorite Brunch Spot: Mindy’s Hot Chocolate is a staple in Wicker Park and while it may be most famously known for the rich cups of hot cocoa and decedent desserts, it’s one my absolute favorite brunch spots for its rotating seasonal menu of fresh fare like the creamy spring pea risotto I had there recently. My husband is a die hard french toast fan and inhaled the strawberry rhubarb french toast with sweet cream. I’m more of a savory brunch fan, but it was hard to keep my hands off that french toast.

3.) Favorite Workout: with all that brunching, something needs to offset the decadence. This month, the first of my favorite workouts was flowing to Cardi B at Y7Studio in NYC. This hip hop yoga studio gave me all the positive yoga vibes. And I absolutely NEED every piece of apparel on their racks, including the “I make yoga moves” tank.

4.) Favorite Workout Jams: nothing gets the body moving like good tunes. Get my personally curated playlist featuring my favorite mash-ups of May on SoundCloud. Catch these songs as I return to teaching spin as a guest instructor at Cycle X Studio Monday mornings in June! First class is free!

5.) Favorite Beauty Hack: when you’ve got a 9-5 and side hustles as a blogger and spin instructor, time is a hot commodity. Thanks to Amazing Lash Studio Lincoln Park, I can roll out of bed looking gorgeous with lashes for days.

6.) Favorite Indulgence: my willpower may have been at a low, but I did not regret stocking up on a stack (literally) of Vosges Haut Chocolate Bars at O’hare earlier in the month. I wouldn’t have expected it, but my favorite of the bunch was the Coconut Ash & Banana Super Dark Chocolate Bar. It was just the right amount of island sweet to offset the bitter, but rich dark chocolate. Close second was the Matcha Green Tea & Spirulina Super Dark Chocolate Bar. Give me all the antioxidants and superfoods!

7.) Favorite New Product: The Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi is worth the hype peeps! Seared in a pan, it had the perfect crispy exterior and pillowy center. Paired with a simple sage butter and…perfection! Get the sage butter dEATs here.

8.) Favorite Workout: there were too many favorites this month to pick just one, but the Peloton Tread class absolutely killer! I literally booked the class before I even booked my flight when I had a business trip to NYC earlier this month. Now the wait begins until the new tread is released this fall! Check out my blog post on the class and treadmill here.

9.) Favorite Way to Restore: Chill Meditation + Massage in Chicago’s River North turned this busy bee into a believer. Living in the moment and tuning out the noise is not my forte, but Chill helped me to see the light and pause in the moment. Walked out feeling the sweet sweet nirvana of a mind at rest. For more on my experience, check out my post.

10.) Favorite Recipe: it’s always SO HARD to choose just one because I love all of my babies! But, if I had to pick (which I force myself to pick just one), it’s hands down the vegan red pepper crema that I paired with everything from fresh veggies, to strips of baked avocado in tacos and even pasta. This one is a must try, my friends!

I hope you enjoyed these May favorites. Excited to see what June brings and hope you are too!

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You had me at (cauliflower) gnocchi

Meghan — Tue, 08 May 2018 01:30:36 +0000

Cauliflower gnocchi – love it or hate it? It should be no surprise that my love saga for cauliflower continues with another hit from @traderjoes. Light and pillowy, these puffs of gnocchi were perfection when slathered in a sage butter sauce. Get the saucey dEATs below!

First there was rice, then there was pizza crust and now, cauliflower gnocchi? How do I love thee cauliflower? Let me count the ways…this gnocchi was legit pillowy perfection made with 75% cauliflower plus cassava flour, potato starch, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. Gnocchi, for those unfamiliar, is a soft doughy dumpling that is traditionally made from flour, potato and eggs. It’s an Italian dish that is most often a replacement for pasta. I’ve made gnocchi from scratch and it’s a time-intensive process that takes some trial and error to get the perfect soft texture. For that reason, this easy prep gnocchi was a major delighter – with the gluten-free aspect being another bonus!

The Trader Joe’s gnocchi comes in a 12 oz. frozen package for just $2.69 – a total steal, though you’ll want a substantial side. The package claims to serve 2.5, but two servings is more reasonable – maybe even 1 if that’s all you’re eating. There are three ways to prep the gnocchi, but I’d recommend the stove top for that perfect sear. It offered a nice crunch in contrast to the soft texture of the gnocchi. I served mine with a rich and flavorful sage butter sauce that was super simple to prepare, but this would also be good with a pesto or even a simple marinara sauce. You could also make this a more substantial dish with additives like asparagus, peas or roasted red peppers.

Sage Butter Cauliflower Gnocchi
Serves: 2

Ingredients:
– 1 package of Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi
– 3 T butter (or ghee)
– 8 fresh sage leaves

Directions:

Step 1: Heat a skillet over the stove top to medium and empty the contents of the Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi into the pan. Add 1/4 C of water, cover, and cook until heated through and the water is evaporated – roughly 6 to 8 minutes.

Step 2: Add the 3 T of butter or ghee to the pan. Allow to sizzle 2-3 minutes or until the butter starts to brown and gives off a rich nutty scent.

Step 3: Remove from the burner and add the fresh sage leaves. Stir to combine and serve with your favorite side dish.

Bon appetit friends!

The post You had me at (cauliflower) gnocchi appeared first on The Shooks Life.