Adventures of a Bookish Foodie: Falling for Fall...Sneeze if you're with me.

The Carousel

Did someone say pumpkin spice latte? Yep, its that time of year again, time for fiery red crunching leaves, the smells of cinnamon and nutmeg, and homemade Pumpkin Gnocchi. And although this end of summer has been a scorcher, I couldn't help but notice the leaves falling from the trees in my front yard made me slightly giddy.

Don't get me wrong, I love summer and I have thoroughly enjoyed my beach time, but who can resist the lure of crisp autumn nights, holiday pies, and the promise of a new school year.

And that's saying a lot because I have severe ragweed allergies which heighten in September. Let's hear it if you're with me! Achoo!

And yet I'm still an autumn enthusiast and I'm not the only one.You know who you are. You're already pinning images of leather boots on Pinterest while dreaming of sweaters, and pumpkin spice everything.

So for all those autumn loving foodies, I'm going to serve up a warm and cozy fall recipe each week. From pumpkin gnocchi to steak pie and pumpkin-apple-cinnamon blintze. I'm also going to feature writers throughout the season and ask them to share their favourite food or recipe.

The first recipe featured is Pumpkin Gnocchi...comfort in a bowl! Pumpkin is not just for Halloween, it's packed with antioxidants, vitamin A and it's a fantastic source of fibre. If you have not made gnocchi before then give this a go - I know I plan too! Instructions and picture below are compliments of The Skinny Fork. An amazing recipe website that I love to browse! Tune in next Monday for an end of summer recipe from oven-baked pizza lover and  historical writer A.S. Fenichel.

Clean Eating Pumpkin Gnocchi

http://www.theskinnyfork.com

Ever had the pleasure of trying gnocchi?

If you aren't familiar, these are sort of the italian equivalent to dumplings.

Gnocchi are traditionally made with semolina, flour, egg, potato, breadcrumbs, cheese, or other similar ingredients. These soft little pillows of pumpkin heaven are the perfect replacement for usual gnocchi, making any dish even more fall-friendly!





Making your own gnocchi does take some time, but I always find it to be a rather fun little 30-45 minute project. The process doesn't consume many brain cells, and with so few ingredients the dough comes together pretty quickly.

What takes the most time is cutting the pieces and then adding the texture to them with the back of a fork. Let me be very clear that the added dimples are entirely un-needed, so feel free to skip that step to make this a less time consuming project!

Gnocchi are pretty versatile. You can use them on their own in a sort of 'pasta' dish, toss them with some simple brown butter or Guiltless Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce, or even add them to soup!


Clean Eating Pumpkin Gnocchi

Servings: 4 • Size: About 1 Cup • Calories: 220.3 • Fat: 2.5 g • Carb: 40.5 g • Fiber: 8.5 g • Protein: 8.8 g • Sugar: 2 g • Sodium: 22 mg

Ingredients:1 C. 100% Pure Pumpkin Puree (Not pie filling!)

1 1/2 C. Whole Wheat White Flour

1 Large Egg

1/8 Tsp. Nutmeg

Salt & Pepper to Taste


Directions:
Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl.







Using your hands, mix everything together to form dough.


You will want the dough to be slightly sticky. Mine was also pretty dense.








Divide the dough into four sections.


Roll each section on a lightly floured surface until about 1/2" thick.








Cut the long rolled out sections ito 1" 'pillows'.


Dust the pillows with just a little bit of flour to help prevent sticking. If you want the traditional gnocchi indentation, gently press the pillows into the prongs of a fork.








Bring a large pot of water to a boil and ad the gnocchi. Cook in batches if necessary.


As soon at the gnocchi begins to rise to the surface, they are cooked!


Cooking doesn't take long. Mine started to rise to the surface of the boiling water in about 5 minutes or less.





Drain and let cook slightly.