Pea Shoot and Cashew Cheese Wonton Ravioli

I have been on a little bit of a pea shoot (pea sprout) kick lately and have been enjoying different recipes that utilize them.  One night, I had a craving for ravioli but didn't have time to make the pasta from scratch.  I had a package of wonton wrappers on hand, and thus this recipe was born. 

Pea shoot and Cashew Cheese Ravioli
Ingredients 
1 package round wonton wrappers
1/4 C olive oil, divided 
2 C pea shoots, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 small bunch basil (about ten leaves)
1 C cashews
1/4 C water
2 T nutritional yeast
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions 
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. Meanwhile, prep the ravioli.

2. In a shallow pan, heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add garlic and pea shoots, sprinkle with thyme and a dash of sea salt. Saute until pea shoots have wilted slightly and garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

2. In a blender or small food processor, grind cashews to a fine powder, but do not let them get pasty. Add water and nutritional yeast, and blend until smooth. Add basil and salt and pepper to taste and blend again to combine and incorporate basil.  Mixture should be a dense ricotta- like texture. Transfer to a medium bowl and combine with the pea shoot mixture.

3. On a dry surface or cutting board, line up wonton wrappers. Add about 1 tsp of filling to the center of the ravioli. One at a time, use your finger or a small brush to slightly wet the outer edges of wonton. Carefully fold wonton in half, pressing gently around to make a seal; make sure filling does not squeeze out the sides. If it does, you may be using too much filling and will want to decrease for remaining ravioli. Repeat until filling is finished. Recipe will make about 24 to 32 ravioli.

4. Slip ravioli into boiling water one by one to prevent them from sticking together while they cook. Do not over fill the pot. Boil for about 2 minutes, until they start to float to the top. Remove carefully with a slotted spoon to reduce possibility of breakage. It is better to use a spoon then to drain into a colander.  Plate the ravioli and drizzle with a little olive oil, or your favorite light sauce.

*Serve on its on or alongside roasted or pan fried vegetables for heightened deliciousness. I served mine with roasted king trumpet mushrooms.