Mac n Cheeze

For those that follow my blog, you may have noticed I have multiple variations of vegan mac n cheese recipes. If you browse the internet you'll find almost every ingredient possible thrown into a faux cheesy sauce that drenches pasta to mimic the traditional American experience of eating dairy macaroni and cheese- a favorite of many. I've made several varieties but this is the first that contains potatoes, carrots, onions and nuts and somehow that combination makes a creamy cheesy tasting orange sauce that satisfies a cheese craving. Give it a go and let me know what you think! This recipe was taken from "Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Food", a delicious book by Alicia C. Simpson.


Ingredients:

1 lb of pasta (use elbow macaroni or rotini for a traditional mac n cheese experience, and for gluten free option use a gluten free pasta variety)

2 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced

1 medium carrot, peeled and diced

⅔ cup diced white or yellow onion

2 ½ cups water

⅔ cup vegetable oil

⅓ cup cashews

⅓ cup macadamia nuts

2 teaspoons sea salt

2 garlic cloves, chopped

¼ teaspoon mustard

2 tablespoons lemon juice

½ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ cup bread crumbs, optional


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a 3 quart casserole dish.

Prepare/cook pasta according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, boil the potatoes, carrots and onions in the 2 ½ cups of water. Once boiling, turn down heat and simmer for 10 minutes until veggies are soft. (The smaller the veggies are cut the quicker they'll cook.)

Combine cooked potatoes, carrots, onions AND the water they were cooked in in a food processor along with other ingredients except the pasta and bread crumbs. Blend until smooth.

Drain cooked pasta and toss with the cheesy sauce you just blended up. Transfer to casserole dish and sprinkle with bread crumbs if using. Bake for 30 minutes or until that cheeze sauce starts bubbling.

Enjoy!