This is the first recipe I've posted since the birth of my beautiful daughter, Claire. When you have a 4-month-old in the house, you find time to cook when she's napping, entertaining herself with toys (for about 10 minutes, ha!), or when family comes to visit. Finding quick to make, nutrient-dense meals for a breastfeeding momma can be hard some days... okay, most days. I knew I had Trader Joe's cauliflower and kale gnocchi in my freezer, but I wanted to make something different with it this time, especially on a cold spring day. I threw together veggies, broth, and spices and created a winner, in my opinion. But maybe mamahood is fluctuating my taste buds so let me know what you think! :)
You can add chicken or another type of meat of choice if you want to add more protein to this meal. I put "paleo-ish" in my description because Trader Joe's cauliflower gnocchi contains potato starch and their kale gnocchi contains chickpea flour (both are not paleo compliant). Eventually, I would like to experiment with a paleo, egg-free gnocchi recipe... we'll save that for a day when Claire starts sleeping through the night!
Ingredients:
-3 cups chicken broth (obviously, use veggie broth to make this vegan)
-1.5 cups shredded carrots
-2 medium stalks celery, chopped
-2 cups spinach, chopped
-1 package (12 ounces bags) of Trader Joe's cauliflower or kale gnocchi (or you can mix!)
-1.5 cups full fat coconut milk
-1 tbsp coconut oil
-1/2 yellow onion, chopped (optional- still delicious without it!)
-1 clove garlic, minced (optional-still delicious without it!)
-1 tsp salt and pepper (or more to taste)
-1 tsp dried thyme
-1 tsp dried rosemary
-2 tbsp lemon juice
Directions:
1. In a large pot or dutch oven, heat coconut oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add garlic and onion and saute for 2-3 minutes until onions are fragrant (optional). Add in celery and carrots and saute for another 2-3 minutes.
3. Add broth, salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary and bring to a boil. When boiling, add-in gnocchi for 2-3 minutes then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Stir in coconut milk and spinach. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until spinach is tender.
5. Add in lemon juice. You can either add a full 2 tbsp lemon juice to the entire pot or simply squeeze whatever portion you would like into your bowl. I think the lemon juice is a key ingredient but you can omit it if preferred.
6. Taste, add more spices if needed, enjoy!!