Fragrant Vanilla Cake

Tag: beets

  • Vegan Chocolate Beet Cake

    Vegan Chocolate Beet Cake

    I had two leftover beets from another dish I had made and I thought about juicing them because beet juice is amazing and packed with good nutrients, but you know what sounded even better than juice? Cake. Which was the other thing I was thinking of making with that beet. Cake almost always wins when it comes to me choosing between two different things to make. Plus with the cake I would get so much more out of that beet than one glass of juice. I should explain, I wanted to make a chocolate beet cake in the way that people make carrot cake for example. Grated into the batter to give it that lovely moist but soft and light texture. Beets are amazing in a chocolate cake.

    I actually have a chocolate beet cake recipe in my cookbook “Just Vegan Cakes” but the one I made this time is slightly different. This one uses dates in the batter instead of coconut sugar and almond butter instead of oil, so it is actually fruit sweetened and oil free. But of course you would never guess by tasting it because it just tastes like delicious chocolate cake! The beets hide in there as well, so it is a good way to get sneaky vegetables into your diet (or your family’s) without them knowing it.

    I thought about frosting this with a fudge frosting, but vanilla frosting on chocolate cake sounded better to me at the moment so I made a luscious smooth cream cheese style frosting. I say cream cheese because I added in a little cashew butter along with the coconut milk to give it that cream cheese like texture and a dash of lemon juice to give it that tang. I could have just eaten that with a spoon. Just sayin’.

    It was all even more delicious once assembled! The cake’s texture turned out perfect, nice and moist but still light and fluffy with a dark chocolate flavor and the vanilla frosting was the perfect thing to contrast it with all silky smooth and rich. You would have never guessed that there were beets in there, and that is the secret special ingredient. If you ever happen to have a few beets on hand, give this a try!

    Vegan Chocolate Beet Cake

    Makes 1 6 inch 2 layer cake
    2 6 inch cake pans

    Ingredients:

    Cake:

    • 1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour*
    • 1/4 cup cacao powder
    • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
    • 1 tsp baking powder
    • 1/2 tsp sea salt
    • 1 1/4 cups packed soft medjool dates, pitted, soaked in water for 30 minutes and 1 cup of the water reserved
    • 1/4 cup almond butter
    • 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1 cup filtered water
    • 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
    • 1 1/2 cups shredded organic beets

     

    Frosting:

    • 1 15 oz can full fat organic coconut milk*, chilled
    • 1/2 cup organic cashew butter
    • 1/4 cup maple syrup
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp melted coconut butter (warmed to liquid)
    • 1 tsp beet powder to color the frosting

     

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat the oven to 375F degrees and position rack in center of oven. Line two six-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides with parchment paper. Coat parchment paper and pan sides lightly with oil so that the cake doesn’t stick.
    2. Whisk flour, cacao powder, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, in a large bowl to blend well.
    3. Place dates, reserved date water, almond butter, water, and vanilla extract into a blender, and blend until smooth, then whisk this blended mixture into the flour mixture until well blended. Whisk in the cider vinegar until bubbles form. Mix in beets.
    4. Transfer cake batter to prepared pans and bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cakes completely in pan on rack, about 1 hour. Cut around sides of pan to loosen. Turn cakes out onto platter; peel off parchment paper. Let cool completely.
    5. To make the frosting, combine all ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth.  Pour into a bowl and place in the freezer until the consistency of stiffly whipped cream (about 30-45 minutes depending on how warm it has gotten, stirring it a few times).  Once it is ready place in the refrigerator until ready to assemble.
    6. To assemble, place one cake layer on a plate, and spread frosting 1/2 inch thick over it.  Place the other cake layer over that, then spread the remaining frosting on the top and down the sides of the cake.

    *If you would like to make this cake with organic whole wheat pastry flour instead of the gluten free flour that will work as well, it can be swapped 1:1. 

    *For this frosting recipe use a coconut milk with at least 3/4 of the can cream, or unsweetened coconut cream (I like Thai Kitchen Brand) or it will NOT work for the recipe. 

      ***If you would like a 2 layer 9 inch cake, double this entire recipe and bake in two 9 inch cake pans just keep in mind it will take about 45-50 minutes to bake.

