Monday Yumday: Baked Shells and Cheese

Confession: I’ve never had baked mac and cheese before, vegan or otherwise. (Although, I did grow up somewhat addicted to the neon Kraft blue box special until I realized that cheese was in fact, disgusting.) So, when Allison asked me to make her Veg News recipe and post my result here, I was a bit nervous (more than my usually anxious state, that is). And after looking at her recipe, which calls for both onions and garlic, my sworn enemies, I felt like I could be in big trouble, until Allison suggested I make the recipe my own way. Giddyup.

Where I alter the recipe from Allison’s original version is noted (*), and despite the changes, it still came out really well balanced with a creamy sauce and crispy crumbs on top and a good bit of spice from my extra dose of  cayenne. You can read Allison’s original Veganize It recipe here, and for my adaptation, read on. And in the spirit of Allison’s direction to me, I urge you to make it your own way, too!

Baked Macaroni & Cheese
By Jill Ettinger
Adapted from Allison Rivers Samson
Serves 6

What You Need:
4 quarts water
8 ounces brown rice shells*
3 slices Ezekial sprouted grain sesame bread torn into pieces*
2 tablespoons + 1/3 cup non-hydrogenated margarine
1 cup yellow potatoes (about 1 medium potato)
½ cup chopped carrots
1 cup water
¼ cup raw almonds*
¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes*
1 teaspoon Himalayan mineral salt*
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard*
¼ teaspoon ground cumin*
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne*
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼  teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground paprika

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water to boil. Add shells and cook until al dente. Drain and rinse, setting aside.

3. In a food processor, mix breadcrumbs with 2 tablespoons margarine and pulse until uniform crumbed texture. Set aside.

4. In saucepan, add water, chopped potatoes and carrots and bring to boil, simmering covered for 15 minutes or until veggies are soft.

5.In blender, mix almonds, salt, margarine, mustard, yeast, lemon, black pepper, cumin, cayenne. Then, add the cooked vegetables (with water) blending until smooth.

6. Transfer shells to a large mixing bowl and stir in the cheese sauce, coating evenly.

7. Spread into a 9 x 12 casserole dish and sprinkle the bread crumbs on top. Dust with paprika.

8.Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until you see cheese sauce bubbling and the top has turned golden brown.