Morning guys! this is a re-post of a favorite that we’ll be making today with Dr Joel Lee Villeneuve on RevIveLife. We’ll be there at 3:20 pm on Rogers cable 22 !
First up, I hafta admit its a step outside my no-carb January promise… I had a moment of weakness but once you try this, you’ll totally understand. If you are a strict low carb diet, you can always serve this vegan macaroni and cheese over cauliflower rice (chop cauliflower finely in a food processor then cook it covered – it steams naturally and is a great rice substitute) or serve it with cooked quinoa instead of rice noodles.
Alright, so, vegan mac and cheese. It does sound kinda gross, I mean, it conjures images of melting that horrible soy ‘cheese product’ I’ve seen at the grocery store. You know, the stuff thats totally not real food and makes you barf a little in your own mouth before you take a bite? Yah. That stuff.
This isn’t that stuff. This is super creamy, high in protein, melty, rich, and perfectly velvety. Its more like a hug in a bowl- hi-old-friend-thanks-for-making-today-feel-better (I love those moments).
I wanted to wait a bit before posting this recipe, but after my friend K. mentioned to me how much her little one misses mac and cheese from a dairy intolerance, I thought, ok, I’ll do this one first. K. is the one who sticks her cell phone up to the radio when she drives so that my answering machine will record our favorite 90s R&B songs at random times day or night. Its kind of a thing we do. Best buddies are like that, you know? They’re the ones you drop everything for because they come first. So, mac&cheese for K’s little monkey-princess, coming up first :)
Vegan GF Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups salted boiling hot water (take it from the noodles if you are doing noodles)
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp to 1/4 cup cashew butter (go up to 1/4 cup depending on your taste preferance)
- 1 tsp rice vinegar (anti candida diet: omit, try lemon juice)
- 1 tsp roasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp tapioca starch plus 2 tsp water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
NUT FREE: Use 2 tbsp sunflower seed butter and 1- 2 tbsp tahini- even it out with a splash of agave nectar if you find the tastes are a bit strong, instead of using the cashew butter.
Directions
- If you are making noodles, use 1 cup of brown rice macaroni – they work really well. Make sure to boil them with generously salted water. (go to taste- not everyone likes the same amount of salt).
- Pull out 1 1/2 cups of the boiling water when the noodles are done, and set aside. Drain the noodles and toss them with the olive oil to prevent sticking. Anti Candida diet, Grain free diet , Low carb diet– Steam chopped cauliflower. Low carb option#2: Soak 1 cup quinoa overnight or rinse well, then cook in 2 cups of water till absorbed.
- Gradually mix the hot water with the cashew butter so that it thins the butter out. Add in the nutritional yeast, vinegar, and sesame oil.
- Pour over the noodles and toss to cover. You can garnish with chopped green onions (my favorite), or leave them plain. If you want them to soak a little longer, you can bake or microwave them for a bit to soak up more of the sauce. Deeee licious. :D
Oh gosh, Diana you have just made my day, thank you so much! if you are ever looking for a particular recipe, just give me a shout- i come across all kinds of crazy allergen-friendly blogs regularly, and it would be terrific to share and offer anything that might help. xoxo I’m so glad :) xoxo
alea
Thank you Alea! I found a recipe at http://www.sunfood.com for an easy homemade cashew cheese. I wonder if this would work. Something to play with, I guess =)
I will check out those links. Thank you again; I love all that you do with you website. It has been a huge help with my path to heal eczema xox.
Hi Diana,
Nutritional yeast is de-activated yeast, if you are coming from a yeast-free diet, it may in fact still be ok to eat (i just read this, may be helpful? http://www.justgoodenergy.com/2010/06/14/the-health-benefits-of-nutritional-yeast/)
However, for a Nutritional yeast free version, i did some hunting around for you- and the vegan cream sauce in this recipe looks To Die For! :) hope it helps- i love the vegan recipes at YumUniverse- she has terrific stuff– http://www.yumuniverse.com/2012/06/21/dairy-free-gluten-freepepper-portobello-mushroom-macaroni/
I cannot eat yeast. Any suggestions please?
Hiya Rebecca!
I just bought it from my grocery store, but in case of risks for cross contamination, i think bob’s red mill has nutritional yeast, you can give them a call to find out how they make it and if the facility is safe… alternatively, if you have a local health food store, maybe they can help out for recommendations?? best of luck!! :D
alea
Where do you get your nutritional yeast? I noticed you’re corn free as well and I haven’t been so daring as to try nutritional yeast yet since going off of all of my allergens (almost all identical to yours). A brand for your nutritional yeast would be unbelievably helpful! I can’t wait to have mac & cheese again!!
hi there Brittany- if you want, the tapioca starch can be used to thicken the sauce, but its not a ‘must’ . i like to use lots of nutritional yeast with the vinegar and sesame oil so i find i don’t need the starch. hope that helps! :)
alea
I would really like to try this, but what do I do with the tapioca starch? It’s listed in the ingredients but never mentioned in the directions.
hey there Lindsey! here’s what you do to make it nut free:
Use 2 tbsp sunflower seed butter and 1- 2 tbsp tahini- even it out with a splash of agave nectar if you find the tastes are a bit strong, instead of using the cashew butter.
Let me know how it goes! :) alea
Would you be willing to send me the recipe without the nuts as well?
Thank you!!
Hi Angie-
I just came up with a nut free substitute- and modified the recipe for you :)
I’m sending you an email reply so I can write in a little more detail! xo alea
How can I substitute the cashew butter. My son has a peanut/nut allergy too and loves mac and cheese, however he is autistic and we have recently put him on a gluten and caesin free diet to see if it helps.
Also, do you ever come to Vancouver to do any workshops/training?
I have also just read some of your articles, ie. about GL flours and dairy substitutes. Very helpful. Had no idea about the milk substitute needing apple cider vinegar!!!! Wow! Haven’t tried any real recipes so that was extremely helpful. Also, how do I get your book?
Thanks for your help.
Angie