Cauliflower Gnocchi

Just like the rest of the world, I'm in love with Trader Joe's cauliflower gnocchi. I love carbs, but if it's possible to eat a little healthier without noticing that carbs are missing, I'm game. I know there's a handful of you that don't have access to a Trader Joes or if you do, you live in an area where it's constantly sold out so I wanted to try and make a copycat recipe from scratch at home!

So the ingredients on the back of the TJ's package say cauliflower, cassava flour, potato starch, olive oil and salt. I actually had everything I needed at home to get started on recipe testing! Pamela's Products sent me a box full of goods so I had their cassava flour which is 100% yucca root so gluten free, paleo, non-GMO and vegan. I also have a lot of tapioca starch at home because I use it to make steamed rice noodle rolls so I subbed that for the potato starch that's in the TJ's recipe - Bob's Red Mill has tapioca starch so it isn't too hard to find in stores, unlike the Asian brand I have and use at home.

I decided to boil the cauliflower vs use it raw. I just felt like the moisture from boiling it (even though I removed most of it) was needed in order to create a softer texture gnocchi.

DON'T SKIP READING THIS PART!!
Every cauliflower head is a different size. The one I used was fairly large so keep that in mind. (I would say that once riced, the head I used produced somewhere between 2-3 cups of cauliflower and it make like 3 batches of 20 gnocchi pieces.) The best way to figure out if you have the right ratio of flour/starch to cauliflower would be to make one little gnocchi and sear it on both sides in a skillet with oil and then taste-test it and adjust the ratio from there. I found that adding in more flour or starch makes the gnocchi more firm so if your results are soggy - add more of the flour/starch in small equal amounts and taste test again.

A few cauli gnocchi life hacks:
If you don't have a food processor or want to save time, you could probably purchase pre riced cauliflower and use that - just make sure if it's frozen, you try and get most of the liquid out of the cauliflower so that it's easier to combine with the flour and mold into pieces.

Also, for more flavor, you could add parmesan cheese or (vegan) nutritional yeast. I would say a a couple of tablespoons. Also not against the idea of seasoning the cauliflower with garlic powder or herbs like oregano, parsley and basil.

You can either fry or bake them. I fried them in a skillet with olive oil and fresh sage but the trick to frying and keeping the shape in tact would be popping them in the freezer for 15 minutes before adding them to the skillet! No need to freeze with baking since they sit still on the baking sheet the whole time. I also bet you could air fry them but I don't own an air fryer so I would check other bloggers recommendations for temperatures and settings.

What you need:

• 1 medium sized head of cauliflower (makes 3 batches of about 20 gnocchi)
• 1/3 cup cassava flour
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder (optional for flavor)
• 1/2 tsp celtic salt (regular is fine too, cetlic is just healthier and more natural.)
• 1/2 tbsp olive or grape seed oil
• 1 additional tbsp of olive or grape seed oil if cooking them via skillet
• Parchment paper or non-stick spray if cooking via oven

What to do:

1. Cut the head of cauliflower into florets and boil for 6-8 minutes or until you can cut through it easily with a butter knife.
2. Use a food processor to blend the florets until you have a cauliflower rice texture.
3. Remove the rice from the processor and set on a dish that's lined with a few paper towels and then press down with more paper towels repeatedly in order to remove as much liquid as possible.
4. Combine the cauliflower, cassava flour, starch, garlic powder and salt in a large bowl.
5. Use your hands to grab teaspoon sized scoops and squish them into a ball with the palm of your hand. Press on them to get them to shape like a gnocchi and then lay it flat.
6. If frying in a skillet with olive oil, stick the tray in the freezer for 15 minutes before searing for a few minutes on each side in oil. If baking, put some parchment paper on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12ish minutes on each side at 400 F. 
7. Store any leftovers in the freezer and use whenever! I froze them on the cookie sheets first overnight and then added them all into the same ziplock bag once they were firm to keep them from sticking together.