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Cheddar, Sun-dried Tomato and Zucchini Scones Recipe

August 15, 2012

I’m happy to say that Fake Food Free has transitioned to the Substack Newsletter called Every Corner of the World.

I hope to see you there.

Cheddar, Sun-dried Tomato and Zucchini Scones Recipe | Fake Food Free

I’m no stranger to scones. I’ve written about my favorite breakfast pastry a few times in the past. But I rarely make savory scones.

Our zucchini plant just stopped producing this week, so I’ve had plenty to work with this year. When I was trying to use it up, scones seemed a logical choice. I stepped out of my sweet comfort zone, though, and decided to do something a little cheesy and spicy.

These scones are great by themselves, but they also make a good base for a breakfast egg sandwich. If you happen to have a tomato jam, that would dress them up nicely, too.

Cheddar Sun-dried Tomato and Zucchini Scones

2015-06-29 21:55:47

Makes 8 to 10 scones

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Ingredients

2 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoons salt
½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
½ cup shredded zucchini
¼ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped fine
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus extra for topping
1 tablespoon hot sauce
¾ cup + 1 tablespoon 2% or whole milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the butter cubes and use a pastry blender or two knives to cut the butter into the flour until it is in pea-sized pieces.
Stir in the zucchini, sundried tomatoes and cheese. Add the hot sauce and milk, and mix ingredients until a dough is formed. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently for 1 to 2 minutes.
Shape the dough into a rectangle, about ¾ of an inch thick. Cut into 8 to 10 squares.
Place the squares on a baking sheet. Top each with a small amount of shredded cheese and press it gently into the dough.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes until the cheese and edges are browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of the scones comes out clean.

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Thanks for reading! All images and content are the property of Fake Food Free unless otherwise stated. Please do not republish full recipes and images without written permission. What is okay? Feel free to Pin images, share links to my posts or share the photo in a round up post with the title of this recipe and a link back to the post. Confused about copyright and food blogs? Here is some helpful information on Recipe Attribution. If you want to use a photo or full recipe, just ask. I’m sure we can work something out.

Grilled Marinara Pasta Recipe

August 12, 2012

This recipe is one of the most creative things we’ve made on the grill. Grilling tomatoes in packets and then turning those tomatoes into marinara results in a unforgettable smoky sauce.

Grilled Tomato Marinara Sauce | Fake Food Free

We’ve been making grill packets all summer so when I was thinking of how I could put a twist on a classic tomato sauce, they were the first thing to come to mind. Packets of potatoes, onions, peppers and summer squash work on the grill, so why wouldn’t tomatoes, right?

I have to admit when I got all the grilled veggies pureed and took a taste, I was disappointed. The flavor I wanted just wasn’t there.

But then I added salt.

The next bite popped in my mouth! The salt brought out the smoky flavor from the grill which is exactly what I was hoping for.

A few packets of tomato may not be enough for heating up a large grill, but this marinara is the perfect thing to make when you have the grill up and running for other things. (We grilled ours while making a chicken this weekend.) Then you can quickly throw the sauce together and freeze it for another day, if it doesn’t fit on your current menu.

Grill packets with tomatoes for marinara.

This ends up being a basic marinara for any type of pasta. I am a huge fan of homemade, but I went for a quick meal this weekend and used a whole wheat penne.

The veggies only need to be roughly chopped for the grill packets. They’ll be going straight to the blender to puree so there is no reason to spend a lot of time on the prep.

I’ll be doing this with our tomatoes for the rest of the season! The flavor is so much more interesting than when I roast the veggies in the oven.

