The vegan stroganoff dinner I made last night reminded me of one of my favorites I made several times last winter: Smoky Butternut Mac & Cheese. (Note: if you have a Vitamix or similar blender, you dont need to pre-soak the cashews). Ive made it with and without the kale. Smoky Butternut Mac and Cheese: 16 ounces brown rice pasta, macaroni, penne, fusilli, shells all work well 2 cups cashews, soaked in water at least 3 hours and drained 1 1/2 to 2 cups almond milk, to thin 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon lemon zest 2 cups cooked butternut squash 1/3 cup nutritional yeast 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 1/4 teaspoon salt 5 cups chopped (and de-stemmed) kale 1/2 tablespoon coconut or olive oil 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika (I also add 1-2 tsp. of liquid smoke; just taste until its as smoky as you want it). Cook the pasta according to package directions, undercooking just slightly by a minute or so. Drain well and rinse completely with cold water to remove any starch. Transfer the pasta back to the pot and set aside. I like to stir in a drizzle of olive oil at this point to keep the pasta slick, but it’s not necessary. Place the soaked and drained cashews, 1 cup almond milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, cooked butternut squash, nutritional yeast, garlic, and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt into a food processor. Blend very well, at least 7 minutes, until completely smooth and silky, scraping down the sides as necessary. Add about 1/2 cup more almond milk until thinned, pulsing between each addition. Add the sauce to the pasta in the pot, and then stir in the remaining almond milk to thin. Warm up gently over medium-low heat, stirring often until desired temperature is reached. Sprinkle on the smoked paprika and fold just to combine. In a small frying pan over medium-high heat, toss together the kale, coconut oil and sea salt and saute for about 3 minutes, or until bright green and slightly wilted. Stir into the pasta and serve immediately.
Posted on: Sun, 27 Jul 2014 15:28:33 +0000
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