"You won't believe it's not cheese!" Macaroni and cheese.. and guess what it's HEALTHY!

This recipe knocked my socks off. I found it in one of my awesome vegan cookbooks I got from the book sale and I've been wanting to try it for a while but it wasn't until now that I was able to get my hands on some butternut squash. The good news is that the season for butternut squash is now starting again, and it should soon be readily available at local farmers markets and from local farms.



This pasta and cheese recipe closer resembles the creamy to die for type of cheese sauce.. not the really strong flavored, bright artificially colored yellow cheese sauce. It's also much healthier for you... and although it's not made from a packet and microwavable noodles, it is still relatively easy for a homemade recipe. Although addicting, it's filling enough that it will last you enough for dinner and lunch the next day. Credit goes to Christy Morgan, author of "Blissful Bites".

Ingredients:

- 1 package of whole wheat pasta, any shape
- 4 cups of butternut squash
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 1 package of silken or soft tofu
- 2 tablespoons of white miso
- 2 tablespoons of tahini
- juice of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup of nutritional yeast
- dash of black pepper
- either paprika or nutritional yeast for topping or garnishment (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Steam squash until tender and soft. While cooking, boil pasta according to package directions.

When squash is soft, throw it into a food processor with the remaining ingredients, except the pasta and your topping or garnishment. Blend until creamy smooth.

Once your pasta is done cooking, mix together in a bowl with the cheesy sauce. Mix well so it covers every crevice of the pasta.

Pour pasta and cheese sauce into a casserole dish. If you're a big fan of nutritional yeast like I am, sprinkle a tablespoon along the top of your pasta to give it a crispy crunchy taste.

Bake for 15 minutes. Take out, and garnish with paprika if you choose to. Enjoy!