Sweet Potato & Spinach Curry with Naan (easy!)

I've been eating far too much cake the past week. It's all in preparation for my new microblog (!) coming out in a few months. I'll share more soon. I've been giving away as much cake as I can, and limiting my consumption to "test bites," but in sum, it's still a lot of cake. If you are reading, and live nearby, will you please take some cake? I am very serious. My neighbors, and certainly my husband and Nick, are weary of cake. Nick watched an episode of Sid the Science kid this morning on PBS wherein it's Sid makes a birthday wish to eat cake all day, every day. Nick quipped "He'll be sorry."

In the meantime, sweet potato curry. On naan. It's quick. It's easy. It's delicious. And best of all, it's not cake. Ward off the chills, and dive in headlong, as this easy curry will warm you through and through.

Sweet Potato & Spinach Curry
Makes 4 servings

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp mild madras curry powder (more or less to taste)
1 5-ounce bag pre-washed spinach, roughly chopped
1 14-ounce can lite coconut milk
2 large sweet potatoes , peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
4 small purchased naan breads (or 2 large, halved) halved & warmed (or make: whole wheat naan)

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion; cook and stir 7-8 minutes until golden and softened. Stir in the curry powder and cook and stir 30 seconds.
2. Add the coconut milk and sweet potatoes and cook until just tender, about 15-20 minutes. Add the the spinach and cook 1-2 minutes until wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with naan breads.

Dinner for the Lazy & Cold (Recipe: Gnocchi Al Forno with Spinach)

Please forgive the brevity of this post, but in a sense, it fits the theme quick and simple theme of the accompanying recipe.

It's been cold--COLD--in Texas this February, and no, I don;t mean 50 degrees. I'm talking icy, single digit mornings, and bleak, gray days in the teens. But since the months of extreme heat and summer salads are not far away, ("summer" lasts at least 6 months of the year in these parts), I'm reveling in warm, cozy--but still quick--comfort food.

Inspired by the whole wheat gnocchi I found, ordered, and subsequently loved (both the Gia Russa whole wheat & sweet potato and the Racconto whole wheat and potato), I put together this bubbly, super-easy dish. It tastes indulgent but is in fact packed with great-for-you goodness.

If you are so inclined, you can add additional vegetables to the marinara mixture. Heat a bit of olive oil in a large skillet and saute some mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, eggplant, fennel...you get the idea. It's a good way to clear out the vegetable bin in delicious fashion.And of course, you can vary the cheese to your heart's content (goat cheese and lowfat ricotta would be great alternatives to the Neufchatel)

Gnocchi Al Forno with Spinach

1 pound package ready-made gnocchi (regular or whole wheat gnocchi)
1-1/2 cups marinara pasta sauce (preferably a thick and chunky one; I like Newman's Own)
4 oz fresh, pre-washed spinach, roughly torn
1 8-ounce package Neufchatel (1/3 less fat cream cheese)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1.Preheat broiler. Position oven rack 6 to 8 inches from heating element.

2. Cook the gnocchi according to packet instructions and drain. Meanwhile, heat the marinara sauce in a large saucepan over medium heat until it just bubbles. Remove from heat and stir in the spinach. Cover and let stand 3-4 minutes to wilt spinach slightly.

3. Stir in cooked gnocchi, then transfer to an 9- or 10-inch pie plate or baking dish. Spoon blobs of Neufchatel over. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Broil 2-3 minutes until cheese is golden-brown and mixture is bubbly. Makes 4 hearty servings.