“Does this taste like anything you recognize?”
“Some really fancy pasta dish.”
(Ooh, I like that comment.)
“I was tryin’ to make a vegan mac ‘n cheese but I don’t think I’m gonna call it that.”
“It’s *better* than mac n’ cheese.”
Heard later, when we’re having seconds for dinner: “You should make this *every* day.”
Ok so now really. He always does like my food but I’m pretty sure this is the longest string of compliments I’ve had maybe ever.
Here’s the scoop:
I don’t quite feel comfortable callin’ this “mac n cheez” since in a side by side comparison y’really wouldn’t *quite* say this tastes *just* like cheese.
However …
If you’ve been dairy-free for a while now or y’just wanna try somethin’ new, you just may fall in love with this.
Maybe.
My old assistant Colleen … (No, not me. At one time I’d hired two Colleens in a row, followed by two Marianas. Go figure.) … used to say she was a cheese whore. Guess I was too. Totally in love with it. Or maybe I’d say lust. Anyway, it was good. These were the glory days of ignorance. I ate friggin’ everything!
Then along came Dr. Diamond. “Cheese is the devil,” he proclaimed. Wow, right? Pretty strong words. Guess my big crush wasn’t all that great for me after all. Huge bummer.
Needless to say, I stopped eating so much cheese. Once in a while you’ll catch me with a nice little organic goat cheese here and there but no big time cheese-fests lately.
All this to say, I haven’t had cheese in so long that the real deal tastes sorta funky to me. Kinda plasticy and weird.
So when this dish came along, it satisfied that creamy comfort food craving and I just love it. I’m thinkin’ my boyfriend loved it too mainly cuz I didn’t introduce it as cheese. Or cheez. So if you’re gonna try this, make sure and clear your mind first. You just may fall in love too!
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Creamy Mac ‘n More-Pleese Recipe
Note: This makes enough for one meal or two snacks. Multiply accordingly.
For the mac:
- 1 cup brown rice penne or elbow macaroni
- pinch kosher salt
For the sauce:
- 1/8 small onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 cup raw cashews (soaked overnight or at least 3 hours)
- 1/2 cup coconut water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp miso paste
- 1/8 cup nutritional yeast
- 3/4 tsp arrowroot
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- pinch pepper
Preheat oven to 350. In large pot, boil water with pinch kosher salt then cook macaroni til al dente.
In small pan, sauté onions and garlic with splash olive oil on medium low heat til onions are translucent and soft but not brown. Place the rest of sauce ingredients into food processor or high speed blender, add onions and garlic and blend til creamy. It will be very watery and you’ll think it’s all wrong. Keep going. 😊
Combine macaroni and sauce in medium glass baking dish, cover with foil and bake til sauce thickens, approx 15 – 20 min.
Serve and enjoy!
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PS: I just have to say, I’m so grateful to all of the cooks out there rocking the vegan food inventions. Thanks to you we are all learning we can eat healthier with zero sacrifice and feel totally good about it.
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