Raw Ravioli

Raw beetroot & daikon ravioli with a pea puree dressing

For the ravioli casings use thin circular slices of turnip, daikon radish or beetroot. Use a mandolin to slice on its thinnest setting. Brush slices lightly with olive oil and leave a few hours if time is available.

Filling:

1 clove garlic

200g of raw nuts e.g. walnuts, pine nuts, macadamias or a mixture

A good handful of fresh herbs e.g. parsley, tarragon, coriander, basil

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp Braggs/Tamari or 1 tsp salt

Chop garlic on speed 7 for 2-3 secs

Chop the herbs on speed 7 for 2-3 secs

Process the nuts and seasonings speed 6-7 till well combined and holding together

You may need to open the TM and move with a spatula a few times to help it along

Sauce examples

To each add a generous splash or two of olive oil, agave or honey as needed to balance sweetness, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend on speed 8 till smooth and creamy.

Tomato - 4 fresh tomatoes, 6 sun dried tomatoes

Pepper -1-2 red or yellow peppers

Beetroot - 1 medium beetroot, enough water to create right consistency

Pea - Handful of pea greens, 200g fresh shelled peas

Presentation:

• Layer veggie slices on a platter, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place some filling on the centres of each, top with another slice and press down.
• Either press the veggie edges together or let the filling squish out to the edges.
• To make softer ravioli, place filled raviolis on plate/platter and cover completely with chosen sauce and let it sit for awhile before serving topped with salt and pepper and a sprig of herbs
• To make a prettier looking dish, place the sauce on the bottom of the plate/platter then carefully place the filled raviolis on top and serve immediately topped with salt and pepper and a sprig of herbs.

This amount of filling is usually enough for two people eating the ravioli with leftovers. How many raviolis depend on the size of the veggie slices, 4 large or 8 small is a rough guide per person. This left over filling is great in mushroom caps the following night or two, warmed up in a very low oven or food dehydrator for as long as you can before eating. Great served with a big green salad.

Raw Chocloate Ice-cream

Raw Vanilla & Chocolate Ice cream made in the Thermomix

 200g raw cashews soaked for at least 4 hours, drain and rinse (makes about 250g soaked)
200g fresh coconut meat

250g of fresh coconut water

250g agave syrup or maple syrup or a mixture

100g coconut oil (if the oil is solid, place the jar in a hot water bath till it softens or melts)

150g raw cacao powder

½ vanilla bean seeds or 2 tsp of vanilla extract

Pinch salt

Blend all ingredients starting at speed 6 and increase up to 8-9 for 1 min or till very smooth

Freeze cream in ice cube trays overnight or over a day

Place ½ the ice-cream cubes in the TM bowl and slowly turn up to speed 9-10, use spatula to assist the movement of the cubes and slowly add the remaining cubes like you would a sorbet

Add a little water to help keep the ice-cream moving on its own if needed

Blend for approximately 1 min or until desired consistency is achieved

Serve immediately for best results, or return to freezer

Ice-cream can be re-blended in future as it will go hard again

Variations

Vanilla Ice-cream - Instead of cacao, use an extra 2Tbs of vanilla extract

Vanilla choc chip – add vanilla as above and a handful of cacao nibs or chopped up raw chocolate stirred through at the end

Coconut meat and water refers to the young Thai coconuts that you can get from Asian grocers and from many good supermarkets including Coles and Safeway. They look white and round with a pointy top. To open them, shave off the pointy top with a big knife down to the brown casing. With the heel of the knife, tap firmly from the point down to the outer edge, till you find the soft spot. When you find it, bang the heel of the knife in and this will create a hole. Drain all of some of the water out into a bowl over a sieve. The using the knife, lever the top of the coconut open. A perfect circle top will pop open, revealing the tender flesh if the coconut. Use the back of a soup spoon to scoop out the flesh. Scrape off the coconut husk off the flesh and rinse well. You can also put the flesh in smoothies, slice up and put in salads or stir-fries or blend with some water to make coconut cream. Check that the coconut isn’t mouldy on the bottom when you buy it or open it, and check the water is a clear white colour. If it is brown it will be off. If you are not sure have a little taste and if it is not decadent it is not right.

If you can’t source fresh young coconuts for their flesh and water, use a tin of coconut cream and half a cup of water instead.

Cocoa is roasted, and raw Cacao is not. Raw cacao has not been heat treated so contains all the nutrients that nature intended. It is very rich in antioxidants and magnesium in particular. If raw cacao is not available, use a good quality cocoa such as Green and Blacks or Dutch cocoa. Cacao nibs are the raw cacao beans broken into small pieces. Raw chocolate is a mixture of raw cacao powder, cacao butter & agave nectar. Raw cacao products can be found in good health food shops or visit www.lovingearth.com.au 

Raw Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

This is my raw, dairy free, sugar free Easter Treat!!

50g raw cacao butter
50g raw cacao powder
50g agave nectar or honey or a mixture
pinch of good quality salt
1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla extract
16-20 medium to large strawberries, pre washed, dried and refrigerated 

To make the raw chocolate melt 50g of cacao butter on 37 degrees. The time will depend on how big your chunks of butter are as you buy it hard.

Stir through raw cacao powder,  agave/honey,  salt and vanilla extract  on speed 2

Pour mixture into a ceramic bowl and dip prepared and cold strawberries from the fridge into the chocolate. They will set quickly at room temp ready to eat straight away!!

Messy but fun licking the bowl!!

If you can't get the ingredients to make the raw choccy from scratch then melt a pre-bought a raw chocolate bar or regular dark chocolate.

You can order raw cacao butter and powder, and agave nectar from Loving Earth at http://www.raw-chocolate.net or a good health food store should stock it.

Agave nectar is from the agave cactus plant and is a low GI, high mineral alternative to sugar or honey. Loving Earth agave is raw, sustainably harvested and organic. Some on the are heat treated and cut with high fructose corn syrup, so don't buy cheap alternatives from the supermarket.