Creamy Vegan Mac Cheese Food

CREAMY VEGAN MAC & CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat 4 tbsp of the olive oil in a large pot over a medium-low heat. Add the onion to the pot and saute until it starts to brown slightly - about 10 minutes. Add the potato, cashews, water, smoked paprika, garlic granules, nutritional yeast, soy sauce/miso, and mustard to the pot.
• Bring to the boil and turn down to simmer - leave for 15 minutes so that the potatoes and cashews can soften.
• Pour the contents of the pot into the jug of a high-speed blender along with the apple cider vinegar and blitz until completely smooth, adding more water if needed to get the right sauce texture. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.
• Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted boiling water according to the package directions. Drain and return the pasta to the pot. Pour the sauce in and stir together - taste again and add more salt and pepper if needed. Tip into an oven-proof serving dish.
• Preheat your oven grill to the highest setting.
• Toss the breadcrumbs with the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the pasta. Place the pasta under the grill in the oven and let it crisp up the breadcrumbs - this will only take a couple of minutes so watch it carefully.
• Serve immediately.

THE BEST EVER VEGAN MAC 'N' CHEESE RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Add the cashews to a medium bowl and cover with warm water by 1 inch (2 ½ cm). Soak for 3-4 hours, until the cashews are softened and plump, then drain.
• While the cashews are soaking, make the roasted garlic: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Cut off the top ½ inch (1 ¼ cm) of the head of garlic and drizzle the exposed cloves with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Replace the top of the head of garlic and wrap tightly in foil. Roast for 35-40 minutes, until the cloves are easily pierced with a fork. Unwrap the garlic and let cool completely. Once cooled, squeeze all of the cloves from their skins.
• Add the soaked cashews, roasted garlic cloves, and cold water to a high-powered blender. Blend on high speed until completely smooth. 30-60 seconds. Set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 12-inch (30 G) cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the panko, paprika, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir with a spatula to coat the bread crumbs in the oil. Toast, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes, until the bread crumbs are lightly golden brown. Transfer the bread crumbs to a bowl and set aside. Wipe out the skillet.
• In the same skillet, melt together the vegan butter and remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant but not browned. Whisk in the flour, making sure there are no clumps. Cook the roux for 3-4 minutes, whisking continuously, until the flour is golden in color and fragrant.
• Add the blended cashew mixture to the skillet and whisk well to combine with the roux. Add the nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, turmeric, pepper, and the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the sauce for 2-3 minutes, until slightly thickened. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and pool when drizzled, but not so thick that it is gloppy. If the cheese sauce is too thick, add more water, 2 tablespoons at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency.
• Add the elbow noodles to the sauce and toss until well coated.
• Sprinkle the toasted bread crumbs on top of the pasta in an even layer.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling around the edges of the skillet and the bread crumbs are deep golden brown.
• Garnish with fresh minced parsley and serve.
• Enjoy!

VEGAN MAC N CHEESE AKA CREAMY CASHEW MACARONI

Steps:

• Cook pasta as directed on package. Drain and set aside in a large bowl. Cover so it won't dry out.
• Grind cashews in food processor on high speed until relatively smooth. It's okay if the result is rather grainy looking, so long as what you have is mostly a thick paste.
• With processor on low speed, slowly add in the entire can of coconut milk.
• Dissolve the bullion cube in the hot water completely. Again with processor on low speed, slowly pour into the cashew/coconut milk mixture to incorporate fully.
• Add in the garlic and blend.
• Still on slow speed, add in the nutritional yeast, 2TB at a time. Taste after each 2TB to determine the taste that suits you. More nutritional yeast = more cheddar-y type flavor, however, some people do not like the yeast-y flavor it can impart. Add in as much or as little as suits you.
• Add in the vinegar the same way, starting with about 1TB, then adding in more 1tsp at a time, tasting after each tsp to determine what you like. The more vinegar you add, the more "sharp" taste you get. For a very sharp taste, try white vinegar.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Once the sauce is at your satisfaction, pour over the pasta and mix well. Add in water (or make some additional broth) if you prefer a thinner sauce. Refrigerate any leftover sauce.
• I coupled this with some braised spinach (2 bunches of fresh spinach coarsely chopped and sautéed in 2TB olive oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes), that I threw right into the bowl (you can see the spinach in the picture above). Other veggies that would probably pair nicely: peas, braised julienne carrots, steamed broccoli, steamed asparagus tips.

VEGAN MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
• Meanwhile, add the cashews to a large nonstick skillet and heat over medium, stirring frequently, until fragrant, toasty and slightly golden, about 4 minutes. Transfer cashews to a blender and add the almond milk. Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel.
• Add the oil to the skillet and heat over medium. Add the onion, garlic, onion powder, ground turmeric and mustard powder, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until onions are very tender, 8 to 10 minutes, lowering the heat as necessary to avoid scorching. Remove from the heat, stir in 1/2 cup nutritional yeast and the tamari, then transfer to the blender.
• Blend the cashew mixture on high until thick and creamy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed. (This works best with a high-power blender, but any blender will work - just keep blending the mixture 1 to 2 more minutes after the mixture looks creamy; it will emulsify further.) You should have about 1 1/2 cups.
• Cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water. Drain pasta, then return cooked pasta to the pot. Stir in the cashew cream, then add the pasta cooking water 1/4 cup at a time until you achieve desired sauciness. Season to taste with salt, pepper and additional nutritional yeast, if desired. Serve immediately. (The sauce thickens significantly as it sits. If it starts to coagulate, or if you have any leftover macaroni and cheese, stir in a splash of the remaining pasta cooking water to loosen.)
• If you'd like a little crunch on top, prepare the optional panko topping: Heat the broiler. In a small bowl, add the panko, olive oil and 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast. Pinch the mixture together gently to combine thoroughly; season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Transfer the prepared macaroni to a lightly oiled 9-by-13-inch baking dish, arrange in an even layer and sprinkle the panko mixture on top, if using. Transfer to the oven on the shelf nearest to the broiler and broil until just golden on top, about 2 minutes. (The panko toasts quickly, so you'll want to keep an eye on it.) Serve immediately.

THE BEST VEGAN MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain.
• Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. Peel and finely chop potatoes when cool enough to handle.
• Combine potatoes, onion, carrot, and garlic in a small pot over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons water and cook until soft enough to blend and water is mostly evaporated, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer sauce to a blender. Add 3/4 cup water, cashews, soy milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, paprika, and cayenne. Cover the blender and hold lid down with a potholder; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend until smooth.
• Heat 2 tablespoons water in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add broccoli and cook until soft but still a little crunchy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large serving bowl. Pour sauce in and mix until thoroughly coated.