Vegan Mac and Cheese

When life is screaming out for comfort food, but you aren’t willing to sacrifice your health for comfort, you need weak in the knees vegan mac and cheese.

Who doesn’t love a gooey mac and cheese!? I know it makes me weak in the knees whenever I see it. Mac and cheese is all based on personal preference. Some like their mac and cheese super cheesy and some like their mac and cheese more decadent and creamy. For me, I love a mix of both. Recreating a vegan and healthy version has been my mission the past month. After countless tries, I’ve created a mac and cheese that will leave you smiling and feeling great! Over the past two years, countless studies have been released stating that boxed macaroni and cheese is horrible for your health due to the orange dye that’s in the cheese. Good news, now you can enjoy a wholesome and non-processed childhood classic without affecting your health.

Leave all the dairy products behind because this recipe is 100% vegan and gluten free. It may look like cheese, but the substitute is ten times healthier and more nutritious. This recipe is rich and creamy and will make you forget about their unhealthy counterpart. I used carrots and butternut squash to give this recipe a rich and robust flavor. Butternut squash is an excellent source of fiber and is low in fat. Carrots are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K. Together these autumn vegetables add a generous dose of nutrients to your dish. Adding the onion and garlic will also add to the flavor dimension of this dish. I used nutritional yeast to give it that cheesy flavor, but you can always opt out of this.

What’s great about this dish is that it only takes around 30 minutes from start to finish. Your non-vegan friends will be amazed by your new-found recipe and will be asking for seconds, promise!

This is serious vegan comfort food - the healthy edition!

Weak in the Knees Vegan Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

• 2 packages of gluten free macaroni noodles
• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tablespoons Sunwarrior Coconut Milk powder
• 1 butternut squash, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons Sunwarrior Nutritional Yeast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional: Sprinkle hot paprika or hemp hearts

Directions:

1.) Soak cashews in prepared coconut milk (water and coconut milk powder) for 4–6 hours

2.) Bring a pot of water to boil and cook noodles according to package.

2.) While your noodles are cooking, fill a large pot with water and let it boil. Add butternut squash and carrots. Cook for 10–12 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

3.) While the vegetables are boiling, sauté onion with 1 tablespoon olive oil for 10 minutes on low heat. Add garlic and cook for another 1–2 minutes. Add Dijon mustard and 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Mix well.

4.) Remove vegetables from water and place in a high speed blender. Add sautéed vegetables, cashews and coconut milk. Blend for 2 minutes or until completely smooth.

5.) Remove from blender and place in a small saucepan over low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, nutritional yeast if desired and salt to taste. Remove from heat and pour over noodles.

Try out the best friend of comfort food: vegan tomato soup!