What the yum? Yup, these things are real, are filling, and are delicious. I had some at Juice Generation a while back, so I knew of their existence and knew I wanted them to be a part of my raw experimentation.

I know Juice Generation has a cookbook, but I don’t know if it’s in there. I do know that a quick search turned up this recipe, from none other than Matteo Silverman, Juice Generation’s very own vegan magician. Anyway I did make some very minor changes but otherwise left it alone.

Cashew Cheese Ravioli With Basil Hemp Seed Pesto

I couldn’t find a baseball sized turnip, but I did find this (sorry I forgot to take a picture of it whole):

                  It’s jicama!! And it worked just as well.

So…slice turnip (or jicama, or whatever radish type thing you can find that’s big enough) into paper-thin rounds on mandolin. Set aside.

“Cheese”

1-1/2 cups cashew cheese **

1 tbsp. minced thyme

1/4 tsp. sea salt

**(To make cashew cheese, soak 1 cup (or more) of cashews for at least an hour. Then drain blend in vitamix with 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, 1 big garlic clove and some lemon juice. Then salt to taste. Keeps in fridge for a week or two)**

 

Thoroughly fold thyme and salt into cheese. Set aside. Lay out half of turnip slices on large table. Place 1/2 tbsp. cheese in center of each slice. Place remaining radish slices on top of cheese and gently seal like a ravioli. Serve immediately, or store covered in fridge until ready to use.

Pesto

2 cups packed basil leaves

3 tbsp. hemp seeds

1/4 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. sea salt

Blend basil, olive oil, hemp seeds, garlic, lemon juice, black pepper, and sea salt. Set aside.

 

Arrange ravioli on plate. Drizzle with basil pesto and black sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

The basil pesto is better served fresh. But I did drizzle some onto my lunch and took it to work, and it was still pretty delicious. Enjoy!