When the idea of going vegan first entered my life less than two months ago, I felt pretty sure I could never do it. One of the biggest reasons was due to my love of cheese. It may sounds a little crazy, but I could not imagine my life without the deliciousness that is cheese. I think I've talked about this in several posts now! Even though I didn't think I could do it, I knew it seemed right for my health and my life. I had to do it. I had to try. As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "You must do the thing you think you cannot do."
So, that is exactly what I did. I have made some major changes in my lifestyle since the first of the year. Doing so has brought me greater health, happiness, and more hope than I have felt in quite some time. It turns out Eleanor is right ... we have to just do the things we think we can't. It is amazing how much we can surprise ourselves.
Not only did I think I could not go vegan, I also didn't believe that any "cheese substitutes" would ever satisfy my insatiable love of cheese. I proved myself wrong the first time I made cashew cheese and then again when I made my first vegan grilled cheese sammie. So tonight, I set out to do another thing I thought I could not do ... make some delicious vegan macaroni and cheese. I got the idea after eating a vegan frozen meal of mac 'n cheese made by Candle Cafe last weekend that was oh so yummy. I thought, "Hey. If they can make a frozen one taste this good, I can sure as hell make my own fresh mac 'n cheese that tastes even better!"
And that is exactly what I did, folks.
I adapted tonight's recipe for Vegan Mac 'N Cheese from The Wicked Good Vegan website. My usual skepticism morphed right on into joy as I tasted my delicious creation. This mac 'n cheese was SO good! I mentioned the other night that I only really like my Aunt Sandy's mac 'n cheese or good ole' Kraft out of the box mac 'n cheese. Tonight, I add a third mac 'n cheese to the list ... this one! This stuff was so good that I feel pretty sure even non-veggies and non-vegans would love it without questioning the validity of the "cheese". Next time I make it, I think I will add broccoli or peas to make it a little more fun. You could do all kinds of variations!!! This mac 'n cheese rocked my world and has definitely been added to my all star list!
Creamy Vegan Mac 'N Cheese
Ingredients:
- 1 pound organic whole wheat pasta (shells, elbows, or whatever floats your boat)
- 2 tablespoons Earth Balance butter spread
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- cracked black pepper to taste (I used lots!)
- sea salt to taste (I used quite a bit)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika, divided (plus more for garnish)
- 2 cups plain light soy milk
- 1 package Daiya cheddar style shreds
- 1/2 package Daiya pepper jack style shreds
- 1/4 -1/2 cup gluten free breadcrumbs
Preparation Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cook pasta until it is al dente (slightly firm). Drain, but do not rinse!
3. Heat Earth Balance butter over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan. Add nutritional yeast and 1 teaspoon of paprika. Whisk together.
4. Add soy milk, garlic powder, onion powder, and sea salt/cracked black pepper to taste. Whisk until combined and just starting to thicken.
5. Pour in the Daiya "cheese".
6. Whisk together until melted and well combined.
7. Pour pasta into an oven-safe casserole dish.
8. Pour cheese sauce over pasta and stir together well.
9. Sprinkle breadcrumbs and paprika over the top of the pasta plus salt and pepper to taste.
10: Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until just starting to bubble and brown.
11. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.
12. Serve and enjoy!!!
It really tastes as delicious as it looks! So yummy!
So, dear Gnawers, I hope that you will continue to work towards doing all the things you think you cannot do. It turns out that you probably can do them. ;) Keep that in mind along the journey! Until next time, Gnawers, take good care of you!!!
That looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Fit Mom! It really was! Even the leftovers were awesome for lunch today. :)
ReplyDeleteLooks pretty interesting. I've also been on a quest for vegan M&C. The best I've found to date is the one from Vegan Comfort Food (Alicia Simpson). It's cashew based, and doesn't really taste like cheese, but the texture is *excellent!* I've been enjoying your blog (just discovered it a day or two ago). Thanks for being there!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestion, Shelda! I will definitely give that one a shot too! This one was pretty awesome I must say. The texture was perfect and it did taste like cheese! Thanks so much for being here and for taking the time to comment. I love hearing from readers and can take all the suggestions I can get! :)
DeleteGlad that you like the recipe so much! I actually just made some the other night--it's so easy, and we had a bunch of Daiya wanting to be used.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely throw anything green in! There's a general dish known as macnchreesenpeas in our home, broccoli is great in casserole, and even steamed greens--collards, chard, kale--sliced and shortly steamed help to pretend like it's healthy.
I hope that you keep customising and enjoy it just as well! Glad to see that you're jumping in with both feet.
Thanks so much, Meaghan! I really appreciate you taking the time to comment! Your recipe is delicious and has been raved about in my house since I made it! I will definitely throw in some green goodness the next time I make it. Thanks for the ideas and for checking out my blog! :)
DeleteYou may have already answered this but where do you get the daiya cheese. My husband and I are looking to move to eating whole foods. Your blog has been so helpful. I love that you have been real about your experience, both the ups and downs. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteWhy did you use gluten free breadcrumbs in conjunction with whole wheat pasta?
ReplyDeletethat defeats the purpose.