Gnocchi with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, Chicken Apple Sausage, and Peach & Pecan Salad

My in laws are going out of town for 3 weeks so we wanted to have dinner together last night before they left.  For a simple summer supper I opted for Gnocchi.  I love gnocchi, something about the texture I think. I usually prefer fresh or vacuum sealed gnocchi but last night I used two packages of frozen.  The sauce recipe is from Foodnetwork.com and was light and easy to make (and I could eat it!).  I bought chicken apple sausage.  The brands I like best are Aidells and Applegate Farms.  I made a very simple yet delightfully summery Peach & Pecan Salad, also from Food Network.com which everyone enjoyed.  


Oh, this is one of those stupid things, but every time a recipe calls for toasted nuts I have to look up how to toast them.  In the case of the pecans in the salad, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, spread the pecans out on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray and cook for 5 minutes...done.


Hopefully the MIL and FIL have a fun and safe time on their adventures!!


Gnocchi with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

• 1 (16-ounce) package refrigerated gnocchi
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (6-ounce) jars roasted red peppers, drained
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup heavy cream, or to taste (I used silk soy creamer)
• 1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves, plus more leaves torn for garnish
• Fresh lemon juice, to taste
• Chunk of Parmesan for grating

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the gnocchi according to the package instructions. Drain in a colander in the sink.

In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat until hot, add garlic and cook, stirring, until golden. Add peppers, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Transfer to a processor or blender and puree. Return sauce to pan, add cream and bring to a simmer, stirring. Add basil, salt, pepper and few drops lemon juice, to taste.

In a large bowl, toss the gnocchi and sauce together. Divide among bowls, strew over some torn basil leaves, and grate some Parmesan over the top. Serve immediately.

Peach & Pecan Salad

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large ripe peaches, sliced into about 16 pieces
• 1 head Boston Bibb lettuce, washed and dried well
• 1 cup toasted pecan halves
• 4 ounces goat cheese, separated into 4 pieces and crumbled

In a small bowl, add the cider vinegar and shallot and season with salt and pepper. Gently whisk in the olive oil until completely incorporated.

Place the peaches, lettuce leaves, pecans, goat cheese and dressing in a large bowl. Toss well to distribute the dressing. Divide the salad onto 4 salad plates. Serve immediately.