Grilled Tomato Marinara Pasta Recipe

2015-07-22 23:01:38

Makes: 4 to 6 servings

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Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled
~2.75 lbs. tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 red or green bell pepper, cored and chopped
~15 leaves fresh basil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon fine ground sea salt
1 lb. pasta, cooked
Extra basil and shaved parmesan for serving

Instructions

Preheat the grill to 325 degrees F.
You will need 3 large pieces of aluminum foil, about 14 to 16 inches long. You want the veggies wrapped well, so be generous.
Divide the onion, garlic cloves, tomatoes, bell pepper and basil evenly on each of the three pieces of foil. Drizzle some of the olive oil over the vegetables in each packet and move the veggies around a bit to coat them.
You can use any packet making techniques, but I fold the long sides in first. Then I pull the two ends together in the center to meet and roll them down, smashing things together as I go. As long as you have a sealed packet, you'll be fine. Need help? Here's a post with instructions.
Place the packets on the grill, and close the lid. Let cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until the veggies are tender. Remove them from the grill and transport them into the kitchen.
Once they are cool enough to touch, place the veggies in the blender in batches. Puree until smooth and pour the puree in a soup pot on the stove. Turn on low heat, and add the balsamic vinegar and the salt. Stir occasionally. You are only warming the sauce again until you are ready to eat it. (If you plan to freeze it, you can skip the heating, mix in the vinegar and salt and portion it for freezing.)
Place the pasta in a serving bowl. Pour the sauce over pasta, and garnish with basil and parmesan cheese.

Fake Food Free https://www.fakefoodfree.com/

Thanks for reading! All images and content are the property of Fake Food Free unless otherwise stated. Please do not republish full recipes and images without written permission. What is okay? Feel free to Pin images, share links to my posts or share the photo in a round up post with the title of this recipe and a link back to the post. If you want to use a photo or full recipe, just ask. I’m sure we can work something out.

Black Rice and Sausage Stuffed Patty Pan Squash Recipe

August 8, 2012

I was so happy when we were finally able to grow squash in our own garden. I love stuffed patty pan squash! This squash filled with zesty sausage and nutty black rice has been a favorite since I first made it in 2012.

Black Rice and Sausage Stuffed Patty Pan Squash Recipe | Fake Food Free

I love that I made the decision to start a food blog a little over four years ago. But I’m not the only one that will tell you – the fun has a way of fading to stress from time to time. Pressures of creativity, uniqueness, pretty pictures, and “what if they don’t like me?” can rear their ugly heads.

These are the times when you have to remember that, while we would all like to be wildly successful, it’s important not to lose yourself along the way. This is supposed to be a happy place!

When I stop worrying about numbers and return to why I started blogging, I realize that these are the posts that are visited the most often on my site. I love how this changes from season to season. It reminds me that, yeah, the post I did two years ago does have some value.

Right now the top post on my blog is Patty Pan Squash Stuffed with Basil Orzo. I made it a few years ago after first discovering this veggie. Everyone seems to want advice for how to tackle patty pan’s pretty, yet hard to handle, shape in the kitchen.

Black Rice and Sausage Stuffed Patty Pan Squash via @Lori_Rice

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I’ve felt challenged to come up with a new stuffing since I made that first patty pan, but here we finally have it. A bonus this time is that the squash came straight from the garden!

I’m continuing the recent trend of using black rice, but with pastured heritage breed sausage, this recipe doesn’t leave out the meat-lovers.

It’s tasty on it’s own, but if you have some warm marinara on hand to spoon on top, it’s even better!

Black Rice and Sausage Stuffed Patty Pan Squash Recipe

2015-08-27 11:29:00

Serves: 4 to 6

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Ingredients

4 to 6 patty pan squash
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lb. ground pastured pork sausage
2 yellow bell peppers, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked black rice
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon fine ground sea salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
Marinara for topping (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish lightly with olive oil.
The recipe will fill 6 small squash or 4 larger squash. Wash the squash. Slice off the top on the stem side, and using a spoon, gently scoop out the insides. Don't scoop all the way through the bottom. You want to create a cup to hold the filling. Chop up the squash you scooped out and set it aside.
Lightly coat the squash cups in olive oil and pierce with a fork in a few spots. Bake the squash for about 15 minutes, until they begin to soften. Remove from the oven and set aside.
In a large skillet, brown the sausage over medium-high heat about 5 minutes. Add the bell peppers, onion and the chopped squash you scooped out. Cook until the sausage is no longer pink, 3 to 5 more minutes.
Stir in the rice, bread crumbs and ricotta into the sausage. Add the salt and pepper. You can taste the filling at this point and add more salt and pepper, if you'd like.
Once the filling is cool enough to handle, divide it evenly into each squash. Pile it high and press gently with a spoon so that it is packed in.
Bake for 20 more minutes, or until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork. Top with marinara before serving, if desired.

