"I love the idea of sweet spud gnocchi. It would make a fantastic date meal – I mean, you could really wow someone special with this dish. The idea for this came to me – wait for this – in a dream! I kid you not, I dream about food a lot. It’s crazy. But very handy when your write recipe books" - Lola Berry.

A big thanks to Aussie nutritionist Lola Berry for sharing this delectable recipe with us. It is lifted straight from the pages of her brand new release The Happy Cookbook. This hard cover recipe book features recipes jam packed with colour, all gluten and refined sugar free too. Just like this recipe!

Yum, sweet potato gnocchi. Quality carbs, healthy fats, vegetarian friendly too - what a nutritious and delicious dish. THI approved! 

Serves 4.

You will need:
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
250 g (1 cup) ricotta
250 g (2 1⁄2 cups) almond meal (and an extra 50 g in case the mixture needs thickening)
extra-virgin olive oil
salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

For the kale pesto:
2 cups chopped kale, stalks removed
1 garlic clove (or 2 if you like more of a garlic twang)
3 tablespoons hulled tahini (use unhulled if you prefer the flavour but I like the taste of hulled plus it’s a bit easier to digest due to the removal of phytic acid)
big handful of macadamia nuts, soaked for at least 1 hour, then rinsed 
125 ml (1⁄2 cup) extra-virgin olive oil 

80 g (1⁄2 cup) pine nuts, toasted

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Boil the spuds for about 10–15 minutes, until you can poke a fork through and they’re really soft. Drain the spuds, then pop them in a bowl and mash them with a potato masher or the back of a fork.

Add your ricotta and almond meal and mix into a dough – if it’s not holding together, add up to an extra 50 g (1⁄2 cup) of almond meal. When you have a dough-like consistency, roll it into little balls. This mixture should make about 20 pieces. If you want to make them look fancy, then press the back of the fork into each piece. Pop the gnocchi on the lined baking tray and drizzle with a nice glug of extra-virgin olive oil. Bake the gnocchi for 20–25 minutes or until they’re golden, then set them aside.

While the gnocchi are cooking, whip up the kale pesto. Pop everything into a food processor. If you like it chunky, pulse a little bit – if you prefer it smoother, pulse it a bit more.

Serve up the gnocchi, pour over the pesto and sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts. And wow the socks off some special people! 

The Happy Cookbook by Lola Berry is published by Plum, RRP $34.99.


Feel like stocking your recipe book shelves? Find the THI range of healthy recipe eBooks here.

March 18, 2015 — Amy Crawford

Made by Amy

simple = good