Pan Toasted Balsamic Mushroom Gnocchi

Ingredients (serves 2):

- 1 lb gnocchi

- 16 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced

- 5 large cloves garlic, minced

- Olive oil

- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

- 1 tablespoon Earth Balance (vegan butter found at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods)

- Arugula

- Walnuts

- Lemon

Instructions:

1. Put a large pot of water to boil. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil in a large skillet and cook the mushrooms on medium high for about 5 minutes until liquid is released and cooked off and they start to brown. Do not over crowd the mushrooms in the skillet, if you need to do this in two parts to get all the mushrooms on one even layer no problem! Add 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar to the mushrooms and cook another 5 minutes or so until golden brown. Remove from skillet and set aside.

2. Salt the boiling water and add gnocchi. Meanwhile, add the Earth Balance to the skillet adding the minced garlic when it has melted. As the gnocchi floats to the top of the water, spoon it out and into the skillet. Once all the gnocchi are in the skillet, add the remaining tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring only occasionally so the gnocchi can brown on the sides. Stir in mushrooms.

3. To toast the walnuts, heat them in a skillet for one to two minutes over medium heat until they are golden brown and smell toasty. They can burn easily so stir often. Allow them to cool and then roughly chop.

4. Divide gnocchi on two plates and top each with a small handful of arugula, toasted walnuts and big squeeze of lemon.