Lazy Lunch: Sausage Ravioli with Fresh Marinara Sauce

The Ingredients

8 sausage and broccoli-filled ravioli (I was lucky enough to get them as a gift from my father)

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

2 roma tomatoes

basil

salt

pepper

First, boil some water. Once boiling, add ravioli to cook for about 3 minutes. When this is happening, start your sauce!

Chop your garlic cloves finely and set aside. In a pot, add some olive oil, then the garlic. Make sure the stove is on medium heat, or the garlic will burn. Then, dice two roma tomatoes and add to the mixture. Throw in some salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh basil- I used the basil from my own plant. This takes no more than 10 minutes to make, and it is so delicious. I also topped it off with some aged Asiago cheese for some added flavor. Enjoy!

Beauty. 

Vegan Potato and Leek Soup

The Ingredients

3 Yukon gold potatoes

2 leeks

1/4 cup diced white onion

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups cashew cream

salt

pepper

First, place one cup of raw cashews into a bowl and cover with water. Keep them in the fridge for at least 6-8 hours. They should almost double in size because they absorb the water. Once softened and lighter in color, add them into a food processor with the water. You may want to add some more water to loosen up the mixture. Blend for at least one minute. The longer you do this, the creamier and tastier the mixture will be. Add salt and pepper to taste and set the mixture aside. 

Boil the potatoes in salted water until soft. Remove them from the water and set them aside. Peel them once they are cooled. Save your water, as you will need this later!

Put 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil into a pot and throw in the diced onion. Keep this on medium heat for 5 minutes, until the onions are caramelized. Then, cut your leeks (chopping off the end) and throw them into the pot as well. You may want to add some of the salted water to the mixture to help cook the leeks and soften them up a bit. Let this simmer for 10 minutes.

Throw in the cashew cream and potatoes. Use a masher to break them down a bit. I like some creaminess, but I love getting chunks of potato in a good soup, so I didn't get too crazy with the mashing. Let simmer for another 5 minutes or so. Add salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!

Caramelizing onions

Chopped leeks

Leeks and onions, cooking away

Close-up of the final product! 

Pumpkin Pie

The Ingredients

Crust

10 graham crackers

20 small ginger snap cookies (I used the Trader Joe's trip ginger kind because they are so flavorful and fragrant)

1/2 stick unsalted butter

Put the graham crackers and cookies into a food processor until finely ground up. Add this mixture into a pie dish. In a small pot, melt 1/2 stick of butter at med-high heat. Add it to the graham cracker and cookie mixture and pat down until all components are cohesive. Bake for 5 minutes on 325 degrees to keep the crust together. Make sure it doesn't brown too much, or it will end up bitter and make your pie taste gross!

Filling

1 can pumpkin purée (15 oz.)

1 container coconut milk yogurt (vanilla flavor)

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

zest of one orange

1 tbsp vanilla extract (the real stuff)

1/4 cup candied ginger (topping)

cinnamon

nutmeg

allspice

cloves

Combine all ingredients into a large bowl, except for the candied ginger pieces. Pour into the crust, and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Top with chopped candied ginger pieces. Enjoy! 

Gorgeous!

Yum.