Tag Archives: vegan mac and cheese

Stuffed Mac & Cheese Casserole!

27 Monday Jan 2014

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I was waiting to write this recipe until I had posted the Mac & Cheeze blog because it uses the same cheese sauce. This is seriously one of the best casseroles I have ever consumed! And I made up the crazy recipe on accident! After Thanksgiving, I had a bunch of stuffing leftover and did not want it to spoil. I also happen to have leftover Mac & Cheeze. It was a divine intervention! I thought, “Why not combine two of my most favorite things into a casserole!” And perfection was born. I do not want to know how many calories are in it; being vegan, it does not really matter! Make this cheesy casserole the next time you need to warm up! 

Ingredients:


1 unit Mac & Cheeze – recipe here      ($4.03)
1 box vegan stuffing                            ($0.99)
1 jar french fried onions                       ($0.75)

Preparation:


Make the Mac & Cheeze according to the recipe. Prepare the stuffing according to the directions on the package. Place a layer of the stuffing on the bottom of a casserole dish. Put a layer of Mac & Cheeze on the stuffing. Add another layer of stuffing and the last of the Mac & Cheeze. Top with the fried onions and bake for 20 minutes on 350°F. Crunch and munch and then relish the deliciousness of cheesy stuffing casserole! 

For the stuffing, I melted vegan butter in some water

Once boiling, I removed it from heat and covered for 5 minutes

The stuffing is made!

Herbes de Provence makes for a delightfully tasty stuffing

Cheesy goodness! The excess sauce drips down
and saturates the stuffing in cheeeeeeese!

For added texture, add a layer of fried onions in between
each layer of stuffing and cheese

ALL THE CARBS but it is so delicious and so vegan
that you do not have to feel any guilt at all!


Roasted Red Pepper Mac & Cheese

20 Monday Jan 2014

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Mmm*Mac & Cheese! Everybody loves it. It seems everyone I talk to says, “Yeah, I could not be a vegan because I would miss cheese too much!” Let me be the first to say I thought the same thing! I loved eating cheese. I had cheese with every meal. Cheese was a meal. Mac & Cheese was my favorite meal to eat when it was cold outside. My mother would always make me homemade cheese sauce over spaghetti noodles. I would request it every morning and it was my absolute favorite breakfast. Vegan cheese recipes can be super simple simulations of ooey-gooey cheese. 

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup raw cashews (soaked)              ($0.95)
  • 2 tsp. olive oil                                           ($0.01)
  • 1 onion, diced                                          ($0.18)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced                           ($0.38)
  • 2 cups vegetable broth                           ($0.65)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. corn starch                            ($0.05)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. nutritional yeast                    ($0.18)
  • 1 roasted red pepper                              ($0.45)
  • 1 tbsp. tomato paste                              ($0.12)
  • 1 tsp. salt                                                 ($0.01)
  • 1 tsp. ground mustard                            ($0.03)
  • 1/2 tsp. turmeric                                      ($0.03)
  • 1 box of pasta                                         ($0.99)

Preparation:

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Sauté the onions in olive oil until they become translucent. It should not take more than 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 30 seconds. You do not want to overcook the garlic and lose the flavor. Add this mixture to a blender or food processor. Add the drained cashews, vegetable broth, corn starch, nutritional yeast, red pepper, tomato paste, salt, ground mustard, and turmeric. Blend until smooth. Smoothness is important. If you have read my previous blogs involving cashews, you will understand that it is very important to have a smooth sauce. The texture is gritty, rough, and crunchy. Transfer the sauce to the pan used to sauté the onions. Heat on medium-low for 10 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Once thick, add the pasta until the whole mixture is warmed through. SERVE and MUNCH! 

Sautéing the garlic for only 30 seconds will keep the flavor
of the garlic at the optimal level 

At first it was weird to add hot onions and garlic to a blender
but the flavors of these are key to creating a cheesy flavor!

The sauce will slowly thicken. KEEP STIRRING!
The first time I made this, I slightly burned the bottom
of the cheese sauce; it burns very easily so keep stirring

I used Lumaconi pasta instead of shell pasta or macaroni
because they look way cooler and they were
significantly less expensive at Aldi

There you have it. Delicious mac and cheese! 
Since it has been so long since I have had actual dairy cheese, the vegan mind will almost forget what actual cheese tastes like and this faux cheese will totally satisfy all of your cheese cravings! I will challenge any cheese-eater to try this cheese sauce and tell me that it does not imitate mac and cheese extremely closely. I am still working on a few more cheese blogs so get hype! I hope to publish them very soon! For now, enjoy this delightful take on the American staple using cashews instead of dairy! 