  • Vegan Spring Carrot and Beet Cake

    Vegan Spring Carrot and Beet Cake

    I don’t get people that don’t like carrot cake.  I mean, are they afraid of the veggies so they have never tried it and therefore don’t know how incredibly delicious it is?!  I have always loved it, even as a youngster.  But then again I have never been afraid of veggies and trying new things.  I love hiding veggies in desserts.  I mean, why not eat your cake and get a serving of veggies too!  Sounds pretty awesome to me. So, I am always up for some good old carrot cake.  This time of the year it just seems right to make it.  Even though carrots (or any veggies for that matter) are not growing here yet, Spring is carrot cake season.  My Mom always made a variation with pineapple, coconut and nuts with a cream cheese frosting, and I recreated that one last year, and I could have made it again, but I decided to try a new recipe.  A carrot beet cake.  I love beets, so why not include them in with the carrots?  They are equally as sweet and delicious.  So I gave it a go.

    This cake is really quite traditional, as far as the flavors go and I loved it.  I made a date sweetened batter, my go to recipe for most cakes, and it was delicious with the carrots and beets folded in.  You might think that the cakes would turn pink from the beets, but that was not the case.  Maybe slightly to begin with, but when you bake with beets they do not stay pink or bright red in the baked goods once the baking soda reacts with them.  I have tried to color cakes this way with no luck in the past, so I figured I would let you know so you don’t fail at it too.  They may not have added color to this cake, but they added moisture and veggie nutrients!  I spiced the batter lightly with cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.  It was so delicious smelling as it baked!

    I made a faux cream cheese frosting to top it all off, because that is first off my all time favorite frosting, and second, the ONLY frosting that goes on carrot cake as far as I am concerned.  It was one of the first things I had to figure out how to veganize, because not only do I like it on carrot cake, but just about every other cake as well.  This cake as a whole turned out super delicious, and it would be perfect for Easter!  I hope you are all having a wonderful Spring!

    Vegan Spring Carrot and Beet Cake 

    Makes 1 6 inch 2 layer cake
    2 6 inch cake pans

    Ingredients:

    Cake:

    • 1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
    • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
    • 1 tsp baking powder
    • 1/2 tsp sea salt
    • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
    • 2 tsp ground ginger
    • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
    • 1 cup packed soft medjool dates, pitted, soaked in water for 30 minutes and 1 cup of the water reserved
    • 1/4 cup almond butter
    • 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1 cup filtered water
    • 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
    • 3/4 cup shredded organic carrots
    • 3/4 cup shredded organic beets

     

    Frosting:

    • 1 15 oz can full fat organic coconut milk, chilled
    • 1/2 cup organic cashew butter
    • 1/4 cup maple syrup
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp melted coconut butter (warmed to liquid)

     

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat the oven to 375F degrees and position rack in center of oven. Line two six-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides with parchment paper. Coat parchment paper and pan sides lightly with oil so that the cake doesn’t stick.
    2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a large bowl to blend well.
    3. Place dates, reserved date water, oil, water, and vanilla extract into a blender, and blend until smooth, then whisk this blended mixture into the flour mixture until well blended. Whisk in the cider vinegar until bubbles form. Mix in carrots and beets.
    4. Transfer cake batter to prepared pans and bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cakes completely in pan on rack, about 1 hour. Cut around sides of pan to loosen. Turn cakes out onto platter; peel off parchment paper. Let cool completely.
    5. To make the frosting, combine all ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth.  Pour into a bowl and place in the freezer until the consistency of stiffly whipped cream (about 30-45 minutes depending on how warm it has gotten).  Once it is ready place in the refrigerator until ready to assemble.
    6. To assemble, place one cake layer on a plate, and spread frosting 1/2 inch thick over it.  Place the other cake layer over that, then spread the remaining frosting on the top and down the sides of the cake.
    ***If you would like a 2 layer 9 inch cake, double this entire recipe and bake in two 9 inch cake pans.
  • Roasted Sweets and Beets Lentil Salad

