08 Jun Mac ‘n Cheese, Vegan-Style!
Give your kids’ their mac ‘n cheese fix with this healthy version from www.ohsheglows.com, suggested by Flex yoga guru Michelle Ricaille.
“It does have a different taste from usual mac ‘n cheese, but it’s the only version my kids have had, so they enjoy it,” says Michelle.
It’s easy, quick and packs a nutritional punch.
It’s completely free of any animal products and sneaks in four vegetables, making it the perfect lunch or dinner these school holidays.
Mac ‘n Cheese, Vegan-Style!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 medium potato, peeled and chopped (about 1/4-1/3 cup)
- 1/2 large carrot, peeled and chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 1/2 small onion, peeled and chopped (about 1/4-1/3 cup)
- 1.5 cups raw cashews
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 4 garlic cloves
- 6 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 3 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tsp mustard
- ~300-340 grams dry/uncooked Macaroni or other pasta (I used whole wheat rotini)
- 1 slice bread
- 1 tbsp Earth Balance or butter (which of course, makes it non-vegan)
- Fresh or dried parsley, to garnish (optional)
- Paprika, to garnish
Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. Grab a small casserole dish and set aside. In a medium sized pot, add the chopped potatoes, carrots and onion and fill with water until just covered. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low-medium heat.
Cook for about 15 minutes until tender.
Meanwhile, process 1 slice of bread until crumbs form in a food processor. Add in 1 tbsp of of Earth Balance (or butter) and process until incorporated. Place in a small bowl and set aside.
Now, assemble your cheese sauce ingredients (cashews, almond milk, garlic, lemon, salt, yeast, pepper, mustard) and add just the cashews to food processor.
Process until a fine crumb forms, similar to corn meal. Add in the rest of the cheese sauce ingredients and process until smooth.
Once the veggies are cooked, drain and add to cheese sauce mixture in food processor. Process until smooth.
Add your pasta to a medium sized pot and fill with water until the pasta is covered by about 1 inch or so. Bring to a boil and reduce to low, cooking for about 7 more minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
In a large bowl, mix together your cheese sauce and drained, rinsed pasta. Scoop into your casserole dish and sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture. Garnish with paprika and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 350F. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley or dried parsley.
Serves approx 4-6.
Note: This is a heavy and drier mac ‘n cheese. If you want it less dry, you might want to add more Earth Balance/butter or additional milk.
