Meatless Monday

Cheese Ravioli with Roasted Asparagus and Tomatoes
Cook's Notes:
A winning vegetarian meal for ease in its preparation using readily available ingredients and packed with flavor. Four cheese ravioli is paired with roasted asparagus, tomatoes, garlic, herbs topped with dark balsamic vinegar, Parmesan cheese, and a drizzle of prepared marinara sauce. Toast walnuts for a nice crunch and toasted flavor. It's an amazing dinner that is company-worthy and delicious. The recipe serves 4, but the ingredients can easily be increased to serve more.
Ingredients:

• 1 package refrigerated four-cheese ravioli
• 1 bunch of thin asparagus, woody ends trimmed
• 1 small container of grape tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 -2 tablespoons dark balsamic vinegar (good quality)
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
• Fresh basil and parsley
• 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 container of prepared marinara sauce (refrigerated section 8 oz.)

Directions:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone pad. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Place asparagus spears on a baking sheet. Arrange garlic around spears. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Roast for 10 minutes.
• Add tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar if needed, and roast for 10 minutes more.
• Cook ravioli according to the manufacturer's directions and drain.
• Arrange on a serving plate with ravioli on the bottom, then add asparagus spears and tomatoes on top. Drizzle with some marinara sauce and grated Parmesan cheese over the sauce, and top with toasted walnuts, fresh parsley, and basil.

APRIL IS NATIONAL POETRY MONTH

TRY THIS POEM

 "Hungry for Poetry" 

by Ralph Fletcher

First I saw him chew
a tender Japanese haiku.

He ate a foot-long sonnet
with mustard seed spread upon it.

He downed a bag of ripe cinquains
while walking in the pouring rain.

He gulped an epic, chomped an ode,
wolfed a couplet to cure his cold.

He munched so many limericks,
they made him absolutely sick.

He tried a plate of fresh free verse;
but all that did was make things worse.

He took some onomatopoeia
to cure a case of diarrhea.

He ate a poem of sixteen lines,
and after that, he felt just fine.

UP NEXT FOR THE WEEK: A KALEIDOSCOPE OF FOODS, SPRING IN THE DESERT, BOOK CLUB NOTES