By Lori Rice

Fake Food Free https://www.fakefoodfree.com/

Beer Cheese Tomato Soup Recipe

August 2, 2012

When it comes to soup, tomato is my favorite. Before your mind jumps to visions of cans and concentrates, allow me to explain. Homemade tomato soup with fresh spices, splashes of balsamic vinegar and wines, and olive oil is what I’m talking about. I love it straight with basil, but sometimes I like to get fancy.

Enter beer cheese.

Okay, so maybe it’s not fancy, but it is a Kentucky staple. There is even a festival at which I had the opportunity to judge the competition last year. If you are unfamiliar, there are as many recipes as people who love it. But to simplify, it is cheddar and beer turned cheese spread. I’ve grown to love it, and I can no longer imagine a tailgate at a football game or at the horse track without it.

So when I was thinking about tomato soup for this round of the Tomato Love Recipe Exchange, I first considered beer. Then I considered cheddar. Then, well, why not?

This recipe experiment is a winner. The mild tang of beer and the sharpness of cheddar pop with the sweet tomatoes. I may no longer be able to have tomato soup without beer cheese!

Beer Cheese Tomato Soup Recipe

2015-06-30 09:00:37

Makes: 4-6 servings

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Basic Beer Cheese

4 oz. block of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon hot sauce (I used sriracha)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup beer (any variety, I like to use lagers)

Tomato Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 lbs. tomatoes, cored and chopped
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

To make the beer cheese, to a small food processor add the cheddar cheese, 2 tablespoons of onion, 1 clove garlic, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Pulse for 10 to 15 second intervals until the ingredients are blended. Pour in the beer and continue to pulse until it reaches a spreadable consistency. Set aside.
To make the soup, in a 4 to 5-quart soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add the 1/4 cup of onion and 3 garlic cloves. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the onions soften. Add the tomatoes. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, for about 15 minutes.
Once the tomatoes begin to break down, remove the pot from the heat. Use an immersion blender (or transfer in batches to a blender) to puree until smooth.
Stir in the basil, sugar, salt, red pepper and black pepper. Return to the heat and simmer 2-3 minutes. Stir in the beer cheese. Serve warm.

By Lori Rice

Fake Food Free https://www.fakefoodfree.com/

Honey Peach and Tomato Black Rice Salad Recipe

July 31, 2012

Don’t let this combination of ingredients scare you! This black rice salad is full of sweet and savory flavors that uses some of my favorite produce of the summer season!

Honey Peach and Tomato Black Rice Salad Recipe | FakeFoodFree.com

If I had to pick my favorite kind of rice it would be sticky rice. Although, black rice, also known as Forbidden rice, comes in a close second.

The idea of even having a favorite variety seems a bit crazy to me considering that five years ago I only knew of two kinds – white and brown. That’s what a little travel and food blogging will do for you. If nothing else, it opens you up to the world of rice.

Rice at a market in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Jasmine, basmati, glutinous, purple glutinous – and those are just a handful of the varieties I’ve been exposed to the past few years. Black rice really stands out among the crowd because of its purple color, and aromatic, nutty flavor.

A sweet and savory snack or side recipe with black rice, peaches, and tomatoes in a honey dressing!

I’ve had some sitting in the pantry for a while, and I finally cooked it up this past weekend. Since, for me, summer is the season for cold grain salads I thought I’d give it a try with some local fruits.

