Time: 25-30 mins
Serves: 4
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| Kale & Tofu Gnocchi Bake |
Fridays, for the time being have become my shopping day, which are my favourite days as it means I can do some more cooking, its definitely challenging cooking on a much tighter budget than I'm used to, especially when I have all these ideas circling in my head of things that would be really fun to make, that said I am improving on spending less money on food each week and still eating plant based and healthy. A big part of that is meal planning, I decide what I'm going to make for the week, write a list with those ingredients and don't buy anything else, no matter how tempting it might be, self control is key! Budgeting doesn't necessarily mean you have to miss out, as long as there is money put aside for the item you want; I have a real weakness for medjool dates, the ones sold on a fruit stand in the center of town are the most fudgy and delicious ones I've ever tasted and I will not compromise on pitted dried ones, it's ok to have a few slightly more expensive treats if you save money elsewhere, for example, choosing cheaper brands to compensate for the cost.
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| Kale & Tofu Gnocchi Bake |
This next dish is inspired by the classic combination of spinach and ricotta, with a vegan take to it; a rich and herby tomato base with crumbly tofu & kale, finished off with a sprinkling of vegan cheese and baked to perfection. This is most definitely comfort food, with a more nutritious twist and completely delicious! I bought potato gnocchi in the dried pasta section of the supermarket, it was less than 80p for 500g and completely vegan too, a few supermarkets sell fresh gnocchi that is also made without eggs or milk but are usually double the price, so it's definitely worth looking for the store cupboard version. The tomato base on this dish builds on classic italian flavours like garlic, basil and balsamic vinegar to achieve an authentic taste with great depth of flavour, perfectly complimenting the little dumplings of gnocchi.
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| Kale & Tofu Gnocchi Bake |
You'll need:
- Large, oven proof frying pan
- Wooden spoon/ spatula
- Chopping Board
- Knife
- Fine grater
Ingredients:
- 1 red onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 100g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
- 1 pack firm tofu, drained
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- 500g potato gnocchi
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp sun dried tomato paste (optional)
- 1 handful fresh basil/ 1 tbsp dried
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 100g kale, washed & chopped
- 1 tsp olive Oil
- 30g vegan cheese
- Salt & pepper, to taste
Method:
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C
- Dice the onion, mince the garlic cloves and transfer to the frying pan with 1tsp of oil on a medium heat. Slice the mushrooms and also add these to the pan, fry off for 2-3 minutes.
- Crumble the tofu into the pan and stir through, add the rest of the ingredients and simmer on a medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Grate the cheese directly over the pan and transfer to the oven for 15 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the gnocchi is slightly crisp on top. Serve up alone or with a side salad and enjoy! Cassidy xx
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| Kale & Tofu Gnocchi Bake |