    Roasted Sweets and Beets Lentil Salad

    It was so warm here yesterday we set a record.  Sixty degrees in February in Minnesota is almost unheard of.  I am sure the skiers and other Winter sport enthusiasts are sad, but I am loving this weather.  I would love it if we went straight into Spring.  Anything above 45 degrees I will take.  To me, 45 degrees is running shorts weather.  It seriously feels like March right now, and I am going to get out and make the most of this weather this weekend.  I half expect the tulips to start popping up and trees to start budding, but I know we have at least a month before that. All of the warm weather had me craving lighter food, so I decided to make a warm lentil salad for dinner last night.  I have had the idea of this salad on my mind for quite a while, but finally got around to making it.  I tend to fall into dinner ruts, making the same few dishes every week because they are easy fast, and good.  But when I have time to be creative, then I like to switch it up.  This week I felt was pretty stress free compared to the last few.

    Roasted Beet, Sweet Potato and Lentil Salad

    Lentils are a staple in my diet, and I make things like lentil stew all the time, but I make very few lentil salads unless it is Summer.  For this salad, I wanted to combine the lentils with beets and sweet potatoes.  Because those are my two favorite veggies, and I don’t make beets often enough.  Sweet potatoes however are a daily occurrence  in my kitchen and I could not resist putting them in this dish as well.  While the lentils were cooking on the stove, I decided to roast the sweet potatoes and beets to maximize the flavor.  Although I usually roast my beets whole, I decided to try a different method and cut them up and then roast them.  It worked out perfect!  The veggies turned out super delicious and I could have snacked on them just as they were, but to make a full meal I added the lentils, along with some greens, and a lemony vinaigrette.

    Roasted Beet, Sweet Potato and Lentil Salad 2

    Lastly, this dish needed to have some nut chevre.  I had imagined it topped off with crumbled chevre in my head, and I had just made some macadamia chevre, so it was perfect!  A quick sprinkle of fresh thyme and I was ready to dive in. The combination was super delicious!  I am going to have to make this again, the recipe is a complete keeper, which is why I had to share it with you all.  I would even go as far to say I would pay money for this in a restaurant, and that says a lot.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

    Roasted Beet, Sweet Potato and Lentil Salad 1

    Roasted Sweets and Beets Lentil Salad
    Serves 2

    Macadamia chevre:

    • 2 cups macadamias, soaked for at least 4 hours and drained
    • 1/4 cup lemon juice
    • 1 tsp cider vinegar
    • 1 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
    • 2-3 Tbsp filtered water as needed

     

    Roasted Vegetables

    • 4 medium beets, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
    • 2 medium sweet potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes
    • sea salt

    Lentils:

    • 2/3 cup french lentils
    • 1 shallot, diced
    • 1 garlic clove, minced
    • sea salt to taste
    • filtered water

    Dressing:

    • 1 Tbso olive oil
    • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
    • sea salt to taste

     

    To finish salad:

    • thyme
    • a few large handfuls of fresh greens (such as spinach, baby kale, or arugula)

     

    Directions:

    1.  To make the chevre, combine all ingredients in the food processor and process until smooth, adding a Tbsp or two of water as needed to create a goat cheese like consistency (do not add too much or it will be too thin.).  Place the cheese in 2 layers of cheesecloth, fold it around the cheese and let sit in the fridge overnight.
    2. To make the roasted vegetables, preheat the oven to 375F degrees, and line a sheet pan with parchment.  Toss the sweet potatoes and beets with just enough oil to coat them, and spread them out on the pan.  Sprinkle with a little sea salt.  Place in the oven and roast for about 45 minutes to one hour, or until they are tender.  Remove from the oven.
    3. Meanwhile, when the veggies are cooking,  place the lentils, onions, garlic, sea salt, and enough filtered water to cover by a few inches in a pot, and bring to a boil.  Lower to a simmer, and cook over low heat for about 40 minutes until the lentils are tender.  Drain through a fine meshed strainer.  Set aside until the veggies are done roasting.
    4. Whisk together dressing ingredients until combined.
    5. Place the lentils, and roasted veggies in a bowl, and toss with the dressing.
    6. place a bed of greens on a plate, and top off with the lentil mixture.  Then crumble some of the chevre over it, and sprinkle with the fresh thyme.  Serve!
  • Berries and Beets Quinoa Salad with “Chevre”

