Multitasking

Something has come over me since the beginning of year. I've always loved cooking, but kept with the usual recipes that I knew like the back of my hand. My resolution was to push out of my comfort zone and not worry about trying to be perfect. If I "failed", I would just try again. Not an easy task for this girl right here. 

Well...last week I put myself to the test. I was going to attempt to make my first pasta from scratch (and by hand). To make things even more fun, I decided to do this on a Monday. And just to add to the craziness, I was going to make a homemade version of Larabars for the first time. 

First up, the sweet potato gnocchi.

Instead of peeling them first, I boiled them with the skins on to reduce the amount of water the potatoes would absorb. 

While the sweet potatoes were boiling (takes quite a long time to get tender), I gathered up my bar ingredients.

I wanted to make a Cashew cookie type bar and add in my own little twist. All you need is a good handful of cashews, pitted dates, leftover coffee, pinch of salt, bit of vanilla and mini chocolate chips. That's all you need to create tasty, easy and fairly healthy snacks.

After fighting with my food processor (we were still trying to figure each other out), I pulsed the cashews until it was a fine crumble. 

Add in the dates and other fixings and keep pulsing until it becomes a fairly thick paste.

Next you line a loaf pan with plastic wrap and use nonstick spray. Add the mixture to the pan and press to form mold. Carefully lift the plastic out of the pan and wrap the the plastic all the way. Put in the fridge to chill before cutting.

At this point the sweet potatoes are ready. Drain the water and reserve the pot for cooking the pasta later. Let the potatoes cool and then carefully peel off the skins.

Mash with fork.

Add in your egg (or two)

And now is when you want to take off your rings! It gets really messy when you work in your flour. Cover the cutting board or other flat working surface with flour. And add your flour to the potato mixture little by little. Try not to overwork the dough. This is really all about feel. If it's too sticky, add in more flour. If it's too dry, add a little water.

Cut the dough into smaller sections. Then you are going to roll the smaller sections into long tubes (it kind of looks like Playdoh snakes). Cut small pieces, they are going to look like little pillows. If you want to get a little fancy, you can roll them over the back of fork tines to create small indents.

Now you are ready to boil them in salted water. Do small batches of 20 to not overcrowd them. As soon as they float, they are done.

While the gnocchi were finishing up, I went to cut up the bars. My little guy felt it was important to count how many "sticky bars" Mommy made. His fingers did not touch the food!

The gnocchi are cooked and now to jazz them up. I add olive oil and butter to a large skillet and toast up some walnuts and sage leaves.Then I added a little black pepper and the gnocchi. Tossed over the heat to coat in mixture and topped with a little Parmesan cheese. A delicious, hearty meatless meal!