Artichoke-Lemon Pesto on Gnocchi and Shrimp

If it looks like there's a lot of pesto caked onto those gnocchi, that's because there is.

I ended up with a spare jar of artichoke hearts recently, and Pinterest pointed me to this pesto recipe as a solution. If we didn't love spinach-avocado pesto quite so much, I'd say this recipe would become a new favorite. But when life hands you lemons and artichoke, this is a delicious way to use them.

The lemon I got was gigantic. In fact, I almost broke into it a few times over the course of the week, thinking it was a navel orange. Somehow it didn't occur to me that maybe I should only put half of it in this pesto; I was just excited about how much juice was coming out of this thing. As a result, our dinner was VERY lemony. I'd fix that next time.

As a side note to this recipe, this is my favorite way of preparing shrimp. I got it from Ina Garten and I rarely do it any other way - it's easy and delicious. Olive oil, salt, pepper, bake at 400 for 10 minutes. Perfection.

The Recipe:
8 oz artichoke hearts, drained (I used marinated, but there was LOTS of flavor - plain would have been fine)
3 cloves garlic
1 small lemon, zested and juiced
1/2 c parsley
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 c walnut pieces
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb shrimp
2 17-oz packages gnocchi

Pulse all ingredients besides shrimp and gnocchi in food processor until desired consistency.
Cook gnocchi according to package instructions.
Place shrimp in single layer on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
Toss pesto, gnocchi, and shrimp together and serve.

The Verdict:

Overall grade: B+

Overall reason: I like other pestos better, but this is a delicious change of pace.

Time to prepare: 30 minutes

Husband quote: (Me, slowing down): "I forgot how heavy gnocchi i--" (Jess, immediately): "I'll help you finish it!"

Comments

Samosa Burritos

Imagine a pile of plain yogurt and some Indian pickle for dipping I saw a Pinterest recipe for samosa-filled quesadillas, which led me to this recipe from Nadia's Healthy Kitchen for baked samosas using tortillas, which led me to just use the giant tortillas I had in the fridge and make them into full-sized burritos. They were a hit! I largely followed the recipe from Nadia's Healthy Kitchen, but I added some potato, omitted the chana masala powder and just added a bunch of cumin instead, added bell pepper and fresh chilies, didn't bother with the "sealing paste," and basted them in a little bit of melted butter (omit for vegan version). Everyone except the 5-year-old liked them! The Recipe (adapted from Nadia's Healthy Kitchen ) 2 cans (30 oz total) cooked garbanzo beans, rinsed (I eyeballed the equivalent from dry beans) 1 small onion, chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 thai chili, minced 1 bell pepper, chopped 1 potato, baked until soft (or microwaved for...

Curry Fried Rice

Excited for these leftovers. One of the things I wanted to try with my new jar of curry powder was fried rice. Years ago, Miles got fried rice at Korea House and it was the best fried rice I'd ever had. I suspected there was curry powder in it, but at that time I had never really cooked with curry powder, so I tucked that knowledge away for a later date. After reading a few recipes, I went rogue on this one. I couldn't even begin to effectively guess at what proportions I ended up with, so the recipe below is more of a rough guideline of ingredients. The "Recipe" (sorry no quantities; follow your heart): leftover jasmine rice tofu, cubed and crisped in the oven with avocado oil and salt vegetables: garlic, onion, cabbage, red bell pepper salt curry powder (I used a Vietnamese one) soy sauce sugar sesame oil future topping ideas: runny egg, sesame seeds, green onion Saute the vegetables in avocado oil until softened, and salt them to taste Add the tofu and toss to...

Chinese Stir Fry

Looks pretty much exactly like my usual Thai stir-fries I bookmarked this recipe by Crafty Cookbook a long time ago, and then waited for eggplant season, and then waited to find eggplant that actually looked good enough to buy, and then I realized that I could just make it with different vegetables. Bring on the broccoli and bell peppers. Aside from the vegetable swap, I baked the tofu for simplicity, added more brown sugar, and added a hefty amount of white pepper. I didn't actually mean to put that much white pepper into it, but it was a delicious kick and I'll do it again that way on purpose. The Recipe: 2.5 tb soy sauce 2 tb oyster sauce 1/2 tb black vinegar 3 tb brown sugar 1/2 tb grated ginger 1/2 tsp white pepper 1 block tofu, cubed and cooked (I pressed out liquid, tossed with oil and salt, and baked at 375 for 45 minutes) vegetables, chopped (I like broccoli, bell peppers, and onions) 3 cloves garlic, minced pinch of salt 2 tb avocado oil Combine soy sauce, oy...

Adventures of a healthy-ish pseudo-foodie

Search This Blog