Macaroni and Cheese

Mac with roasted brussels sprouts (my favorite) and buffalo tempeh.

Spicy mac with bell peppers and green peas.

Steamy rotini with mushrooms, broccoli, and sun-dried tomatoes.

Most people who want to go vegan but don't often say that they can't give up cheese. For a number of years, I was one of those people.

Then one holiday I made a vegan macaroni and cashew cheese recipe. Specifically the 'Creamy Macaroni and Cashew Cheese' from The Vegan Table (2009) by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. She, in turn, had basically gotten the recipe from The Real Food Daily Cookbook by Ann Gentry. Patrick-Goudreau notes that she only slighty modified Gentry's recipe, and below I have edited Patrick-Goudreau's recipe to my liking. I have made a fistful of other vegan macaroni and cheese recipes but, in the end, this is the one I always come back to.

Thus began my love affair with cashew-based cheeses.

I make this mac and cheese at least once a month with different variations, i.e. 'mix-ins', because it's so easy and versatile. I basically use the creamy pasta as the base of my meal and then just combine with whatever veggies or proteins I have on hand. That isn't to say the pasta isn't satisfying on its own - it most certainly is fantastic by itself; I just like to throw the recipe together on a weeknight with other items so we have leftovers for lunch the following day. This mac is also easily doubled for larger gatherings and would make a wonderful side dish at any holiday meal.

Jenny's Mac & Cheese

Yield :: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small white or yellow onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon salt + a pinch
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons raw cashews
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• fresh cracked black pepper
• 1½ cup + 2 tablespoons plain nondairy milk (such as soy, almond, or cashew)
• 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ cup canola or safflower oil (or pumpkin/butternut squash purée)
• 2 tablespoons miso paste
• juice of 1 small or ½ large lemon
• 8 ounces macaroni or other pasta, cooked al dente as instructed on the packaging

Procedure

1. Get a pot of salted water (with a glug of olive oil) boiling on the stove. Cook macaroni al dente according to package instructions.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large, deep pan over medium heat. Make sure your pan is large enough to accommodate the final product as we will be returning the sauce and macaroni to this pan. Add diced onion with a pinch of salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Onion should become translucent. 
3. Add garlic to the pan and cook for about a minute more, until fragrant. Add onion-garlic mixture to a blender.
4. Also add to the blender: the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, cashews, nutritional yeast, black pepper, milk, cornstarch, oil (or purée), and miso paste. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. This can take a few minutes depending on the strength of your blender.
5. Transfer sauce back to the big pan you sautéed the onions in. Over medium heat, whisk the sauce often until it becomes thick and bubbly, about ten or so minutes. Add the lemon juice and fold in the cooked macaroni with a rubber spatula. 
6. Turn off the heat and taste for salt and pepper. This recipe is best enjoyed immediately but leftovers are great, too. It may seem like initially there's a lot of sauce but keep in mind that the pasta will continue soaking up the moisture as it sits. Great eaten by itself in a big bowl or as a side dish.