Morel Gnocchi with Chunky Basil Sauce & Garlic Scapes

Today my little blog turns three! I honestly had no idea I would still be at this three years later but my love of food and sharing it with the world has only become stronger and I don't see myself stopping anytime soon.
As of today I have a total of 861 entries with over 2,500 recipes. That's like a vegan food dictionary! Thankfully over the years and with a little more effort, my pictures have gotten better (although I still take them with my camera phone) and my recipes more stream-lined. Who knows where I will go from here but I sure do enjoy it.

This meal came about from the bounty of fresh produce I got from my local Farmer's Market this past week. Morels, potatoes, scapes (from a friend's garden) and basil were all purchased and could not have gone together more beautifully.

One Year Ago Today Spinberry Cherry Smoothie

Two Years Ago Today Tempeh Bacon, Sweet Potato & Grilled Avocado Sandwich with Garlic-Shallot Mayo

Three Years Ago Today Rosemary Grilled Tofu with Pomegranate Reduction, Five Herb Potatoes & Green Beans with Hazelnut Butter

Tender, luxurious potato gnocchi stuffed with fresh morels served over basil sauce and garlic scapes, all from the Farmer's Market this week.

Morel Gnocchi
serves 3
8 small yellow potatoes, peeled, small dice
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 cup minced morels
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more if necessary
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil

Combine the potatoes and garlic with salted, cold water and bring to a boil. Drain and mash completely.
Combine with the morels, flour, salt and pepper and use your hands to work into a ball of dough. If the dough is too wet, add a bit more flour.
Cut the dough into fours and gently roll and press out each piece into a rope shape about 10 inches long. Cut square pieces out about 1 inch long and set aside until all of the gnocchi is shaped and cut.
Bring a new, clean pot of salted water to a boil and add the gnocchi. Cook for 3-5 minutes until all of the pieces are floating to the top. Reserve 1/2 cup of starchy water for basil sauce and drain the rest.
Heat up the olive oil in a saute pan and add the gnocchi. Cook until just lightly browned and crispy.

Chunky Basil Sauce
1 head fresh basil, stems removed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup starchy potato water from gnocchi, or tap water

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until almost smooth. Add the starchy potato water and pulse a few times more.

Garlic Scapes
1 bunch garlic scapes, roughly chopped
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
juice from 1/2 lemon
pinch red pepper flakes
salt, to taste

Bring a small pot of water to a boil and add the scapes. Cook for 3 minutes then drain.
Heat up the oil in a saute pan and add the scapes. Saute with lemon juice, red pepper flakes and salt. Cook for 5 minutes until crisp and tender.

Spinach Chickpea Cutlets, Broiled Zucchini and Tomatoes, Basil Sauce

Hearty chickpea and spinach cutlets spiced with lemon zest, red pepper flakes and creamy yukon gold potatoes, pan fried until crispy and golden brown and served with basil sauce and toasty zucchini and cherry tomatoes dusted in nutritional yeast until caramelized.

Spinach Chickpea Cutlets
1-15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp fresh grated lemon zest
1 cup packed fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
1 medium sized yukon gold potato, peeled and fully cooked
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
3 tbl extra virgin olive oil

Pulse the chickpeas, garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, rosemary, thyme and lemon zest in a food processor until chunky. Add the baby spinach and vegetable broth and pulse until the mixture turns green. Add the cooked potato and pulse a few more times, keeping small chunks of potato in the mixture. Transfer to a bowl and add the breadcrumbs. Stir to combine and taste to adjust seasonings.
Saute in a large pan with olive oil until browned on both sides, 10-12 minutes total. Add more oil if necessary.

Broiled Zucchini and Tomatoes
2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1" pieces
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
salt and pepper
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 dried rosemary
1/4 tsp dried thyme
3 tbl large flake nutritional yeast

Season the zucchini and tomatoes with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to broil.
Add the oil, garlic, rosemary and thyme to a saute pan and bring up to a medium heat. Add the zucchini and tomatoes, cut side down and saute over medium heat for 10 minutes until browned.
Flip the zucchini over, cut side up and sprinkle with nutritional yeast. Put under the broiler for 1-2 minutes until toasted.

Basil Sauce
1 cup loosely packed basil leaves
juice of half a lemon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 garlic clove
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Pulse the basil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and garlic in a food processor and puree. Slowly stream in the oil until the sauce combines and becomes thick.
Transfer to a small sauce pot and bring to a very low simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes and serve over Spinach Chickpea cutlets.