Raw!! Raw!! Raw!!

The incredible weather this weekend put me in the mood for something fresh and raw, so I thought I would try another creation from "The Complete Book of Raw Food,"  and make some raw-violi!  What I hear from a lot of people, mainly through Facebook, is that all this food looks great, but they simply don't have the time.  I have to reiterate that this recipe, like many, many others, took maybe 30-45 minutes to prepare, and the real time saver is planning ahead.  I plan meals several days out at a time, and therefore know ahead of time if I need to advance marinate, soak, or otherwise prepare anything ahead of time.  Soaking and marinating take time, but after the initial time investment of adding water to a jar of almonds, you're pretty much good to go.  It's not like sitting under the dryer at the hairdresser, but if you like you may read a magazine while you wait. My main point here is, this stuff is easy! I probably wouldn't be doing it otherwise.
So...You're haveing an anxiety attack about uncooked ravioli, I can tell, so lets get to the proverbial and ironic "meat and potatoes."  Here's the Biz:
Rutabaga, Daikon, or Turnip (This is the "pasta")
For the Cheese:
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup macadamia nuts
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 lemon, juiced
Vitamix it. Then make your sauce,
For the Sauce:
3 roma tomatoes, chopped (no need to go crazy, this is going in the blender, too.)
7 large fresh basil leaves (or more, you can't really over-basil pasta sauce)
1/4 tsp sea salt
5 Medjool dates, soaked 30 min or more (Medjool dates are bigger than regular dates, if you are not using Medjool dates, increase accordingly.)
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked 30 min or more
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper (I only had a yellow, not a big deal, but it will pinkify your nice red sauce, so if color is a strong consideration for you, stick with red.)
1/4 cup red onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp "Italian seasoning," (I'm guessing a packet of good seasons will do, or some Spike, or whatevers fresh and lying around.)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Vitamix. God, I love it so.
Using a mandolin or some other ingenious kitchen device created for the purpose of uniform slicing, slice your rutabaga or turnip into very thin discs. Here's a hint, put the veggie, a rutabaga in this case, through the mandolin length wise so your thin discs are long and easily folded over.  You spoon some of the cheese into the disc, fold it over, and voila, ravioli.  If the discs are too thick, you will have a problem, if they are too small, you will also have a problem.  If you have a problem, here's what you do: simply layout a first layer on the plate, spoon the cheese onto each disc, cover with a second disc of comparable size.  This is what I had to do and it looked just fine. Top with the tomato sauce, and I chose to add a little "Cashew Parmesan" as well. 
Another word to the wise, double the cheese recipe, and halve the sauce.  I had way too much of one and not nearly enough of the other.  You've been warned.

As a Side dish I made some steamed Asparagus with toasted pecans.  This was so easy I"m not even going into a big explanation.  Toast the pecans at 300 for a few minutes, until they darken somewhat and become fragrant.  DON'T OVERDO IT!! This will not take long.  Steam your asparagus until it turns bright green, add pecans, drizzle with a homemade vinaigrette of your choosing.  I'm partial to honey mustard, so I added some to my dressing.  

 

Not raw, but fresh tasting, satisfying, and a nice combination of flavors!!!
Feeling a little stress this weekend due to unavoidable interpersonal contact, so I'm sending out some extra love to all of you for taking the time to listen to my ramblings.