Mac N' Cheese

Hold on to your bonnets, bloggers, as Get Dense will be rapid firing some fantastic recipes out to you in the next couple of days. Some of these delectables are variations of vegan, raw and gluten free, but ALL of them are DEEE-licious. Here's a teaser:

Now here's a mac n' cheese I wouldn't hesitate to serve to a variety of foodies, as it looks gourmet and the sauce is oh-so-savory and luscious. It's also gluten-free and vegan. (Though, not nut-free so beware.)  Unless someone told me they were allergic to any of these ingredients, I wouldn't even tell them what was in it. (I'm learning the "don't ask, don't tell unless I gotta" policy in the cuisine departamento.) People will like, if not love it. It also helps that it took me all of about 15 minutes to prepare.  

Without further adieu . . .

Vegan Mac N' Cheese

The ingredients: (Serves 3)

1 1/2 cups dry shell or elbow pasta, cooked until al dente according to the package directions. I used a brown rice elbow pasta which was gluten free.  Also, I salted and put olive oil in as directions allowed, as this (the broth) is another ingredient for the recipe anyway.

5 ounces vegan cheddar cheese, grated. I picked mine up already shredded at the health food store . . .BUT I learned that some of the larger grocers that have health food sections carry this stuff even cheaper!  At least that's the way it is around here. 

1 cup cashew cream (See below on how to make.)

1 cup broth from cooked pasta, or vegetable broth (Not pictured.)

Salt and pepper. I use Sea Salt. Or Celtic sea salt. Or Himalayan sea salt. And just run of the mill (ha, get the pun?) pepper.  



A word about the cashew cream . . .
Okay, so most vegans or raw foodies will buy their nuts raw and in bulk so they can soak them as needed.  Well, nuts can get pretty expensive, and since this is a vegan recipe anyway, I opted for the Aldi's brand cashews, which are roasted and sea salted. See below. $10 for this, which will go a long way. (Unless my husband and son don't stop eating them from the container!!!)

Anyway, I really wanted to make the cashew cream since many recipes call for it. Plus, as you will see, an option in this recipe is to heat the cashews anyway (which many know is a raw food NO-NO. Gasp!). But sure if it doesn't taste great either way. Maybe one day when we're rich, we'll get us some reeeeal raw nuts. In the meantime, here goes somethin':

Cashew Cream Recipe

2 cups raw organic cashews (pfft, or not raw)

2 1/2 cups water

Soak the cashews in water overnight or bring the cashew and 4 cups of water to a simmer.  Remove the pan from the heat and allow the cashews to soak 1 hour. Drains and rinse cashews. 

So here's what I did. I just soaked the cashews overnight. By morning, much of the salt had come off. I drained and rinsed them.

Next, place cashews into the jar of a blender and add 2 1/2 cups of water. Blend until completely smooth, stopping a few times to scrape down the sides of the jar with a spatula.  It should be the consistency of heavy cream.  It can be refrigerated for 1 week or frozen for 2 months. Makes 5 cups.

Okay, got that? Super easy...throw soaked cashews into blender with water and waa-la, cashew cream.

Back to the Mac n' Cheese . . .

Now, throw all the above ingredients together in a saucepan (except salt and pepper) and stir with a wooden spoon until the cheese has melted and the ingredients are well incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

And there you have it. My family absolutely loved it.

One thing I would do in the future is, if I made this as a main course, I'd double the recipe to serve 3-4. But as a side for three people it worked well.  

Recipe (with my own tweaks) courtesy of Roberto Martin, Vegan Cooking for Carnivores, pp. 154, 206