Vegan and Gluten-free Macaroni and Cheese
A healthy, yummy, cheesy Mac n’ Cheese that’s not only fresh and vegan, but gluten-free too!
When we think of Mac and Cheese, we think of easy, orange-hued, microwaveable dinners on lazy nights. However, most food items that come from a box more often than not present little to no nutritional value. Their greatest selling factor is the quickness in which these “meals” could be prepared.
What if I told you that for the same amount of time needed to prepare a boxed Macaroni and Cheese, you can craft a vegan and gluten-free version of this dish that doesn’t involve ingredients and artificial flavorings that you can’t pronounce?
Sounds good, right? Stay with me here. Our version also has a lot more benefits, since we used turmeric powder, known for its inflammatory properties, for the cheesy orange color that we’ve known Mac and Cheese for.
Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 cups organic raw cashews
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 1/4 cup organic nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 clove organic garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon organic turmeric powder
• A pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 16 ounces gluten-free pasta
• freshly ground black pepper
• paprika , for garnishing
Instructions:
1. Prepare the gluten-free pasta as per package directions.
2. While the pasta is cooking, liquefy the cashews, lemon juice, water, salt, nutritional yeast, chili powder, garlic, turmeric, cayenne, and mustard in a high speed blender and blend until silky smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add 2-4 more tablespoons of water and blend again.
3. Once the pasta is al dente, drain and rinse it, then return the pasta to the pot and stir in the cheese sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve warm.
For an even healthier option, you may replace the pasta with cooked organic cauliflower or pour the cashew “cheese” sauce over organic broccoli for more vitamins and minerals.