A natural, savory and sweet snack recipe made with black black rice, peaches, and tomatoes in a honey dressing. At FakeFoodFree.com

I matched up the peaches from the farmer’s market with some of the yellow tomatoes that are growing like wildfire in our garden. The nutty rice called for something a little tangy and sweet as the dressing so a little lemon juice and honey did the trick.

Honey Peach and Tomato Black Rice Salad

2018-06-14 11:36:38

Serves 4 to 6

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Ingredients

1 ½ cups chopped peaches
½ cup chopped yellow or orange tomato
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
2 cups cooked black rice, cooled
2 tablespoons honey
Juice of ½ a lemon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

In a medium bowl, stir together the peaches, tomato, onion, and black rice. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, lemon juice, olive oil and salt.
Pour the dressing over the black rice salad and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

By Lori Rice

Fake Food Free https://www.fakefoodfree.com/

Honey Peach and Tomato Black Rice Salad Recipe

Coconut Zucchini Pumpkin Pancake Recipe

July 29, 2012

Zucchini in the garden; pumpkin in the freezer.

That’s the current situation at our house.

I went a little crazy with the pumpkin purchases last fall, and now the frozen puree is waiting to be used. With all the tomatoes, peppers and summer squash going wild in the garden, the pumpkin needs to move over so we can create more room in the freezer.

Summer squash and winter squash? It can work, and these pancakes are proved it to me. They are soft and tender with just a hint of that fall flavor that will be in full swing in a few months.

They just happened to end up being vegan if that is your thing, but my husband kindly pointed out that the bacon I served with ours was not. I do like mine with bacon.

And I definitely think these count as having vegetables for breakfast!

Coconut Zucchini Pumpkin Pancakes

2014-10-03 09:24:25

Yields 10

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Ingredients

3/4 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup pumpkin puree (*very thin)
1/2 cup shredded zucchini
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp mascavo sugar
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup white whole wheat flour
Toasted, unsweetened coconut for serving

Instructions

In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir together the coconut milk and pumpkin. Add the zucchini.
Next stir in the baking powder, salt, sugar, ginger and cinnamon. Fold in the flour just until all ingredients are combined.
Pour 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter onto a heated non-stick griddle for each pancake. Cook pancakes 1-2 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned and cooked through. Garnish with toasted coconut before serving.

Notes

*I used fresh pumpkin puree from previously frozen so my puree was very thin. If you are using a thicker puree, or a different type of flour, you made need to adjust things to reach the right pancake batter consistency.

By Lori Rice

Fake Food Free https://www.fakefoodfree.com/

Tex Mex Poblano Eggplant Pizza Recipe

July 18, 2012

Whenever we have a garden, I always grow some variety of eggplant. Then once it’s ready for harvest, I wonder what to do with it! This is eggplant pizza recipe is one I came up with a few years ago and it remains a favorite.

Tex Mex Poblano Eggplant Pizza Recipe | Fake Food Free

Unlike some other veggies in the garden, we aren’t bombarded with eggplant, but we do have enough to cook up a few meals. The type we bought this year is a purple eggplant that is small and round, as opposed to the long Japanese-style we’ve had in years past. Their size reminds me of pepperoni when they are sliced so I guess that is why I thought to use them on pizza.

For this pizza, I used my favorite crust from Food Embrace, this time with whole wheat flour and corn meal. The spicy beans take the place of the sauce. I had white beans to use up, but pinto or black would work great too.

Once the pizza is out of the oven you can garnish it with all kinds of fresh colorful ingredients. I used romaine lettuce, purple cabbage and diced tomato.

