Vegan Broccoli Mac and Cheese

6 Servings

The best traditional mac and cheese recipes rely on more than just the cheese. They use a bechamel to create a cheese sauce that enrobes the pasta and keeps the dish wonderfully creamy.

It follows, then, that the best vegan mac and cheese recipes rely on more than vegan cheese, too. In fact, plenty of them don’t use any vegan cheese at all, instead enlisting cashews to create the sauce and other powerful ingredients (such as nutritional yeast, miso and mustard) to bring nutty, deep and sharp flavors to the party. Some recipes add tapioca or potato starch to approximate the stretchiness of cheese, vegan or not.

Here, you cook potato, carrot, garlic and onion in a skillet with water and the requisite cashews, then the whole thing gets pureed with the aforementioned flavor boosters to become the sauce. The potato brings that starchiness, the carrot a hint of color.

One warning about this recipe: It makes a lot, filling a deep 12-inch cast-iron skillet. If your household is small, feel free to eat whatever portion you’d like, refrigerate some for the following few lunches

Make Ahead: Assemble and refrigerate for up to 3 days before baking.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium white or yellow onion (8 ounces), chopped
• 1 teaspoon fine salt, divided, plus more to taste
• 2 garlic cloves, grated or pressed
• 1 medium russet potato (9 ounces), scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 medium carrot (4 ounces), scrubbed and cut into 1/4-inch coins
• 1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) raw cashews
• 2 cups water, plus more as needed
• 5 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon white miso
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 large head broccoli (1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 3/4 cup (2 ounces) vegan panko, such as Kikkoman brand
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1   Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.

In a 12-inch cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet over medium heat, heat the oil until it shimmers. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2    Add the potato, carrot, cashews and water, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes and carrots are very soft, 10 to 15 minutes. (Add hot water as needed to keep the vegetables just barely covered.) Remove from the heat and let cool for a few minutes.

3    Carefully pour the vegetables and liquid into a blender. Add the nutritional yeast, miso, mustard, smoked paprika, cayenne and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Blend on high until the sauce is very smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.

4   Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While the water is heating, cut the broccoli stem from the head and use a vegetable peeler to peel the stem’s tough outer layer. Cut the stem in half lengthwise and then into 1/4-inch half moons. Cut the head into bite-size florets.

5   Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook until 2 minutes shy of al dente according to the package directions, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook for the remaining 2 minutes, or until the broccoli is bright green and the pasta is al dente.

6  Drain the pasta and broccoli and return to the pot. Pour in the sauce and stir to fully coat. Return the mixture to the cast-iron skillet and smooth into an even layer.

7   In a small bowl, toss the panko with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper. Sprinkle over the mac and cheese. Bake for 10 to 20 minutes, or until the panko is lightly browned and the sauce starts to bubble. Serve hot.

By Joe Yonan

Avocado Key Lime Pie

I LOVE Key Lime Pie!  BUT this way of making it has become my favorite dessert!!!  This dessert is uncooked except for the pie shell, so making it very healthy, low glycemic and sugar free! The recommendation for eating avocadoes in 1/2 avocado a day for heart health.

Avocado Key Lime Pie

Key Lime Filling

2 ripe avocados
1/2 cup key lime juice
1 Tablespoon gelatin powder
8 oz cashew or sunflower cream cheese, room temperature
2 large Tablespoons of lime zest
1/3 Monk Fruit Sweetener
½ teaspoon stevia (or another ¼ cup sugar)
1 cup coconut milk, don’t shake it, just scoop the creamy part into the food processor
1 gluten free pie crust, baked and cooled

Key Lime Pie Filling

Place the lime juice in a small saucepan, whisk in the gelatin. Gently heat, while stirring, to dissolve the gelatin. Do not boil!

Place cream cheese, coconut milk/cream, lime/gelatin mix, lime zest, sugar, pinch of salt in food processor. Blend really well, you may have to stop and use a spatula to get it off of the sides and then continue blending.

Pour the mixture over the prepared crust, spread the top smooth and place in the fridge to set for at least 6 hours.