No need to use the stove for this meal from Johnson County Community College student chef Jacki Johnson.

It’s all raw and gluten-free, to boot.

Johnson is a raw food enthusiast whose interest in the movement was sparked when her mother had open heart surgery in Cleveland. In the waiting room, Johnson read numerous articles about raw food and its benefits. When she returned home, she went to the library, read more about the trend and was so intrigued by it that she became a certified raw chef.

The pretend pasta would work for either dinner or lunch, Johnson said. She serves it to her family, although she doesn’t usually dye the pasta because her kids aren’t fond of beet juice.

Her tips for the recipes:

• The nutritional yeast replaces Parmesan cheese in the pesto. The man-made product imparts a cheesy flavor as well as B vitamins and protein to the pesto.

• The ground flaxseeds and hemp seeds for the crackers can be found in most natural food markets.

• Be sure to soak the walnuts used in the crackers in water; walnuts contain an enzyme inhibitor, and one of the key reasons for eating raw is to preserve foods’ enzymes.

• The crackers are a great accompaniment to soup or hummus as well as the pasta dish.

Purple ‘Pasta’ and Pesto With Asparagus Spears in Avocado Butter

Makes 2 servings

For the pasta:

2 beets, juiced

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 zucchini or summer squash

For the asparagus:

10 asparagus spears

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons tamari

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Pinch of salt

1 avocado

For the pesto:

1/2 cup pistachios

1 cup basil

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons olive oil

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

1/2 clove garlic

Pepper

Blend beet juice, olive oil and salt; place in large bowl. Spiral cut the zucchini using the smallest blade of a spiral vegetable slicer, or alternatively, slice zucchini with a mandoline (available at gourmet and Asian stores) and then cut the strips into thin, noodle-size pieces. Add the zucchini to the beet juice and marinate for at least an hour or overnight. Remove zucchini from beet juice; drain for a few minutes before serving.

Remove tough ends from the asparagus spears. Mix olive oil, tamari, lemon juice and salt; add asparagus and marinate for at least an hour. Just before serving, drain asparagus. In a bowl, mash the avocado with a fork, then massage the avocado into the asparagus.

Shortly before serving, place all pesto ingredients in a food processor. Pulse, leaving slightly chunky.

To serve, place half of zucchini “pasta” on plate. Place five spears of asparagus coated with avocado on top of “pasta.” Add pesto.

Per serving: 729 calories (70 percent from fat), 61 grams total fat (9 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 40 grams carbohydrates, 18 grams protein, 1,223 milligrams sodium, 6 grams dietary fiber.

Sun-Dried Tomato and Herb Crackers

1 1/2 cups walnuts, soaked in water for at least 1 hour

1 1/2 cups diced zucchini

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in water for at least 1 hour

2 tablespoons oregano

1 green onion, roughly chopped

1/4 cup finely ground golden flaxseeds

1/8 cup hemp seeds

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

1/8 cup water, if needed

3/4 teaspoon salt

Drain walnuts; place in food processor and grind to a fine texture. Do not over-process to a paste. Transfer nuts to a large bowl.

Place zucchini, tomatoes, oregano and green onion in large bowl of food processor; pulse until well ground. Add zucchini mixture to the walnuts. Add flaxseeds, hemp seeds, lemon juice and yeast; stir to combine.

Add water only if necessary to form a sticky dough similar to wet muffin batter. Season with salt to taste.

Using an offset spatula, spread the dough to the edges of a dehydrator tray lined with Teflex. Dehydrate the crackers at 105 degrees for 6 to 8 hours. When the tops are dry, flip over and peel away the liners. Dehydrate for another 2 to 3 hours until the crackers look dry. If no dehydrator is available, bake in oven set at lowest temperature with the oven door open. Check frequently and remove when crackers look dry.

Per cracker: 278 calories (64 percent from fat), 22 grams fat (2 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 16 grams carbohydrates, 12 grams protein, 480 milligrams sodium, 8 grams dietary fiber.