HOORAY FOR SPRING!!!!!!!
Yesterday The mister and I went for a walk, a long walk. I was wearing a sweater, a light jacket and I left the mittens and hat at home. There was sunshine, huge puddles and mud. Birds were chirping. It was amazing.
After our nice long walk, we got home and I needed to start dinner. It was a little later than I usually so I wanted fast and easy I usually always have pesto in my fridge (I had to make some, but it only takes 5 minutes) because when it's in there, I can whip up a big awesome meal in the time it takes to boil some pasta or quinoa or smear on toast or toss with potatoes. It really can be used on everything and can be made out of just about anything. Kale and walnuts are just one of so many fantastic combos. And frozen ravioli is always in the freezer too. I used just plain cheese, but use whatever kind you like.
Together, pesto and ravioli, well that's a quick, easy, and tasty meal, perfect for a spring evening, And yea, there will be left over pesto from this recipe… just stick it in the fridge or freezer….you will be glad you have it.
Pesto stuff. Kale, walnuts, parmesan cheese(nutritional yeast to keep it vegan), garlic, lemon, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
A few little pre steps before the blending.. Toast the walnuts. Just toss onto a dry skillet and stick on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until they start to become née and fragrant. Remove from skillet and add in a bit of water. Add in chopped or ripped kale and cover to let the kale tenderize, but only for about 2 minutes. (you want the kale to still be crispy and fresh tasting) Drain water and add kale, garlic, toasted walnuts, cheese and the juice of the lemon into a food processor. Turn on and slowly add in olive oil until you get to a nice paste, adding more oil to get to your desired consistency. Oh and don't forget to salt and pepper to taste!
Straight up frozen ravioli goes onto an oiled baking sheet.(make sure that non are overlapping) Place into an oven at 400 degrees for about 15-18 minutes, flipping after 10. If you want to add mushroom and a few more walnuts, just toss them onto the ravioli when you are flipping over the ravioli.
When the ravioli is nice and brown and crispy, remove from oven and dump the ravioli and the mushrooms into a bowl. Add a big old scoop of the freshly made pesto and toss around.
Look at this… fresh, crunchy, light and happy. Kinda like a spring day.
I am the best lady, making the mister a pretty yummy dinner.
Have a great Tuesday!
-C
Kale Pesto and Baked Ravioli
- 4-5 cups chopped Kale
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese ( Nutritional Yeast to make it vegan)
- 1/2 cup Walnuts
- 1/4-1/2 cup Olive Oil
- 4-5 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Lemon
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 bag of frozen ravioli(use vegan or gluten-free if you want)
- 3-4 mushrooms
Note..There will be plenty of left over pesto… Just fridge or freeze it
Place walnuts in a skillet and toast on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes or until the nuts become fragrant. In the same skillet, add enough water to cover bottom and add in all the kale. Place a lid on it and let kale wilt on medium heat for about a minutes or 2, Take off heat. Add walnuts. garlic, cheese, salt and pepper, and juice of lemon to a food processor. Blend. Now add in the kale and blend, slowly adding olive oil until a thick paste forms. You can add as much oil as you want to make it as thick or thin as you like.
Preheat oven to 400
Place frozen ravioli on an oiled baking sheet, making sure none are overlapping. Place into oven for about 15-18 minutes, removing after 8 minutes to flip. When you take the ravioli out to flip, slice up the mushrooms and grab a few more walnuts and toss onto baking sheet with the ravioli. When the ravioli's are nicely browned and toasty, remove (mushrooms and walnuts too) and place into bowl. Add a big scoop of pesto and toss to mix.
Serve and eat.. fork is optional.
Note..Add a thin layer to the top of any left over pesto to keep it fresh and from turning black