There are some days where you just want to give up on the diet and smoosh your face into a giant bowl of cheese and carbs, there are other days when you want the cheese and carbs but know you shouldn't; today is one of those days and here is the fix you need! Look I'm not going to pretend that this dish will swear you off of the staple comfort food that is mac n cheese, however if you're in need of that warm, comforting bowl of goodness but are DF/GF or just trying to exercise some form of self control then this is the meal for you!!
Firstly it has the pasta aspect down, theres no zucchini noodles or 7 calorie weird stuff going on here, just make a classic swap of macaroni for GF pasta, preferably vegetable based i.e. pea powder or red lentil powder pasta - both GF with an added protein boost! Second the sauce is orange which can fool you into thinking you're having an extremely guilty Kraft mac n cheese. Thirdly it kinda tastes cheesy yet there no cheese in it... MIND BLOWN! Finally it has that crunchy crust that all mac n cheese has to have in order to be a competitor!
So now that I've sold you on the idea of gluten less, cheeseless mac n cheese (though I'm sure you didn't need much convincing!) Go try it out for yourself and let me know!
Vegan 'Mac n Cheese', serves 4:
Ingredients
1kg Butternut Squash, roasted with 2 tablespoons minced garlic
150g cashew nuts, soaked in hot water for at least an hour
4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons white miso paste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and Pepper to taste
400g GF Pasta
For the topping
2 tablespoons of oil, feel free to experiment with flavoured oils such as basil, garlic or truffle
100g gluten free breadcrumbs
1 handful of sage, pan fried and chopped (optional)
Method
Puree the butternut squash with the soaked cashews until a smooth liquid sauce occurs, add more hot water to thin if needed. Add the rest of the ingredients and adjust according to personal preferences. Pre heat oven to 180C. Boil pasta and once al dente stir into the sauce. In a separate bowl combine the crust ingredients. Pour pasta into an ovenproof dish and top with breadcrumb mixture. Bake for 20minutes until hot all the way through and topping is golden brown.
Firstly it has the pasta aspect down, theres no zucchini noodles or 7 calorie weird stuff going on here, just make a classic swap of macaroni for GF pasta, preferably vegetable based i.e. pea powder or red lentil powder pasta - both GF with an added protein boost! Second the sauce is orange which can fool you into thinking you're having an extremely guilty Kraft mac n cheese. Thirdly it kinda tastes cheesy yet there no cheese in it... MIND BLOWN! Finally it has that crunchy crust that all mac n cheese has to have in order to be a competitor!
So now that I've sold you on the idea of gluten less, cheeseless mac n cheese (though I'm sure you didn't need much convincing!) Go try it out for yourself and let me know!
Vegan 'Mac n Cheese', serves 4:
Ingredients
1kg Butternut Squash, roasted with 2 tablespoons minced garlic
150g cashew nuts, soaked in hot water for at least an hour
4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons white miso paste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and Pepper to taste
400g GF Pasta
For the topping
2 tablespoons of oil, feel free to experiment with flavoured oils such as basil, garlic or truffle
100g gluten free breadcrumbs
1 handful of sage, pan fried and chopped (optional)
Method
Puree the butternut squash with the soaked cashews until a smooth liquid sauce occurs, add more hot water to thin if needed. Add the rest of the ingredients and adjust according to personal preferences. Pre heat oven to 180C. Boil pasta and once al dente stir into the sauce. In a separate bowl combine the crust ingredients. Pour pasta into an ovenproof dish and top with breadcrumb mixture. Bake for 20minutes until hot all the way through and topping is golden brown.
Much Love
x
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