Nothing says comfort food quite like Mac N’ Cheese, although I think as adults we like to think we’ve grown out of that sort of thing.
To that I say, never grow up.
Never be too old to run through sprinklers, jump in puddles, or enjoy a bowl of mac n’ cheese.
However, if you want to gussie it up a little so that your mac n’cheese involves veggies that your grown-up tummy loves, too, check out my “Grown Up Vegan Mac N’ Cheese” recipe. It’s pretty close to my regular vegan mac n’ cheese recipe, just with some “grown-up” extras.
The truth is, if you make enough of the cheese and enough noodles, the toppings are always your choice. Use this recipe as a jumping off point for your own “grown up mac n’ cheese,” and then go jump in some puddles.
Grown Up Vegan Mac N’ Cheese
Serves 2
Ingredients~
cheese:
1 small potato (yukon gold), chunked
1 large carrot, peeled and chunked
1/4 onion, chunked
1 clove garlic
4 Tbs nutritional yeast
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tsp cumin
salt to taste
1/4 cup soaked cashews (optional)
veggies:
1 bunch of kale, torn into bite size pieces
1 tomato or 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into small cubes
pasta:
1 1/4 cup noodles (I like Banza Shells, personally) plus water to cook
Directions~
Cook your pasta according to package instructions. When done, strain and set aside to cool.
In the meantime, make your “cheese” by placing the potatoes, carrots, and onions in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover them by an inch or 2. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook until the carrots and potatoes are soft (5-10 minutes).
Once the veggies are soft, strain out the veggies and put them in a high speed blender or food processor. Add in the remaining cheese ingredients and blend until very smooth. Adjust cheesiness by adding more nutritional yeast or salt.
To prep the other veggies, steam the butternut squash (this step can be done while the cheese veggies are cooking, if you like to multitask).
And saute the kale in some coconut oil. Or steam it with the squash. Both ways work.
When everything is done, separate everything into 2 bowls and mix well and eat it up like the big kid you are.
