Creamy Gnocchi with Peas, Asparagus and Mushrooms

There are so many great resources out there now for vegan recipes. I just discovered a new one and have tried a couple recipes from it and have been loving them so far. This recipe for gluten-free, vegan gnocchi comes from ElaVegan. This was my first attempt at these gnocchi and they turned out pretty well. They weren't quite as pillowy as traditional ones, but they were pretty delicious and definitely pack a more nutritious punch. After boiling them, I tried to pan-fry them to get them a little crispy exterior, but they were sticking to the pan a little too much, so I bailed on that plan before I ruined them. I would try frying them again, but in a non-stick skillet next time.

Get ready to mash your potatoes

Add garbanzo flour and tapioca starch to your mashed potatoes

Knead together until dough forms. Split into even workable portions.

Using a little tapioca starch to prevent sticking, roll portions into long tubes, about 3/4" thick

Cut tubes into 3/4" length pieces and score lightly with a fork, if desired.

The sauce recipe is a pretty standard cream sauce recipe, except to keep it gluten-free I used tapioca starch in place of flour for my thickener and pea milk in place of cream to keep it vegan. I added some vegan parmesan to cheese it up a little bit and a pile of fresh asparagus, peas and mushrooms. It turned out really well, so I thought I'd share it with you guys.

Look at all these yummy veggies!

Gluten-free, vegan creamy gnocchi with peas, asparagus, and mushrooms.

Gnocchi:

• 2 1/4 pounds of potatoes (I used Yukon Gold), peeled and cut into rough 1" pieces

• 1 1/2 - 2 cups garbanzo bean flour (also called chickpea flour)

• 1 cup tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour)

1. Cover potatoes in a large pot with cold water and salt well. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 15-20 minutes.

2. Drain potatoes and place in large mixing bowl. Mash potatoes well, until few clumps remain.

3. Add 1 1/2 cup garbanzo flour and tapioca starch along with a pinch of salt to potatoes. Knead well with your hands to form a dough. Add garbanzo flour if the dough remains too sticky, until it is more easily workable.

4. Separate dough into 5 roughly equal portions. Using a little tapioca starch to prevent sticking, roll the portions with your hands into long tubes, about 1/2-3/4" in diameter.

5. Cut the tubes into equal size pieces, roughly the same length as diameter. Score with a fork if desired. (ElaVegan has a video on the page showing how to do this)

6. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add gnocchi and cook about 3 minutes. The gnocchi will float after a minute or two and they are done soon after.

7. Serve with sauce or pan fry in a non-stick skillet to get them a little crisp on the exterior.

Cream sauce with peas, asparagus, and mushrooms:

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1" lengths, tips separated

• 2 cups sliced mushrooms

• 1 cup peas (fresh if they have them, but frozen will be fine too), thawed if using frozen

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tbsp tapioca starch

• 1 cup non-dairy milk (I really like pea milk for this recipe)

• 1/3 cup non-dairy parmesan cheese, additional for serving

1. Heat 2 T of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add asparagus stalks and mushrooms and cook until mushrooms begin to soften, about 4 minutes.

2. Add garlic, peas and asparagus tips to skillet and cook until veggies are cooked through, about 4 more minutes.

3. Remove veggies from the skillet and add remaining 1 T oil and heat over medium. Add tapioca starch to skillet and whisk with oil, cooking for about 20 seconds.

4. Add milk. Bring to a boil, whisking continuously. Add parmesan and whisk until combined.

5. Add veggies and gnocchi to sauce. Cook over medium heat until veggies and gnocchi are heated through.

6. Serve with additional parmesan if desired.