Vegan mac

Vegan Mac
Adapted from Epicurean Vegan

So it’s sort of bizarre that I have continually forgotten to post about this amazing dish, as it might be the best vegan thing I can make. It doesn’t taste like cheese–so I’ve re-dubbed it “vegan mac.” It does, to my palate, tasty like creamy, savory goodness. A friend who is a bit of a chef tasted it once, however, and said, “Why is this so sweet???” In that version, I had used coconut milk, instead of almond milk, so that’s one possibility. But also the cashews may give it a bit of sweetness. In any case, it’s GOOD.  And I’ve made it with all sort of substitutions (dark for light miso; coconut or soy for almond milk; accidentally forgetting–which is sad, but not catastrophic–the truffle oil, using actual garlic for garlic powder, etc.). Let me tell you, it holds up. I have tried other vegan macs (from the Isa Does It cookbook for instance) and this one is the best. The original version of this recipe has you doing most stuff in a big blender or food processor. I am not a food processor fan, and I use my (well, technically my roommate’s) Ninja only for the cashews. I do take a note out of Isa’s book and pre-soak the cashews, if I remember, but it’s not crucial.

Ingredients
8 oz macaroni
3/4 c. raw cashews (preferably having been soaking for a couple of hours or overnight)
1 3/4 c. almond milk (or coconut milk, etc.)
1/4 c. olive oil (or canola oil, etc.)
1.5 T cornstarch
1/4 c. nutritional yeast
2 T light miso paste
1 T lemon juice (juice about half of a big lemon for this)
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic power
1 tsp truffle oil (SO much better with this, but technically optional)

1. In heavy saucepan, combine milk, oil, and cornstarch. Bring to simmer over high heat. Decrease heat to low or medium-low and cover, so that the mixture is just simmering, for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally or until cornstarch is completely dissolved.

2. Meanwhile, start water to boil and cook the macaroni. For this dish, I’ve found that a gluten-free version made from quinoa is just perfect (and it only takes 6 minutes to cook, which is an added plus).

3. While mixture is cooking and pasta is boiling, measure out the rest of the ingredients and finely grind cashews in food processor (don’t let them turn into a paste; if they are still a tiny bit chunky, that’s ok, and it will just add texture).

4. After mixture in saucepan has finished simmering, add the nutritional yeast, miso, lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground cashews. Then, after you have drained the pasta, add it to this mixture. Finally, drizzle the truffle oil over the mixture and stir.

ENJOY!