    Berries and Beets Quinoa Salad with “Chevre”

    People consider berries to be sexy.  But you know what else is sexy?  Beets.  I mean, they are beautiful.  Look at the color, they are sweet, and they keep you healthy.  They are a pretty amazing vegetable if you ask me.  Beets are actually one of my favorite things to juice, because the juice on it’s own tastes amazing.  But I also love them roasted.  In fact, this was how I first enjoyed them and I fell in love.  Back in college actually.  Sad that I didn’t really get to enjoy beets until then.  I admit as a child, I was a bit intimidated by them, and the only beets that I was ever offered were of the canned variety at my Grandma’s house.  I thought that they looked scary so I passed them up.  When I started to explore cooking though in my early 20s, I decided that I wanted to try making a roasted beet salad from a vegetarian cookbook that I had checked out from the library at the time. They tasted so good when prepared that way!  The sweetness intensified through roasting.  That is now my favorite way to cook them over boiling them any day.

    Berries and Beets Quinoa Salad with Chevre 1

    If I am eating them plain, I love them with a little vinegar and sea salt so they taste almost like pickled beets.  I had gotten some beets and berries at my work thinking they would be lovely together in a colorful salad.  I was thinking light salad at first, but them I decided to make it a main course by adding some quinoa for protein.  If I am looking to boost a meal quinoa is one of my go to ingredients.  It packs protein and fiber perfect for a satisfying dinner. I kept the flavor of the salad simple to allow the ingredients to shine adding only a little olive oil and lemon juice for the dressing.  Also, some fresh basil joined the show because that is an herb that I have growing on my patio and I use it as much as I can in the Summer.

    Berries and Beets Quinoa Salad with Chevre 2

    It was good as it was, but I also added some toasted almonds for crunch, and some cashew chevre to add a little richness.  I am a big texture and flavor person, so it was important to different flavors and textures in this salad.  Not only did it end up being beautiful thanks to all of the beautifully colored ingredients, but it tasted amazing.  This is something I would pay big bucks to be served in a restaurant.  It was so good.  Summer is almost over, and I am kind of hanging onto the last of it with salads like this that are fresh, but also hearty since it has cooled down a bit.

     

    Berries and Beets Quinoa Salad with “Chevre”
    Serves 2-4

    Ingredients:

    • 4 medium sized red beets
    • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
    • 2 cups filtered water
    • 1/4 cup lemon juice
    • 1 Tbsp lemon zest
    • 2 Tbsp olive oil
    • sea salt to taste
    • 1 cup blueberries
    • 1 cup blackberries
    • 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves (if larger, tear them into pieces)
    • 1/2 cup toasted almonds
    • cashew chevre*

     

    To roast the beets, wrap them in foil, and roast them in a 400F degree oven for about an hour to an hour and a half depending on how big they are until they are tender when pierced with a knife.  Once roasted, allow to cool, peel and cut into large dice. Meanwhile, to prepare the quinoa, place quinoa and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all the water is absorbed about 15 minutes, or when all the grains have turned from white to transparent, and the spiral-like germ has separated. Drain, and set aside.

    To assemble the salad, combine all ingredients in a bowl except the chevre, and toss together until well combined.  When ready to serve, sprinkle with the chevre (you will have more left over for another use).

    *Use this chevre recipe and omit the herbs: https://www.fragrantvanilla.com/vegan-herbes-de-provence-chevre/



  • Beet and Chickpea Curry

    Beet and Chickpea Curry

    beet-curry-3

    I was in the mood for curry a few nights back, but I didn’t have many traditional ingredients to make one. I did however have beets.  I have never heard of a beet curry (not that I am a curry connoisseur or anything), but I decided I was going to make one.  It sounded good.  I have made a beet and curry soup in the past, and it was delicious so I knew this would be too.  I am a huge beet fan.  Not just for their color and nutritional value, but because they just taste good to me.  The best ones are nice and sweet.  I love getting the baby ones from the farmer’s market in the summer that are so fresh and little you can slice them up and eat them raw.  But of course I am not going to turn down a large beet in the Winter I am going to use for cooking.

