Easy Vegan Pumpkin, Sage and Cashew Ravioli with Tomato and Basil Sauce.

Right now it's freezing cold. I'm in the lounge room watching old episodes of The Mighty Boosh with a blanket over my knees and a warm cup of tea. My belly is full of this delicious pasta goodness.

Ravioli is usually filled with spinach and ricotta from what I have found. It is a little bit difficult for us earth friendly creatures to find vegan ravioli. As I have said before, I'm really not a big pasta fan but I have wanted to make my own pasta for quite sometime because nothing beats fresh pasta. I'm kinda cheating with this recipe though, using Chinese dumpling wrappers instead of actual pasta. This is mainly to cut down on time constraints and it makes it super cheap and easy. They're made of flour, water and vegetable oil for the most part, and cost something like $3 from your local asian grocer. Here is a link to a site that can show you how to make your own. It's such a great idea because you can keep them in the freezer and fill them with all kinds of things. My mum filled them with stewed apple and baked them and they tasted just like apple pies. You could even make samosas or hell, dumplings.

Also, today I have to load up on gluten as I'm getting a blood test tomorrow to see if I'm coeliac. Three members of my family have been diagnosed and honestly, even if it tests positive I'm not too worried. Many of my recipes are gluten free anyway. It'll give me an even bigger excuse to get creative.

But back to the pasta.

This recipe is quick and easy. The sauce is super easy and tasty and can be used in a variety of situations. You could even use it as a sauce for a savoury pie or a lasagna or something. Delicious. Oh! and the filling! To die for...

Time: About half an hour.

Serves: Makes about twenty dumplings or 2 as mains, 4 if you serve with a side.

Ingredients for the ravioli:

• Dumpling wrappers.
• One cup of pre-roasted pumpkin, that has been cut into small chunks and, well, roasted.
• Half a cup of chopped cashews (can be left out for those with nut allergies- Nina... :)
• One onion, chopped.
• Two cloves of garlic, minced.
• Quarter of a cup of sage leaves, shredded.
• One tablespoon of oil.
• One tablespoon of soy sauce.
• Pepper to taste.
• A large saucepan full of boiling water.

Method:

In a fry pan, add the oil over medium heat. When warmed through, add the onion and garlic and fry until translucent.  Add the cashews  and the sage and fry for a further two minutes.

Add the pumpkin and mush it all up together. Fry for a further two minutes.

On a chopping board, pop a few dumpling wrappers and in each one, add about a teaspoon of the mixture into the wrapper and then fold it in half over the mixture.

Using wet hands, paint the edges with water and they should stick together easily. Add each one to the boiling water. When they float, they are ready to be scooped out..

Continue with all of the ingredients until there is none left. Put them on a plate and top with tomato pasta sauce.

Quick yet delicious, and therefore freaking genius pasta sauce.

Ingredients:

• One brown onion.
• Two cloves of garlic, minced.
• One tin of canned tomatoes, crushed.
• Three quarters of the same can full of water.
• One tablespoon of oil.
• One tablespoon of soy sauce.
• Pepper.
• Three tablespoons of fresh, shredded basil leaves.

Method:

In a saucepan, add the oil and heat over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and fry until browned.

Add the tin of tomatoes and water and stir for a few minutes. Add the soy sauce and stir through.

Add the basil and pepper to taste. Simmer for about five minutes.

Super easy and delicious.