I’m beginning to think we label ourselves too much. For real. When I hear people label themselves according to their dietary preferences, it reminds me of the scene in Mean Girls when they are showing Lindsay Lohan around the high school cafeteria and have specific names for every group. Sometimes we put ourselves into the dietary equivalents of the Desperate Wannabees, Plastics or Sexually Active Band Geeks. No offense to the Sexually Active Band Geeks. No judgement here. I’m not going to tell you how to live your life. All I’m saying is, I believe you are what you eat. But you are not how you eat. Does that make sense?
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with following a specific style of eating that works for your body, but sometimes getting too caught up in the labels can trip us up.
I do think there is infinite value in listening to your body, and it’s something I am constantly working on. For many folks, dietary choices revolve around medical conditions and eating in a way that makes them feel good. Lately I’ve noticed eating a lot of wheat and bread-y foods has left me feeling not so great in the digestion department. So I’ve been scaling back and focusing on eating foods that haven’t been weighing me down.
Take this gnocchi for example. It only has a few ingredients and is all gluten-free-grain-free-vegan-paleo-friendly and all that jazz. In fact, quite a few of my recipes do because I like eating simple food. It’s cheaper, easier and I’m too lazy to get fancy on a regular basis. However, I can fully say that I am not always gluten-free-grain-free-paleo-friendly. Those are preferences based off of beliefs, health concerns and personal choices. They are not identities.
Last week I was craving some comforting pasta goodness but didn’t have any in the house. What I did have, was a can of pumpkin left over from last fall. My wheels started turning.
While making gnocchi is more hands-on than boiling dried pasta from a package, this recipe is super simple and comes together easily! The texture is a little different than traditional gnocchi, but I actually liked the lighter texture. Plus, pumpkin is such a nutritious seasonal goodie (the real deal – not a PSL). Rich in vitamin A, potassium, fiber and antioxidants, pumpkin is anything but #basic.
If you’re craving a comforting pasta dish without the extra junk, and are ready to jump into pumpkin season – give this gnocchi a try!
- 1 Cup Pure Pumpkin Puree
- ½ Cup Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour (or Arrowroot for Paleo version) + more for dusting
- ¼ Cup Almond Flour
- ¼ Cup Coconut Flour
- Salt and Pepper
- 2-3 T Avocado Oil
- Optional: Spinach, Fresh Parmesan Cheese, Garlic Powder
- Combine pumpkin puree and gluten-free flour or arrowroot in a medium bowl. Stir until combined.
- Add almond flour into the mixture and gently incorporate. (I used my hands at this point)
- Slowly incorporate coconut flour and combine until a soft dough forms.
- Lightly dust a clean surface with gluten-free flour or arrowroot and transfer dough to the surface. Break the large piece of dough into 3 or four smaller pieces and gently roll into a 1-inch thick rope. It may not stay together perfectly and that's ok. You can also roll it into smaller pieces.
- Using a knife, cut the rope of dough into 1-inch pieces, and gently indent each piece with a fork.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place about a dozen gnocchi into the water at a time and boil until cooked through. You'll know they are done when they float to the top and remain there. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well. Allow cooked gnocchi cool/dry off in the fridge while you finish boiling the remaining gnocchi.
- Once all the gnocchi is boiled and slightly cooled, bring a skillet over medium-low heat and warm oil in an even layer. Gently place the gnocchi into the skillet and allow to slightly toast on the outsides until desired consistency is reached. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
- Optional: Just before removing from the skillet, add fresh spinach to the pan along with a little garlic powder. Sautee to heat the spinach through. Top with fresh parmesan and serve immediately.
- Have you started enjoying pumpkin goodies, or is it too early?
oh my goodness! I love making gnocchi and I have yet to make a pumpkin version! I need to make these 🙂
I hope you love them! 🙂
These sound so fun! I’ve definitely never made gnocchi before. But this pumpkin version sounds easy! Pinning <3
Thanks Ashley! It is super easy 🙂
Gnocci is one of my favorite types of pasta so i LOVE this recipe already. Plus the addition of pumpkin – BRILLIANT! Definitely a recipe I will be making soon
Thank you Beverly! <3
Girl, I could not agree more. You really hit the nail on the head when you talked about how labels can form identities which can be so dangerous. If you “become” paleo or vegan (not that either of those is bad at all) but it can add layers of guilt and self judgement that don’t need to be there.
My label is “Human That Eats Food That Makes Her Feel Good” you know, HTEFTMHFG… it’s a little bit of a mouthful 😉
EXACTLY. So glad you feel me on this. And girl, I love your label. I’m totally down with being a HTEFTMHFG!
I SO agree with you on the labeling thing! I’ve tried to be vegetarian, tried to be vegan, but the label itself is too restricting for me. I’d rather just limit my intake of meat and dairy instead of having to cut it out 100% and not feel like I have to explain my food choices to people. Life is too short for that!
Totally – labels can feel so restricting. I love your approach of eating what makes you feel good, and not getting too caught up in the rest!
These are beyond perfect!!! I knew you said you posted this and when I didn’t ever see it in my bloglovin I was so sad….why…this ONE perfect post didn’t update! AH! Well, now alls good 😉 I’ve found it! YUM!
So glad you found the post! Hope you love it 🙂
I totally agree with you! I eat vegan, and it’s a big part of my life, but I wouldn’t introduce myself as “Hi I’m Emilie the vegan.”
Buttttt about this gnocci….OMG. I can’t wait to try this. I have a huge bag of coconut flour I need to use, but it’s so hard to find recipes with it without eggs. I’m sure this is going to be amazing. Thanks!
Exactly! You totally get what I am saying girl. I hope you love it!
These look AMAZING! Such a unique recipe idea, I have to try with some of my left over pumpkin 🙂
xx
Thanks Rachel! I hope you love it if you give it a try! <3