We have been re-miss in blogging since we’ve had some operational challenges this year, so for now I wanted to share with you a (very) quick update on our gardens and a recipe that we used in our heart healthy cooking class – always a fun educational workshop and definitely our participants favorite!

So, our update goes something like this: rain, rain, rain, cold, rain, cold, cold, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, cold. LOL.  I am writing this from Truckee, CA where we haven’t seen any rain since mid-May except for yesterday when it rained about 3 drops.  It’s the polar opposite of West Virginia but similar in that growing food is a tremendous challenge.  I have joined a few high-altitude gardeners groups and look forward to trying my hand at a few vegetables, though it will probably have to wait until next year.

In the meantime, here’s the recipe for Spinach Gnocchi from Chef Scott MacGregor:

1.5 lb fresh spinach cooked and chopped
2 lb peeled cooked potato
2-2.5 c flour
1 egg
Pinch nutmeg
Olive oil and a little butter, parmesan, pepper and squeeze of lemon to serve

Combine potatoes, flour, egg, spinach and salt in a bowl mix lightly being careful not to overmix.  Let stand for 5 – 10 min. Roll into logs and cut in 1 inch pieces.  In a large pot bring 3 qt water to a boil. Drop half the Gnocchi in the water for about 3 minutes. When the float they are done. Drain and toss with salt and pepper to taste, olive oil, butter and a squeeze of lemon.

In the blog next month look for me to talk a bit about what heart healthy cooking entails – we have found that the definition is very different depending on who’s teaching the class so it is definitely worth discussing!

Peace,

Kelley