CHEESY BREEZY

Regardless of who you are, somebody somewhere is going to judge you for something that you are or something that you’re doing. For example, it’s Friday night and all your friends and family are out on the town, yet you decide to stay in under the covers watching chick flicks all night and inhaling a massive bowl of mac n cheese. We’re not going to judge you, yet many people would if they knew what you were doing. Comfort food like mac n cheese shouldn’t be something one is judged for if it makes YOU feel good, because sometimes you just need a large bowl of pasta to yourself for the night to make everything better. Though a gooey bowl of mac n cheese may make your heart warm and taste buds happy, it doesn’t leave your body feeling too good 30 minutes later or leave a great imprint on the environment and its animals either…

Unfortunately for vegans there is an incredible amount of judgment out there in the world. For one, is that vegans only eat salad. WRONG! Using our creativity and knowledge of certain foods, we can transform comfort food classics like macaroni and cheese that is filled with heavy animal fats like butter, cheese, and cream into a lighter, vegan variation that is healthy and environmentally friendly. Vegan macaroni and cheese can be a delicious, comforting, and healthier dish not to be judged for eating all by yourself on a Friday night!

Ingredients:

-1 tablespoon of olive oil
-1 tablespoon of all purpose flour
-2 cups of cashew cream (1 cup of cashews soaked for 2 hours in 1 cup of water and blended)
-1 tablespoon of lemon juice
-1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
-1/2 cup of vegan cheddar cheese
-2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
-1 teaspoon of black pepper
-1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
-2-3 tablespoons of water (if needed)
-1 tablespoon of breadcrumbs for each topping

Directions:

In a large sauce pan on medium heat combine the olive oil with the flour and whisk together to create a roux for your sauce to thicken. Once the roux has bound together add in the cashew cream, lemon juice, and mustard. Whisk until combined and then add the cheddar cheese, nutritional yeast, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Whisk together for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens, yet if the cheese sauce becomes too thick add a few tablespoons of water until the sauce becomes a smoother consistency. Add in 1 box of cooked elbow macaroni and stir together until the cheese sauce coats the pasta. Garnish with 1 tablespoon of breadcrumbs for each bowl and dig in!

Imagery via Grace Esler, Veg.Ge

Additional imagery via Vogue Japan, Machester Confidential
Original Recipe via www.veg-ge.blogspot.com
Words written By Grace Esler