Vegetarian Wednesday: Ricotta Cheese Ravioli with Butternut Squash Sauce and a Giveaway!

So a ton of my students are sick and I am keeping myself healthy by drinking a ton of water and plan on getting to bed early tonight! With that being said I have a great giveaway and recipe to share tonight. First the recipe?.

On my quest to find more family friendly vegetarian meals I scoured my cookbooks over the weekend. I went to an old favorite: Weight Watchers All Time Favorites. This book had a great section dedicated to veggie recipes.

Ricotta Cheese Ravioli with Butternut Squash Sauce

Courtesy of Weight Watchers All Time Favorites PG 170

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil 1 small onion 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 2 cups fresh, or thawed frozen butternut squash chunks 1 (14 1/2 oz) can reduced-sodium vegetable broth 1 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh sage 1/2 tsp group pepper 1/4 tsp salt 1/8 tsp and pinch of nutmeg 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese 5 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese 1 Egg White 1 12 oz package of wonton wrappers Sage Leaves

The How-To:

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the squash, broth, chopped sage, 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper, the salt, and the 1/8 teaspoon of the nutmeg; cook stirring until the squash is very tender and the liquid is evaporated, about 15 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat; let cool 15 minutes.

I love the smell of fresh Sage.

Meanwhile, to make the ravioli, combine the ricotta, 3 tablespoons of Parmesan, the egg white, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a small bowl. Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Place 12 wonton wrappers on the surface and put 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cheese mixture in the center of each wrapper. With pastry brush that has been dipped in water, dampen the edges of the wrappers, then place another wrapper on top, pressing out the air as you pinch the edges together to seal them. Cover lightly with a damp towel, set aside.

Puree the squash mixture in a food processor. If too think, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture has a sauce like consistency. Pour into a medium saucepan and set over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring frequently; keep warm.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle boil; slip half of the ravioli into the water and cook until they float to the surface, about 4 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli to a colander. Drain well, then transfer to a bowl and keep warm. Cook and drain the remaining ravioli.

Spoon the sauce evenly into each of 4 shallow bowls and top with the ravioli. Sprinkle the ravioli with the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan and a pinch of nutmeg. Garnish with sage leaves and serve at once.

The Review: The butternut squash sauce was amazing. The whole family loved it. It was smooth and creamy. Great alternative to traditional red sauce. The ravioli was good but it needed something. I have some ideas with different spices and more garlic. I will definitely make this again.

Now time for the exciting Giveaway!!!

MixMyGranola!!!!

You have probably seen this product all over the blog world but I to had the opportunity to sample MixMyGranola. Raoul at MixMyGranola allowed for me to make my very own Mom on the Run Mix. I had so much fun doing this.

I love the personalized label!

If you have not heard about MixMyGranola here is the simple but telling description.

How does it work?

1) Choose a healthy granola base
2) Add delicious ingredients
3) We mix your granola order
4) Get it shipped anywhere in the U.S.
5) Eat! enjoy! and smile!

It took me a long time to create my perfect mix. So here is what I finally created.

Mom on the Run Mix:

I was not disappointed. This made a great ?topping? for my oats this morning. It was the perfect mix over everything. I hate when my granola has 2 bites of apples and the rest granola. I like a variety in each bite and my MixMyGranola had just that. The best part is that my mix is saved in the granola data base so I can reorder without re-creating my mix.

So here is the exciting news??

Raoul is letting one lucky Mom on the Run reader create their own MixMyGranola creation. You will have $20.00 to create your unique creation. This will be for US residents and bloggers only. Sorry :(

Here are the three ways you can win:

1. Just post a comment with the what you think will be your favorite mix in for your granola.

2. Become a follower and add me to your blog roll. (If you already have done this you will get an automatic entry)

3. Link this contest in your blog. Just post in your comment that you have done this.

It will be that easy to win! If you are a granola lover this contest is for you! Contest will end on Sunday, April 5th at midnight.

Good luck to all!

Off to watch LOST than Bed! NIGHT!