    beet-curry-1

    I combined the beets with a few simple ingredients, peppers, onions, carrots, and garlic for the veggies, and a simple curry for most of the flavor.  I wanted this to be a somewhat rich curry so I added coconut milk to make the most delicious sauce.  a little lime juice to make it pop and it was wonderful. I added in chickpeas at the end for protein and it was a pretty substantial meal when I paired it with some cooked amaranth on the side.  I like to have something on the side to soak up the curry, and I am not a big rice eater, so high protein amaranth that I had on hand it was. It was aromatic, comforting, and delicious.  Not to mention beautiful.  I love it when foods have vibrant colors!  This curry looked like a sunset to me.

    beet-curry-2

    Beet and Chickpea Curry

    Serves 2 generousl

    1 large beet

    2 tsp coconut oil

    2 medium carrots, sliced

    1 small onion, diced

    1 garlic clove, minced

    1 bell pepper, diced

    1 tsp ground cumin seed

    1 Tbsp mild curry powder

    1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

    sea salt to taste

    1 3/4 cup coconut milk

    1 cup cooked chickpeas

    2 Tbsp lime juice

    1 Tbsp arrowroot starch

    Cooked amaranth or quinoa for serving (or your choice of grain)

    sliced green onions for serving

    Cut the beet into large dice, and place in a medium pot, covered with filtered water.  Bring to a boil, and lower to a simmer.  Simmer for about 30 minutes until the beets are tender.  Drain, and set aside.

    To make the curry, heat the oil in a pan, and add the carrots and onions.  Sautee until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, bell pepper, cumin, curry powder, red pepper, and sautee for a minute more.  Add the sea salt, coconut milk, chickpeas, and reserved beets, and bring to a boil.  Lower to a simmer, and cook for about 5 minutes.

    Whisk the arrowroot starch into the lime juice, then add to the curry.  Cook a minute more until thickened.  Serve with cooked amaranth or quinoa, and sprinkled with the green onions.



  • 2 Juice Recipes: Sunset Beet Juice and Broccoli Apple Green Juice

    2 Juice Recipes: Sunset Beet Juice and Broccoli Apple Green Juice

    beet-juice-1

    Sometimes, there is nothing better than freshly juiced veggies.  If you have never had them before, you might be wondering what the heck I am thinking, but if you have, I hope you have had the same experience.  When I first started enjoying fresh juices when I got a juicer about a year and a half ago, My favorite was a simple carrot juice with apple and celery.  Simple, and sweet.  When I started I thought juices had to all have fruit to be sweet and palatable but I quickly discovered otherwise when I started to experiment with all kinds of veggies.  Soon, my favorites included things I would have never thought to juice.

    beet-juice-2

    Things like beets, cabbage, broccoli and yams.  I recently made two juices that were really good, so I thought I would share them with you.  One was beets, cabbage, celery, and lemon juice.  Doesn’t sound sweet at all, right?  But it was really sweet and balanced.  Without any fruit, just full of alkalinizing veggies.  It was sooo good and refreshing, I could not think of anything I would rather be drinking after work to relax. No wine needed with this beautiful glass of red deliciousness.

    beet-juice

    The second juice is a broccoli apple green juice.  Broccoli stalks are often underappreciated, but I like to take them home from work and juice them sometimes.  They are sweet and I enjoy the flavor actually better than broccoli flowrettes.  Combine them with apple, celery, kale and lemon and you have a delicious balanced drink filled with nutrients.

    green-juice

    Sunset Beet Juice
    Serves 1

    1 really large beet, or 2 large beets, cut into pieces
    1/4 red cabbage
    2 celery stalks
    juice of one lemon

    Put all ingredients through a juicer, stir up and enjoy!

    Broccoli Apple Green Juice
    Serves 1

    4 organic broccoli stalks
    1 large sweet organic apple (such as pink lady or honeycrisp)
    2 stalks celery
    juice of one lemon
    4 large kale leaves

    Put all ingredients through a juicer, stir up and enjoy!



  • Roasted Beet and Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas

    Roasted Beet and Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas

    Beet Salad 1

    Sometimes I just make things on the fly when I get home for dinner, and sometimes I spend my day at work thinking about them.  The salad I am sharing with you today was the latter.  Truth is I made 2 beet salads, at work, spent a chunk of my day working with beets, tasted a few and decided that was what I wanted for dinner.  Although I could eat a big pile of just plain beets, I thought a substantial salad with plenty of protein would do the trick.