Tex Mex Poblano Eggplant Pizza

2015-07-09 08:15:43

Makes: 3 to 4 servings

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Ingredients

3 Poblano peppers, halved and seeds removed
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ cup cooked black, white or pinto beans
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1, 14-inch pizza crust, rolled thin
3 small or mini eggplants, sliced
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Shredded ettuce, sliced purple cabbage and diced tomatoes for garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Place the poblano peppers on a baking sheet, cut side down. Add the onions and garlic cloves to the baking sheet. Drizzle with about a ½ tablespoon of olive oil, and rub over the vegetables. Roast the vegetables in the oven for about 20 minutes, and then set aside to cool.
Add the beans to the bowl of a food processor. Remove any burnt or separated skin from the peppers, and add the roasted peppers, onions and garlic to the beans. Add the salt, cumin, chipotle powder, crushed red pepper and remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Pulse on high until a smooth paste is formed.
Spread the bean paste over your pizza crust. Lay the eggplant slices in a single layer evenly over the beans. Sprinkle with the cheeses.
Bake for 10 - 15 minutes, or until the edges of the crust begin to brown and the cheese is bubbly.
Top with shredded lettuce, cabbage and diced tomatoes before serving.

By Lori Rice

Fake Food Free https://www.fakefoodfree.com/

Salad with Grilled Zucchini and Blackberry Balsamic Dressing Recipe

July 7, 2012

If you’ve spent any time at all near a summer squash plant, you know how it goes. One minute you see a tiny little zucchini growing; a day later you have a squash as big as your arm.

Those huge zucchinis always went into bread at our house so I made some zucchini muffins last week. Unfortunately, that only used up ½ of the monster. Instead of more baked goods, I decided to take the rest to the grill for zucchini steaks.

With summer zucchini always comes blackberries so a blackberry dressing sounded perfect. This dressing drizzled on a salad with a couple zucchini steaks and few extras made a great summer meal.

Salad with Grilled Zucchini and Blackberry Balsamic Dressing

Makes: 4 servings

What you’ll need:

Zucchini Steaks
8 – 1 ½ inch thick slices zucchini
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Blackberry Balsamic Dressing
½ cup blackberries, defrosted if frozen
5 fresh rosemary leaves
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoons sugar
¼ teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoons black pepper

Salad
8 cups greens (I used romaine, cabbage and spinach)
4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
4 tablespoons sunflower seeds

How to make it:

Place the zucchini slices in a shallow dish and drizzle with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Coat each piece and set aside to marinade while you prepare the dressing and salad.
In a small food processor, combine all of the dressing ingredients and pulse until it is smooth. If using fresh berries you may need to add 1-2 tablespoons of water. Makes about ½ cup of dressing. Set aside.
Prepare four plates with 2 cups of greens, 1 ounce of blue cheese and 1 tablespoon of sunflower seeds. Set aside.

Preheat the grill or a grill pan on the stove. Place the zucchini slices on the grill and cook on medium-high for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Place two zucchini steaks on each salad and drizzle with dressing.

Thanks for reading! All images and content are the property of Fake Food Free and Lori Rice unless otherwise stated. Please do not republish full recipes and images without written permission. What is okay? Feel free to Pin images, share links to my posts or share the photo in a round up post with the title of this recipe and a link back to the post. Confused about copyright and food blogs? Here is some helpful information on Recipe Attribution. If you want to use a photo or full recipe, just ask. I’m sure we can work something out.

Blue and White Potato Gnocchi with Fresh Red Tomato Sauce Recipe

July 2, 2012

This homemade potato gnocchi with fresh tomato sauce is made with blue and white potatoes for a patriotic 4th of July meal!

Blue and White Potato Gnocchi with Fresh Red Tomato Sauce Recipe | Fake Food Free

As I’ve shared before, this year our garden produced an abundance of Adirondack Blue potatoes. I can’t get enough of them! They are such a fun ingredient to experiment with in the kitchen. As you can imagine, with blue potatoes on hand, I thought it appropriate to create some type of patriotic dish for the 4^th of July holiday.

Yes, I know they look purple, but bear with me here. It has been a long time since I’ve made gnocchi, but that was the first thing that came to mind when I wanted to get creative with the blue potatoes. Paired with the white potatoes my parents brought me from their garden last weekend, and a few surprise tomatoes that arrived in the garden, I had the makings of a red, white and blue creation. Even if the blue potatoes came out a wee bit purple in the end.

