Vegan Mac'n'Cheeze (from Veg News)

If you haven't had an opportunity to pick up a Veg News magazine, please do so. Great magazine. They also have a website. I'm not sure if the magazine is available in Brantford, I have purchased it a Chapters and in natural food stores. I found this recipe using Google and it just happened to be from Veg News. You'll want a food processor for this one unless you have a super blender.

I think this dish, used as a meal or as a side, will be enjoyed by your dairy loving friends and family. It is not Kraft's box mac'n'cheese, it's more like a homemade baked mac'n'cheese.

Enjoy!

ingredients

8 oz of macaroni noodles (weight before cooking)
1 cup peeled, finely chopped potatoes
1/4 cup peeled, finely chopped carrots
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup of water
1/4 cup cashews (unsalted, natural)
2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp minced garlic (or minced garlic in oil)
1/4 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper powder
1/3 cup margarine
bread crumbs (purchased/homemade)
paprika to garnish
chopped up veggie ham slices (optional)

- I made this once with Yves Veggie veggie ham in it. It was tasty. I basically took about 4 slices of it and added it at the end just before it all went in the oven.

method

1. Cook macaroni noodles, drain, rinse and set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Put the following in a pot on the stove: potatoes, carrots, onions and 1 cup of water. The water is very important. Measure it. Cook the vegetables in the water until they are soft. Make sure that the water doesn't boil away 'cause you're gonna use it. So, basically, bring the water to a boil, put a lid on it and then simmer.

4. In a food processor (or great blender) process the following until creamy: cashews, margarine, sea salt, minced garlic, dijon mustard, lemon juice, black pepper and cayenne pepper.

5. Once the potatoes/carrots/onions are done, add them, with their water to the food processor and process everything together until really smoothe.

6. In a large bowl mix together the macaroni noodles and contents of the food processor. If you want to add veggie ham, now is the time to do it. Mix together until noodles completely coated.

7. Place the mixture into a suitable casserole dish.

There are two ways to finish this off before putting it in the oven. You can put a lid on it now, as it. OR you can top it with breadcrumbs & paprika and forget about the lid altogether.

Breadcrumbs = yummy

You can use store bought breadcrumbs or make your own in the food processor/blender.

To make your own breadcrumbs:
pulverize 2 slices of bread with 1 tbsp of margarine to a medium-fine texture in a food processor/blender

8. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the cheeze sauce is bubbly and the top is golden brown (if you don't use bread crumbs and choose the lid method - it will not be golden brown)