This is a modification of Isa Chandra’s Pizza Mac & Cheese recipe from Post Punk Kitchen. I love her work and she is the most exceptional vegan chef! Check out her blog at the Post Punk Kitchen! 

BLT Mac & Cheeze

21 Monday Oct 2013

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While blog surfing for vegan mac and cheese recipes to satisfy my constant cheese cravings, I discovered the Post Punk Kitchen! Run by Isa Chandra, author or some of the most popular vegan cookbooks, PPK has amazing recipes, notes, and tips for a rookie chef like me. I decided to try some of her recipes out and MAN OH MAN! So… I do not really miss bacon; I never really enjoyed it as an omnivore. BUT EGGPLANT BACON! This is a must-try, not only because it is crazy delicious, but it is crazy inexpensive too!

Ingredients:

  • 1 eggplant                                 ($1.20)
  • ¼ cup soy sauce                      ($0.07)
  • 1 teaspoon liquid smoke         ($0.03)
  • a drizzle of olive oil

Preparation:


Preheat the oven to 425°F. Slice the eggplant into ⅛ inch slices. Drizzle a baking sheet with olive oil so the eggplant does not stick. I have found this also makes the “bacon” a little crispier. Bake for 8 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Remove the pan and flip the slices. Remove the slices if they are starting to become dark brown. Cook for about 3 more minutes. Remove and let cool. Dip the eggplant in a mixture of the soy sauce and liquid smoke. Make sure they are evenly coated. Lower the oven down to 350°F. Bake the bacon again for about 4 more minutes, just to reheat and let the smokiness of the sauce absorb into the eggplant. Time to MUNCH!

Wrap your baking tray with aluminum foil for a quick clean up!

I bought a big eggplant so I chopped the head off and cut it
in half before I sliced it
Smaller eggplants just need to be sliced

Try to slice it super thin so it will become crispy when baked

I used varying sizes for variety

Arrange neatly with no overlap so they bake evenly

The secret ingredient is liquid smoke! What an
amazing flavor!
HINT: for gluten-free, use tamari sauce

Make sure the pieces are crispy before dipping into the sauce
or they will fall apart

VEGAN BACON DELICIOUSNESS

So that is the B part of the BLT. Isa suggests using arugula for the L because lettuce is just SO BORING! I agree. T for tomatoes and now it is time to make the cheeze sauce! I altered her recipe slightly, using less lemon juice because it was a little too citrusy for my liking. 

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cashews (soaked)       ($1.66)
  • 1 cup vegetable broth           ($0.70)
  • 3 tbsp. nutritional yeast        ($0.85)
  • 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice      ($0.15)
  • 2 tsp. dijon mustard              ($0.08)
  • 1 medium clove of garlic      ($0.26)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:


Soak the cashews for at least 2 hours; I usually soak them overnight. Be sure to plan for the cashews expanding slightly; use plenty of water and completely submerge them. Drain the cashews and place all of the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Cook some pasta al dente and drain it. Add the cheeze mixture and pasta back into the same pot the pasta cooked in. Cook for an additional 3 minutes on medium heat until warmed through. Top with the eggplant bacon, arugula, and tomatoes for the tastiest mac and cheese recipe since Kraft EasyMac!

Cashews work well because they are a naturally soft nut
They give the cheeze a slight sweetness

I use a Magic Bullet Blender, so it took a little bit longer to blend
the ingredients until smooth

Make sure to use raw cashew pieces
Roasted cashews will not soak correctly

Due to the locking feature, I was able to take the lid off
while blending and take this picture
No mess was made but I do not endorse this behavior

While the water was boiling for the pasta
I sliced the tomatoes in half

Grape tomatoes work well for this recipe
They are already bite-sized and slightly sweeter
They also make the final product look pretty

I used brown rice penne pasta to avoid gluten

OH MY GAWD
This seriously has turned into one of my most favorite meals
Huge shoutout to Isa Chandra at the Post Punk Kitchen
So there you have it. If you are ever missing cheese and think you may not be able to make it another day without the delightful dairy product, make this recipe and all shall be well with the world.