    Beet Salad 3

    I was quite hungry after a busy day so I needed that.  The first thing that came to mind to pair the beets with was quinoa.  I had enjoyed a quinoa salad with beets once and it was amazing. I was going to make something even better.  I also added in chickpeas because I love them and because they are awesome with quinoa.  It needed some other flavors too, so I tossed it with lemon and fresh mint.  Simple, but so good.  All that it needed.  But I added a bit of coconut chevre I had on hand just because and it was over the top wonderful!  I shared some with Eric and it was the perfect size meal for two hungry adults.  The best part about this salad besides it tasting wonderful?  The beautiful pink color.  I love it.

    Roasted Beet and Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas

    Serves 2

    Coconut Chevre:

    1 1/4 cups young coconut meat*

    1/3 cup coconut water*

    1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp coconut butter (not oil), warmed to liquid

    1/8 tsp sea salt

    1 tsp powdered probiotics

    4 medium sized red beets

    1 cup quinoa, rinsed

    2 cups filtered water

    1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas

    1/4 cup lemon juice

    1 Tbsp lemon zest

    sea salt to taste

    1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

    For the chevre, combine the coconut meat, milk, sea salt, coconut butter, and probiotics in a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
    Pour into a container with a lid, and set in a warm place overnight.
    Once it has become tangy in flavor, place in the refrigerator to chill completely.

    To roast the beets, wrap them in foil, and roast them in a 400F degree oven for about an hour to an hour and a half depending on how big they are until they are tender when pierced with a knife.  Once roasted, allow to cool, peel and cut into large dice. Meanwhile, to prepare the quinoa, place quinoa and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all the water is absorbed about 15 minutes, or when all the grains have turned from white to transparent, and the spiral-like germ has separated. Drain, and set aside.

    To assemble the salad, combine all ingredients in a bowl except the chevre, and toss together until well combined.  When ready to serve, sprinkle with the chevre (you will have more left over for another use).

    *If you do not have access to young coconut meat, you may used a can of full fat coconut milk in this recipe in place of the coconut meat and water.

     

  • Beet Ravioli with Orange Thyme Ricotta and Orange Strawberry Sauce

    Beet Ravioli with Orange Thyme Ricotta and Orange Strawberry Sauce

    I have been eating beets in a lot of salads lately, and I love them but I decided that I needed to be a little more interesting with the combination so I made beet ravioli.  I cut it into hearts to be cute, and laced the macadamia inside with some thyme and orange.
    I finished it off with a strawberry orange sauce and served it with greens and it was a delicious light meal.  I can’t believe it took me over 1/2 a year into being raw before I tried beet ravioli.  I will definitely have to come up with different sauces and fillings now because it was awesome!

    Beet Ravioli with Orange Thyme Ricotta and Orange Strawberry Sauce
    Serves 4

    Macadamia Ricotta:
    2 cups Macadamias, soaked for at least 4 hours, drained (or cashews if you prefer)
    juice of one lemon
    1 tsp sea salt
    1 1/2 Tbsp orange zest
    1 Tbsp fresh thyme, minced

    Strawberry Orange Sauce:
    1 cup fresh strawberries
    1/4 cup fresh orange juice
    2 soft medjool dates, pitted
    a pinch of sea salt
    1/4 tsp thyme

    24 large thin slices of raw beet,cut into hearts if desired
    greens for serving
    strawberries and orange slices for serving

    To make Macadamia ricotta, Combine the macadamias, lemon juice, and sea salt and orange zest and thyme in a high speed blender or food processor and process until smooth with about 3 Tbsp of filtered water (or enough to make a thick soft cheese consistency without being runny).  Wrap cheese in a double layer of cheesecloth, and place in the fridge to let sit a day or two.

    For the sauce, combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
    To assemble, scoop about 1 Tbsp of the ricotta onto half the beet slices, then top with another beet slice to make ravioli.  Place 3 on each plate, then place a hanful of greens, some strawberries and orange slices.  Spoon some of the sauce over the ravioli on each plate and use the extra for the greens if desired.