Summer Vegetables with Gnocchi

I found this recipe in one of the Everyday Food magazines from Martha Stewart. I'd always wanted to try gnocchi and the recipe looked simple enough to try. The nice thing about this dish is that it only requires a few ingredients and the most expensive was the cheese, which I do recommend splurging on the good stuff!



Pint of cherry tomatoes
2-3 zucchinis
16oz package of gnocchi
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh basil
Pat of butter
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Assembly is pretty simple. Saute the zuccinis, add the halved tomatoes. Cook gnocchi for a few minutes reserving some of the water to make the sauce. Add the gnocchi to the vegetables. Add remaining ingredients, saved water, butter, and basil. Finish with the cheese.

This was delicious! The picture doesn't do it much justice. It is a bright, colorful, and savory dish. I've already made it twice now! The second time I made it I added some left over spinach I had and that's what in the picture above.

Cat's Summer Pasta Salad

This afternoon I felt inspired to try to recreate a pasta salad that my friend Cat made one night on the fly. She makes the best food ever. Only problem is that it's a one time deal as she doesn't follow a recipe or write anything down, which is also the exciting part of eating her creations.

Here's my version:
Gluten-free spiral noodles
Peas
Artichoke hearts
Chopped onion
Fresh chopped basil
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Scant amount of Rice vinegar
Minced garlic
Salt and Pepper
Newman's Own lime dressing
Capers
Morning Star veggie chik'n strips
Thinly sliced radish from my garden

This salad turned out really well in my opinion. I feel like it's still missing a little something. Cat's was much better than mine, but I would definitely make it again.