Golden Beet Ravioli with Squash Sauce

This one has multiple sets of possible ingredients. I have made it a number of different ways and have always been happy. Soaking the nuts helps for creamery sauce but I often forget to do this ahead of time so I just throw them in as is. I like Golden Beets. This recipe is often online with Purple beets as the base. They work great, so does Kohlrabi, Zucchini, Squash, Turnip, Diakon and Rutabaga. Use what you have. The key is to slice as thin as possible. If you can see through a slice then it will be perfect. However my Mandolin slicer does not let me slice very thin so I end up with what you see in the photo below. It works fine for me but the ravioli is then hard to cut into bite size.

  

Ingredients:

Golden Beet (amount depends on how many ravioli you want to make)

Filling:

• Walnuts (1 cup)
• Cilantro (1/4 cup) most recipes call for parsley, I have also used carrot tops or green onions
• Lemon Juice (1/2 lemon)
• Braggs (3 tbs or Tamari sauce)
• Garlic (2 Large cloves or more)

Squash Sauce:

• Squash (1 cup any kind) Net recipes call for red and yellow peppers as they make a smoother sauce
• Cashews (1/2 cup soaked 2-12 hours) Net recipes call for Pine Nuts
• Lemon Juice (1 lemon)
• Green onion or Leek (1/4 cup the white part)
• Turmeric (3 heaping tbs)
• Chile Powder or Red pepper flakes (2 tbs add only if you want heat)
• Olive oil (4 tbs)
• Water for thickness or thinness

Peel the beet or whatever vegetable you are using. Slice as thin as possible with a mandolin slicer. I find a knife is too dangerous for this. Some online recipes say cover the sliced vegetable with salt for 2 hours then rinse to get a soft base. I have not tried this. I like a crunchy base but then it does not really resemble ravioli.

For the filling, mix all the ingredients together in a food processor. I find I get the most garlic flavor if I shred the garlic first with a shredder but it is ok to just throw the whole cloves in as is. This makes enough filling for around 10 large raviolis. I have used other things for the filling including the above but instead of walnuts I use sprouted sunflower seeds or 5 heaping tbs of almond butter. Any nut or nut butter would work. It’s a wide open thing so experiment. There are no rules except strive for excellence in taste (and of course local, organic and raw).

For the sauce, cut the squash into thumb sized chucks to make the processing go faster. Put everything but the oil into a food processor and blend. Use water to reach desired thickness. Add oil only for the last 5 seconds of blending. Some days I like a thick paste other days I add extra pepper flakes and water and get a liquidy sauce. Turmeric is always hard to work with. Too little and it does not add flavor and color and too much and it overpowers. On the net recipes like this call for red and yellow bell peppers instead of squash. Bell peppers make the sauce much milder and therefore better if you want to emphasize the filling in this dish.

To assemble, place one beet slice on a plate, add a spoon full of filling, cover with a beet slice of equal size and put sauce on top. As you can see from the photo, mine resembles more a sandwich. Most net photos show a veg slice so thin that the top veg slice covers the filling and it looks like colored ravioli. This dish is faster to make then it looks. I have made this dish also with a tomato based sauce. For that meal I made the squash sauce very thick and used it as the filling and covered with the tomato sauce. I find this dish to be very filling. Five of these babies and I am very full. This recipe is an outline; do not be restrained by it. Explore new possibilities. Salud!

Squash with Wine Sauce and Marinated Mushrooms

This is a slight variation from that wonderful raw foods web page www.rawmazing.com. Check them out for great recipes and excellent photos. On paper this dish does not jump out, but make it and you will enter another dimension.

Ingredients:

• Squash (1-1 and 1/2 cups, any kind)
• 8 Button Mushrooms (medium size)

Marinade:

• Olive Oil (4 tbs)
• Balsamic Vinegar (4 tbs)
• Braggs (or Tamari sauce, 3 tbs)

Wine Sauce:

• Cashews (½ cup, soaked up to 12 hours if possible)
• Wine (White or Red ¼ cup)
• Lemon Juice (1/2 medium lemon)
• Sage (3 tbs dried)
• Water (1/2 cup, I use soak water from cashews)
• Salt to taste

Cut the mushrooms (portabellas work best but I cannot always afford them) into whatever size you like. I like big. Put in a bowel with the Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar (I use one with 15 year old aged sherry added) and Braggs. Mix thoroughly and keep mixing throughout the marinating process if possible. Leave covered or uncovered in fridge anywhere from 4 to 24 hours. Some mushrooms really soak up the marinade so check after an hour and add more if needed so that all mushrooms are coated. This keeps for 4 days so can be used on top of anything. There are many variations to this on the web. Experiment because I like it vinegary. You can add any spice to this marinade to see what happens. Paprika or Chipotle powder works well on days I want heat.

For the sauce it is best to soak the cashews. But sometimes I forget to do this and have made this dish with unsoaked cashews or cashews that soaked for around 20 minutes. Because I have a cheap food processor I end up with a chunky sauce which is ok. Soaking give you a creamer sauce. Other nuts work too. The “rawmazing” web site recommends white wine. I have done it with both red and white wine and been very happy. White makes sweeter, red makes sourer. Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a blender or food processor.

Peel the squash. Use a spiralizer or cut the squash into small chunks to make the noodles. Mix the sauce with noodles and place on a dish. Put the marinated mushrooms on top and there you have it. The amounts listed above make enough for one person for a full meal. I have yet to make a large amount of this and leave overnight in the fridge but I am sure it would do well for a few days. Salud!

Raw Acorn Squash with Pear Sauce

This dish is a simple as it gets. I think local Acorn Squash works best with this dish. The idea is to taste the squash and Acorn Squash has a smooth taste. I make a large amount of the sauce and then add some of it to whatever amount of squash I want for the evening. This is an easy to prepare side dish or it is excellent as the main course.

Ingredients:

• Squash (2 cups) (I like Acorn but any kind, Spaghetti, Butternut, Zucchini etc works)
• Pears (2 medium, very ripe, mostly brown skin and very soft)
• Lemon Juice (1/2 fresh squeezed medium or 1/6 cup Verjus)
• Apple Cider Vinegar (1/4-1/2 cup depending on sourness you want)
• Garlic (2 big cloves)
• Olive oil (3 tbs, use a good one)(can be omitted, used to cut the sourness)

Chop the pears up into small pieces and combine with the lemon, apple cider vinegar, and garlic in a food processor or blender until a liquid (30 sec.). Peal skin and remove the seeds from the squash. Then use a sprializer to make noodles or just cut the acorn squash into ½ sugar cube size chunks. In a bowl mix together the squash noodles with the sauce and olive oil and it is ready. This makes enough for the main entree of two people. I like to put the sauce on the squash just before serving. The idea is to taste the full flavor of the squash along with the tanginess of the sauce. This goes well with a nice arugula salad and a very bold red wine. I keep the sauce covered in the refrigerator for 5 days and it is still fine. I have mixed the pear sauce with the squash and let it marinate for a day in the fridge. This softens the squash and takes out some of the strong squash taste. Marinating works well for people who find uncooked squash to be too gamey a taste. Once again this should be a celebration of fresh local grown squash. Other fruits can be substituted such as Mango, Kiwi, Cherry, Blueberry, Guava etc.  Salud!