Green up your ravioli
I didn't grow up in a vegetarian household, but vegetables - grown in the garden - were the main dish and a small portion of meat was served on the side. If you make a great vegetarian dish, it can be the star and carnivores can eat healthier without even noticing it. That's the best way to ease them into a vegetarian lifestyle as well.
These ravioli are so delicious that carnivores might not notice there's no meat on the plate...it's worth it just for that. They are fairly low fat for a pasta dish - about 200 calories in a one cup serving (about 260 in your average canned stuff), but they are filling and full of taste. It's worth the extra calories.
Spinach Ravioli
For the filling:3 cups of spinach, large stems removed and chopped
1 tablespoons of mustard (the grainy stuff is best)
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
2 tablespoons of bread crumbs
pinch of salt
For the dough:
1 cup of semolina four
2 teaspoons of olive oil
1/2 cup of water
pinch salt
- In a bowl, combine the pasta dough ingredients until they form a soft dough and wrap it all in a towel. Let it sit for 30 minutes.
- Wash the spinach and remove the large tough stems. Chop the leaves and steam or saute in water.
- Place in a large mixing bow and add the mustard, salt and bread-crumbs. Mix well and season with salt, cayenne and pepper.
- Divide the dough in four pieces and roll out each portion (as thin as you can) on a floured surface, allowing the first sheet of pasta to sit while rolling out the second, etc.
- Cut out ravioli shapes (they don't have to be squares) and fill them with the filling. Put the top part of the ravioli over the filling and close with a fork.
