Gnudi (nyOO-dee) is a bit like gnocchi, only made with ricotta instead of potato. It’s like a “nude” piece of ravioli – just the filling. I learned about gnudi through Plated. With two free plates left, I put an order in to give it a try. Get your two free plates here.

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Ricotta Gnudi with Asparagus, Peas & Mint
940 calories (30 – 40 minutes)

The gnudi was pretty easy to make, but I had trouble getting it to a non-sticky consistency. I had to add a little more of my own flour. They definitely reminded me of gnocchi!

Other than that, making these from scratch was pretty darn easy. I just wished I could get a better sear on the little dumplings, like I like my gnocchi. Although, maybe potato just sears better than ricotta?

I liked the gnudi, but it just seemed like so. much. food. There was also a lot of green going on in this dish!

What we learned after our second Plated dish with mint: Keep the mint out of our food. I’d rather save it for a good mojito. I think basil would have done this dish better.

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Thai Basil Beef Bowl with Quinoa Stir-Fry
710 calories (30 – 40 minutes)

I’d only made quinoa once before, but was all messed up with the rinsing. I had little pieces of quinoa everywhere. I decided to give it another go. And this quinoa didn’t require me to do any rinsing prior to cooking, so I thought that would make it easier. I still had quinoa everywhere.

And that was just the pot after my half-attempt to scrape everything out of it. I found much more on the stove and in crevices between the stove and counter. Why doesn’t anyone talk about this when they blog about all of their wonderful quinoa dishes? Is it just me?

I did like the idea, though, of using quinoa instead of rice as part of the stir-fry:

And the finished product with the marinated steak was beautiful:

Again, this was a ton of food. I loved the smell of the Thai basil when I was chopping it. But because there was so much food, it got lost in the shuffle. I actually forgot about it until I tasted it just once in the dish. Both of us bit on something hard and sandy. Was that the quinoa, perhaps because it was not rinsed?

The beef marinade was excellent and an easy one. To give the dish more flavor after tasting it, I squirted it with a healthy dose of extra sriracha and stirred it right in.

And now for next week:

Food

Dinners:

• Monday – Pork Chops with Butter Sauce and Roasted Vegetables and/or these potatoes
• Tuesday – Cooking for 1: Baked Tilapia with Tomatoes and an easy side. Suggestions?
• Wednesday – San Marzano Pasta or Zoodles and Meat Sauce
• Thursday – Rob’s parents arrive in town!
• Friday – TBD
• Saturday – TBD
• Sunday – TBD

Lunch:

• Quick & Easy Bowls
• Leftover vermicelli from Plated + leftover rotisserie chicken + yellow pepper  + this peanut sauce
• Leftovers
• Snacks – fruit, nuts and dark chocolate

Breakfasts:

• Overnight Oats
• Magic Smoothies

Fitness:

I can’t believe we are on week 7 of the couch to 5k. I have to admit that week 6 was pretty rough for me.

• Monday – RUN: Couch to 5k – Week 7, Day 1
• Tuesday – Yoga
• Wednesday – RUN: Couch to 5k – Week 7, Day 2
• Thursday – REST
• Friday – REST
• Saturday – RUN: Couch to 5k – Week 7, Day 3
• Sunday – Recumbent Bike/Yoga

Do you cook with quinoa?

Got any tips for easy cooking or less mess?

Favorite quinoa recipes?

Cheers~
Carrie