When I should be napping...

I'm not vegan. Nobody in our house is completely vegan. But we try. Not necessarily to be vegan, but to try recipes that are vegan just because. And as of January I have a gluten allergy so that's been my latest challenge. It was super fun trying to explain to Hungarians who eat meals full of meat and gluten that I consume neither of these things (oh yes, I went to Hungary for two and a half weeks this summer). And every once in awhile I get cravings for delicious childhood meals - like mac and cheese. Who doesn't? But when you've got a house full of people who are lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, vegetarian..blah, blah, blah it's not always easy or smart to make food that half of your house can't eat. And as mentioned in my little "about me" section, this is all about experimentation! So..I give you my latest experiment. I searched "vegan mac and cheese" on the amazing website I often get lost in, Foodgawker.com, and found this recipe on bittersweetblog.wordpress.com entitled "Reunited and It Tastes So Good!" It was love at first sight! Someone who understands these childhood cravings like a big ol' bowl of mac and cheese minus the stuff that most of my household doesn't eat! WOOOOO!!!


I took the recipe, modified it a bit and present it to you now. I didn't use non-dairy milk because I didn't have any that was technically mine, I added broccoli and tomatoes, I made a crust of ground flax seed and paprika, and I baked it  (think veggie pasta bake and mac & cheese with tomato soup and you'll have the result). So without further ado..here it is!


Gluten Free, Almost Vegan Mac & Cheese

• 1 cup peeled and diced yukon gold potatoes
• 1/4 cup shredded or finely diced carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 clove garlic finely chopped
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup raw cashews
• 1/4 nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 1/8 tsp. turmeric (optional, for color)
• 3/4 cup NF milk (or milk of choice)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup ground flax plus 1 tsp. paprika 
• 1 cup chopped broccoli
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1 pound gluten free pasta*

* I used Quinoa Veggie Curls Pasta, it's got a great texture and flavor and the color of the pasta adds some pizazz! Simply cook pasta according to package directions, adding chopped broccoli in at the last few minutes, and chopped tomatoes after you drain pasta. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the cut potatoes, carrots, onion, and garlic in a small sauce pan, and pour in the water. Set over medium heat on the stove, and bring to a boil. Once the water reaches a vigorous boil, cover the pot, turn down the heat to medium-low, and let simmer for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are extremely tender.

Meanwhile, prep the other ingredients to speed things along. Place the cashews, nutritional yeast, salt, lemon juice, paprika, and tumeric (if using) in a food processor. Give these ingredients a light pulse just to begin breaking down the cashews slightly.

When the vegetables on the stove are fully cooked and ready, pour them into food processor along with all of the cooking water. Add in the milk, and turn on food processor to its highest setting. Thoroughly puree the mixture, until completely smooth and lump-free. With the motor still running, slowly drizzle in the oil, to allow it to properly emulsify. 

When completely lump free, pour over pasta, broccoli, and tomatoes and mix until all pasta is completely covered with sauce. 

Mix ground flax and paprika (if you have a grinder, I recommend buying whole flax seeds and grinding for each use as the flax will last longer this way and you can grind the paprika right into the flax). Spread half of the mixture on the bottom of a greased, glass baking dish.

Pour pasta mixture into dish, then spread the rest of the flax mixture on top. Place in oven and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until there is a nice crust on top of the pasta. Enjoy while it's nice and hot!!

Roommate Reactions:

Jenna- "OH MY GOSH!! That's sooo GOOD!" (she almost didn't try any because she didn't want to make it ugly before I took a final picture, but I convinced her to cave. Hence the missing corner.)
Mady- "That was the best thing I've eaten in a really, really long time." 
Jamie- "Mmmm, that's very delicious! I really like the combination of the veggies and the pasta."