Tasty Mac-un-Cheese
1/2-3/4 pound macaroni or other pasta
1/4 cup raw cashews
1 orange bell pepper, roasted, peeled and seeded
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
1 teaspoon mustard powder
few garlic flakes
few peppercorns
1/3 cup oil
1 cup nutritional yeast flakes
salt, to taste
breadcrumbs, for sprinkling
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Put the pasta on to cook according to package directions. Puree the cashews in a blender with a splash of water, scraping down the sides when necessary.
2. Add the orange pepper to the blender along with the arrowroot, mustard powder, garlic flakes, and peppercorns. Blend until smooth, adding a little water whenever necessary.
3. Put the oil into a saucepan and warm over medium-low heat, then add the yeast flakes and warm, stirring, until they begin to smell toasty. Do not overheat, they burn easily!
4. Pour in the mixture from the blender and stir frequently until thickened, adding more water bit by bit until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. (Bear in mind that it will thicken a little upon baking.) Salt, to taste.
5. When the pasta is done, drain it and mix with the sauce in a large baking dish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake until golden on top, about 20 minutes. Devour.
Source of recipe: I experimented, it worked, then I wrote down this recipe.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
This was really tasty! I made some changes to cut down on prep time though, and it still turned out great.
First, I just cut up the bell pepper, didn't peel it, and sauteed it. Worked great!
Second, I only used 2 tbsp of nutritional yeast, sauteed it in buttery spread for a few minutes, and it was nice and warm and cheesy.
Third, I blended the cashews with coconut milk
instead of water.
Fourth, I changed the spices: salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.
Fifth, I just dumped the cheese sauce in with the drained pasta, and it was great. My meat eating hubby loves it. I love it. Everyone is happy.
Thanks for the great recipe, sorry I was too lazy to follow it to a t. I'll definately make my variation again, and maybe when I'm feeling bored and adventurous, I'll make it how it's written.
Cheers!
Looks like a nice recipe! I'm gonna try it and substitute some of the oil with soy milk to cut down on the calories and fat. ;)