Vegan Mac & Cheese
Mac and Cheese using a cashew cheese sauce and roasted veggies to make this dish vegan friendly.
Who doesn't love mac & cheese?! I personally grew up on that stuff as a kid and in college with it being a huge part of my diet. I’m sure most of us can say the same. However, with all of the food sensitivities we're seeing in our society in this day and age, we can’t eat the same foods we used to anymore without feeling bloated, heavy, and miserable. Luckily, this doesn’t have to be the case anymore. Give that old story a rest with this delicious recipe that is not only gluten and dairy free, but contains tons of veggies and protein. Who says you can’t eat your old childhood favorites anymore?! Now, you can enjoy this delicious vegan mac & cheese with my recipe below:
For the cheese sauce:
1 1/2 cups raw cashews
3 T. fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup water or veggie broth
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. paprika
½ tsp. cumin
4 cloves garlic
pinch of turmeric
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
For the Mac & Cheese Casserole
16 ounces of pasta of choice (I like Banza chickpea pasta for a gluten free option)
Roasted veggies (feel free to go totally HAM on this… the more the merrier)
Directions:
1) If you decide to roast veggies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Start preparing all of your veggies. I personally like to do onions, peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, and spinach.
2) Put all of the chopped veggies (minus the spinach) on a baking sheet with tin foil under it and drizzle some olive oil, salt, and pepper on your veggies.
3) Put them in the oven for 30-35 minutes (I like them well done, so feel free to do it for 40 minutes if you decide to use a lot of veggies) and begin cooking the water for your pasta until it comes to a boil.
Feel free to sauté the veggies instead if you are short on time instead of using the oven.
4) While your veggies are roasting, make your “cheese” sauce by adding all of the ingredients to a high powered blender (Vitamix for example) and blend on high until smooth and creamy. No worries if you don’t have a high powered blender. You can use a food processor or blender to process the cashews first. Once they are processed, add them in with the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth.
5) Once the water for your pasta is brought to a boil, add the noodles until they are fully cooked according to the directions on the box (~10 minutes or I’ll taste it to make sure they are al dente). When they are done, drain/rinse the pasta and return your pasta to the pot to be mixed with your cheese sauce. Feel free to add the spinach too at this time.
6) When your veggies are all done roasting, take them out of the oven and mix everything together. Then, pour the mac & cheese into an 8x8 square dish. Feel free to garnish with black pepper and paprika.
7) ** Optional: Bake for 30 minutes (still at 350F) and let it cool for 5 minutes before serving.
8) Enjoy!
Do you want help making some of your childhood favorites that are healthy and taste good? Contact Rachel to see how we can work together!
Smoky Butternut Squash Pasta and Greens
Mac & cheese with veggies? Yes please!
Mac & cheese with veggies? Yes please! Who would have ever thought we could have our same childhood staples transformed into a healthier, lightened up dish?! With butternut squash pasta sauce, now you and your children can enjoy this delicious dish without even realizing you are eating vegetables. Take a look at this recipe for butternut squash pasta with greens below:
For the sauce:
1/4 cups raw cashews
1 (3.5-4 lb butternut squash, halved, seeds removed
1 T. fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup water or veggie broth
2 tbsp. nutritional yeast (optional, but recommended)
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. paprika
3 cloves garlic
1/8 tsp liquid smoke
pinch of cayenne pepper
hot sauce to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
For the Mac & Cheese:
16 ounces of pasta of choice (I like Banza chickpea pasta for a gluten free option)
Roasted greens: broccoli, kale, and/or any other veggies you like (feel free to go totally HAM on this… the more the merrier)
Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice your squash in half, remove seeds, and roast the two halves face up with olive oil. Roast for 30-40 minutes until squash is fork tender. Let cool for at least 5 minutes.
2) While your squashis roasting, make your “cheese” sauce by adding all of the ingredients to a high powered blender (Vitamix for example) and blend on high until smooth and creamy. No worries if you don’t have a high powered blender. You can use a food processor or blender to process the cashews first. Once they are processed, add them in with the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth. Set aside.
3) Chop and sauté your greens as well as begin the water for your pasta.
4) Once the water for your pasta is brought to a boil, add the noodles until they are fully cooked according to the directions on the box (~10 minutes or I’ll taste it to make sure they are al dente). When they are done, drain/rinse the pasta and return your pasta to the pot. Combine the pasta with your mixed greens.
5) When your squash is all done roasting, take it out of the oven. Take 2 cups of the cooked squash and pour it into the blender with the rest of the “cheese” sauce. Blend together until smooth.Feel free to dice the remainder of your squash to use with your pasta.
6) Combined sautéed veggies and pasta with the desired amount of “cheese” sauce. Cook over medium until heated throughout and serve immediately.
7) Enjoy!
Do you want help learning how to eat your veggies without feeling like you’re eating them? Comment below to see how we can work together!