Beet Ravioli with cashew cream cheese filling and asparagus salad

Beet Ravioli with Cashew Cream Cheese filling and Asparagus Salad

This one turned out a lot better than I thought it would.   You'll need to use a mandolin to get the beets as thin as possible, otherwise they are a bit too tough.  Next time I would reduce the amount of onion powder, or leave it out completely, in the cashew cream cheese to let the cashew taste come through.  Otherwise I think you just get a big mouthful of onion powder.  This one takes a lot of prep time to marinade beets overnight and soak the cashews in water overnight.  Take the time to do it overnight, it turns out much better than if you try to rush it with just a few hours.

1. Cut the beets as thin as you can on a mandolin.  Then combine with the following marinade either overnight or for at least four hours:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• juice of one lemon
• salt & pepper

2. To prepare the cashew cream cheese, soak 2 cups raw cashews in enough water to cover overnight to soften them. When you are ready to make the cream cheese, do this about an hour before you assemble to let the flavors meld together:

• drain the 2 cups cashews and combine with:
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tspn onion powder
• 1 tbsp shallot finely minced
• 1 tbsp diced chives
• 1/2 tspn salt

in a food processor or a high-speed blender and process until smooth.  Don't confuse your home blender with a high-speed blender, they aren't the same device.  Use a food processor because you want the blades to break down the cashews into a smooth cream.  It's going to take maybe five to ten to fifteen minutes to get creamy enough.  If you think it is taking too long, keep going.  The beets are crunchy enough, you want the filling to be smooth.

3. Once the cream has set for a while, fifteen to thirty minutes, place one layer of beets on your plate.  Put a spoonful of cream and then top with another beet.  You're done with this part.

4. To make the asparagus salad, wait until you've plated your beets, because the asparagus will break down after you shave it and you want a little crunch on it.  When you select asparagus for this salad you want the thicker stalks, but if you end up with thin ones maybe you just want to cut them in half or quarters length-wise.   If you have the thicker ones, I suggest holding the asparagus on a cutting board and run a vegetable peeler from the base to the tip to try and get a shaving like in the first picture above.

Place the shaved asparagus in a bowl, combine with either a tbsp of olive oil or avocado oil and some lemon juice and salt and pepper, then serve on top of, or alongside the beet ravioli.

Beet Salad

Beets every week from the CSA?  They are a treat.  Lately I've taken to sauteing the greens, and then smoking them with the hand-smoker that was gifted to me for Xmas.

I like citrus flavors, so I've adapted a raw beet salad to this roasted one because I like the textures and flavors.

Ingredients:
Beets - any number will do, but best if you have at least four medium sized so that after roasting you end up with about 2 cups chopped roasted beets.
Corn - about half a cup, frozen will do if you don't have fresh.
1 Lime
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped Cilantro
2 Carrots
Salt and Pepper to taste

Steps:
Scrub the beets clean of dirt, remove the thin root from the bottom and any greens at the top.  Place the beets in a covered roasting dish, if you don't have a cover use aluminum foil at 350F for 30-45 minutes until they are easily pierced with a fork.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool after removing the lid while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Defrost the corn if it is frozen by placing it in a dish in the microwave with a 1/4 teaspoon water at high for 30 seconds.  Otherwise boil the corn after husking for 13 minutes and then cut from the cob.  Place corn in a large bowl.

Chop the carrots and cilantro and add to the bowl.  When the beets have cooled enough to pick up, scrape the skin from the beets with the edge of a knife, or use a paper towel to push the skins off the beets. Chop into 1/4-1/2 inch squares and add to the bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine a pinch of salt, pepper, 1 tbsp olive oil, and juice of 1 lime, whisk to combine.  Add to the beets and toss.  Serve at room temperature, or chilled.

I'll post a picture when I make it next.