First new vegetarian recipe in the new house, and it's a weird one. I'm over 1000 recipes, not much room left for normal.
And okay, it is pretty ugly. The pink of the hibiscus didn't keep, so it ends up looking like a bowl of brown. BUT, it was super delicious. I will be making it again. You should try it once.
Inspirations: Previous Gnocchi & Pesto Recipes
Serves: 2-3 | Time: 45 min
Ingredients
Gnocchi
1 cup black #beans (drained and liquid reserved)
1 flax egg
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup cassava flour mixed with 2 tsp xanthum gum (to help with binding)
Pesto
1 cup dried #hibiscus flowers
4 cups of water
1/4 cup Gourmet Gardens cilantro paste
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tbsp lime juice
1/4 cup EVO
1 tsp piri sauce (had some from Portugal on hand)
1/2 tsp chili powder
Dash of salt
To Serve
2 Beyond Meat Italian sausages, cut into chunks
1 large or 2 small #avocado, diced
Instructions
Start with the pesto. Boil the hibiscus flowers in 4 cups of water for 10 minutes. Drain the flowers and rinse them in cool water. Add them to a bullet or vitamix along with the other ingredients. Blend until you reach your desired consistency. You can add a splash of water if you'd like.
Now onto the gnocchi. In a food processor, combine the beans, flax egg and salt in a food processor with 2 tablespoons of the reserved liquid. Puree, adding more liquid, until you have a smooth mixture.
Continue to pulse and add ½ cup of flour/xanthum gum mix. Add more flour as needed until the mixture forms a soft dough (the dough should still feel be tacky, just use more flour on your hands and surface). Place onto a surface covered in flour. Divide dough into 10 or so balls and roll each out into 1″ ropes and cut gnocchi 1″ at a time. Usually, I divide into just 3 balls, but gluten free flour is delicate.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place half the gnocchi in the boiling water and let cook for 5-6 minutes. Gnocchi should be tender and cooked through. Spoon out the first batch and add the second half of the gnocchi. Cook until tender.
Now bring it on home. Warm a little EVO in a skillet and add the Beyond Sausage. After 4 minutes, add the gnocchi, and mix well. Pour the pesto on top, mix well, and cook another 3-4 minutes.
Divide gnocchi into bowls or on plates. Garnish with the chopped avocado. Enjoy!