Creamy Vegan Mac and Cheese

I had TWO back-to-back dental appointments today so I was in great need of comfort food for my dinner, (more than one person of late has deemed me a big baby, something I have never denied.) I've been contemplating reducing my meat intake and managed to retain this focus even though my lips and the tip of my nose are numb.  Big baby, indeed. 

Cashews and coconut milk in the pantry resulted in a search for recipes with "coconut milk and cashews" and the following is one that caught my eye.  Another with tofu and curry is slated to follow.  


Creamy Vegan Mac and Cheese - it was interesting.  I'll have some for lunch tomorrow, when presumably my taste buds will be fully engaged...  Just saying. 
 
Photo by Lindsay Rey
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Super Creamy Vegan Mac and Cheese
Author:
Cuisine: American
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients
  • 10 ounces dried macaroni (or about 2⅔ cups)
  • 1 cup peeled/diced yellow potatoes (or russets)
  • ¼ cup peeled/diced carrots
  • ⅓ cup chopped onion
  • ¾ cup water (preferably use liquid from pot of boiled veggies)
  • ½ cup raw cashews
  • ¼ cup coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ¾ to 1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 1 pinch paprika
Instructions
  1. Cook macaroni al dente, according to package instructions (usually requires boiling for 6-8 minutes in salted water), drain, and set aside.
  2. Bring several cups of water to boil in a small pot. Place chopped potatoes, carrots, and onion in the boiling water, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and soft enough to blend. Cooking time will vary slightly, based on how small you have chopped your veggies.
  3. When veggies are soft enough to blend, use a slotted spoon to remove them from cooking water, and place them in your blender. Add ¾ cup of that cooking water to your blender, along with your remaining ingredients.
  4. Blend until smooth.
  5. Pour sauce over your cooked macaroni noodles in a dish of your choice, taste for salt, and serve immediately.
  6. Or, place macaroni mixture in a baking dish, sprinkle with bread crumbs, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, or until crumbs are turning golden brown.
Notes
If you are not using a high-speed blender (like Vitamix of Blendtec) for this recipe, I recommend soaking your cashews for at least 30 minutes before attempting this recipe.
This recipe is adapted from VegNews' Vegan Macaroni and Cheese: http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=40&catId=10
 
 

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