Vegan Mac and Cheese

I love vegetables.

But there are a few vegetables I just never acquired a taste for, no matter how healthy they are.  Brussel Sprouts are one.  Asparagus is another.  And finally  … (insert ugly face here) …

Cauliflower!

 Oh i’ve tried to like cauliflower, cooked or raw, but it just never happened.  I remember years ago when I was trying the Atkins Diet, there were recipes for ‘Mashed Potatoes’ made from cauliflower.   Like potatoes are so bad – now we know better don’t we….    Anyway I cooked up a head of the stuff and added the milk and butter and whipped it all up for a nice big bowl of healthy fake potatoes – and YUCK!  Still tasted like cauliflower!  Nasty!  

Anyway, when I saw THIS recipe from Fat Free Vegan for a cauliflower ‘cheese’ sauce – needless to say I was just a little reluctant to try it.  Besides, I already HAVE a vegan cheese sauce made from cashews thank you very much.  And it’s quite tasty if I do say so myself.  You can click HERE for that recipe.

The only problem with my sauce?  The cashews are pretty high in fat, and we really need to cut down on the fat – yes even the so-called ‘healthy fats’.  Remember what Dr McDougal says – “the fat you eat is the fat you wear”.   Plus, some people are allergic to nuts, so I guess I need an alternative.

Time to put Susan’s recipe to the test.

 The Cauliflower Test

I decided to make a Vegan Mac and  Cheese dinner tonight so first thing I did was whip up a batch of this sauce.  My only modification was to use 1/2 teaspoon of salt in place of the Miso (I didn’t have any) and to add an extra tablespoon of Corn Starch in the end as it was still a bit too runny for my liking.  Other than those two changes,  I followed the recipe to a T.

And?

Well I never thought I’d say this but it’s not half bad!  Can’t taste the cauliflower at all!  I might add a bit more garlic next time but other than that it was pretty darn good.  Awesome job Susan and thanks for the recipe!

So without further ado – here’s a pretty darn good version of a Vegan Mac and Cheese,  using my slightly modified cauliflower cheese sauce.

Vegan Mac and Cheese

Cheese Sauce Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• 2 heaping cups small cauliflower florets
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled, or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp dry mustard
• 1/8 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbls cornstarch
• 1/2 tbls lemon juice
• 1 tbls cornstarch added as you reheat the blended sauce.

Cheese Sauce Instructions:

• Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium sized saucepan.
• Add the onion powder, garlic, paprika, mustard, and turmeric.
• Add 2 cups of chopped cauliflower florets (use the same Pyrex Cup)
• Turn the heat down to low, add a lid, and steam for 20 minutes or until fork tender)
• Slowly add the mixture to a blender and add the remaining ingredients.
• Do NOT fill your blender more than half way!   We don’t want any explosions!
• Blend on  high until smooth.
• Add the cheese sauce back to the pan
• Whisk in the remaining tablespoon of cornstarch.
• Heat on low until thick and bubbly.

Vegan Mac and Cheese Instructions:

• As the Cheese Sauce is thickening, I brought some water to boil in my big pasta pan.
• For this recipe I used Whole Wheat Rotini and some Shells.
• During the last 5 minutes of the boil I added a bag of Steamfresh Frozen Broccoli and Cauliflower
• I usually pick out the cauliflower – but with this cheese sauce it wasn’t half bad!
• Drain the pasta and veggies and add back to your pasta pan
• Stir in the cheese sauce

And I know what you’re thinking….. but sorry.  There’s not a cheese sauce in the world that’s going to make Brussel Sprouts edible.

YUCK!