Gnocchi is more of a comfort dish; one that doesn’t sound all that appealing in record high temperatures. For that reason, I kept the tomato sauce raw and fresh. The basil gives the dish a refreshing quality that makes it perfectly acceptable for summer.

Blue and White Potato Gnocchi with Fresh Red Tomato Sauce

2015-07-01 11:01:44

Makes: 4 to 6 servings

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Fresh Red Tomato Sauce

4 medium tomatoes, cored and diced
¼ large white onion, minced
20 – 30 fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish

Potato Gnocchi

1 lb. blue potatoes, baked
1 lb. white potatoes, baked
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Olive oil

Instructions

Fill a large soup pot with water, about ¾ of the way full. Bring to a boil as you make the tomato sauce.
In a bowl, combine the tomato, onion and basil. Add the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and Parmesan. Toss to mix the ingredients and set aside.
Place the flesh of the white potatoes and the blue potatoes in separate medium-sized bowls. Mash the potatoes until smooth and no clumps are present. Often gnocchi calls for sending the potatoes through a potato ricer. I don't have one, so I do my best to mash the potatoes well with a hand-held masher or a fork. If you have a potato ricer, feel free to use it.
Next, add ½ cup flour to each bowl of potatoes. Then add ½ teaspoon of salt to each, and a ½ teaspoon of parsley. First take the blue potato mixture and combine the flour and potato by hand. Once it holds together, turn out onto the counter and knead as you would bread dough, until a smooth ball is formed.
Roll the potato dough into a thin log. You may need to do this in 2 to 3 batches. Use a knife or dough cutter to cut the log into small ¼ inch pieces. You can leave the pieces as they are, or roll them gently with a fork to create ridges. Place the gnocchi on a plate or baking sheet.
Set aside the blue potato gnocchi and repeat the process with the white potato gnocchi.
Prepare a place for the cooked gnocchi by drizzling about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium-sized bowl.
Once the water comes to a boil, sprinkle in some salt, about a 1/2 teaspoon. Add the blue potato gnocchi to the boiling water in 3 separate batches. Allow it to boil until it floats, about 45 to 60 seconds. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and place it in the bowl with olive oil. Repeat with the remaining blue potato gnocchi and then the white potato gnocchi. Toss the cooked gnocchi gently in the the olive oil.
Divide the gnocchi into 4 to 6 portions. Top with the fresh tomato sauce, and garnish with freshly grated Parmesan.

By Lori Rice

Fake Food Free https://www.fakefoodfree.com/

Happy 4^th of July to all my readers in the U.S!

Spicy Sesame Cucumber Salad Recipe

June 30, 2012

We planted our cucumbers late this year. The blooms have started and the plants are coming along nicely, but I’m still a bit envious of the mountains of cucumbers I’m seeing from other gardens.

I’ve been practicing patience and it was rewarded last weekend when my parents brought me a few from their garden. I’ve wanted to make Wasabi Cucumber Sesame Salad from She Wears Many Hats for a while. But with no wasabi in the house, I had to use it for inspiration and save the recreation for when our cucumbers arrive.

I went with my favorite chili sauce – Sriracha. These cucumbers have just the right amount of heat, but I will warn you, leave them in the fridge a couple days and the fire begins to build!

Spicy Sesame Cucumber Salad

Adapted from Wasabi Cucumber Sesame Salad from She Wears Many Hats

3 medium pickling cucumbers, thinly sliced

½ tsp salt

1 tbsp Sriracha Chili Sauce

½ tbsp dark sesame oil

2 tbsp white vinegar

1 tsp sugar

Black sesame seeds for garnish

Place the thinly sliced cucumbers in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Allow to drain in the sink or over a bowl while you prepare the dressing.

In a small dish, whisk together the Sriracha, sesame oil, vinegar and sugar. Transfer the drained cucumbers to a bowl and pour in the dressing. Toss to coat. You can salt and pepper to taste, but I found I didn’t need to add any more salt. Garnish with the black sesame seeds. Serves about 6.