Excellent Mac 'n "Cheese" (totally vegan!)
Ok...so I've been enjoying a vegan diet since June 5, 2011. For the most part I am vastly happy with it and thoroughly enjoying the food and the results to my body and mind.
However, it is winter which in my world equals a deep need for comfort food!! Mine has traditionally been yummy, warm, satisfying mac 'n cheese, oh yea baby!! My conundrum has been that cheese is obviously not a part of my diet any longer, so how do you have mac 'n cheese with no cheese??
Tonight comfort food is back! I was so surprised with the results. Obviously, it is not traditional mac 'n cheese oozing with pounds of cheddar, however, the texture, creaminess and great flavor give it lots of stars and I totally don't miss the oily cheese. Give it a try! Here's the recipe below.
Ingredients:
8 oz. macaroni
1/2 cup onions
1/2 cup potatoes, peeled & chopped
1/4 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 cup red peppers, chopped
1/2 T fresh garlic (about 1 large clove)
1/2 cup raw cashews
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/3 c vegan margarine
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 cup water from cooking veggies
Directions:
1) Start cooking pasta as directed.
2) Throw chopped veggies (except garlic) in a sauce pan and add water to just cover. Cover with lid and boil until tender.
3) In a food processor, blender or ninja, add garlic, cashews, lemon juice, mustard, margarine, and salt and 1/2 cup of broth from the veggies. Process until very smooth, adding a bit more water if it's too stiff and starts to ball up (should resemble the consistency of creamy peanut butter).
Now, add veggies by scooping them out with a hand-held strainer, and process until smooth, adding more broth or a bit of plain almond milk if it needs to be thinned (should look like a thick gravy). You can also play around with spices that you like.
4) Pour mixture over cooked pasta, tossing thoroughly and spread into a 9 x 12 casserole dish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and lightly dust with paprika. Bake for 25-30 min then ENJOY!!
A few notes: Yes, it can be enjoyed immediately rather than baking for all of you impatient mac 'n cheese lovers. :) Also, I have made it with a frozen bag of mixed summer veggies (red pepper, onion, yellow squash, green beans and carrots) because it was all I had and I was jonesing for some mac 'n cheese. I didn't have a potato, so at the end of the sauce blending I added about 1/4 c of potato flakes. It came out yummy!! A great way to enjoy your veggies, for sure!
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