The World's Best Mac & Cheese Recipe- btw it's vegan!

Mac and cheese- the quintessential comfort food.  A few years ago I began searching for my perfect  go-to mac & cheese recipe that didn't come from a box. I have to admit I grew up on Kraft mac & cheese from a box and there was something so satisfying about it.  First it was the powdered neon cheese that you added milk to, then I graduated to the squeeze cheese from the package. Gooey carb and fat loaded processed deliciousness. Several years back I started eating healthier and cooking more food from scratch and I dropped eating mac & cheese all together.  Then the craving hit and my quest began.

I was always intrigued with the idea of making healthier mac & cheese.  I know it sounds like an oxymoron like jumbo shrimp or fighting for peace, but I really wanted to make vegan mac & cheese.  The first time I made it was a total flop. In fact my husband made me promise never to do that to him again.  But I couldn't help myself.  I tried a few more traditional recipes using real cheese but they were just ok. I never felt satisfied like I did from the overly processed fake stuff of my youth, and being so high in fat it never seemed worth it for just ok. Then I came across this recipe in Isa Chandra Moskowitz's vegan cookbook, Appetite For Reduction, and I just knew I had to try it. So despite my promise, I made it one night and I conveniently omitted the fact that it was vegan when I served it. Of course my husband knew right away it was vegan, but to both of our surprises it was sooooooo delicious we devoured it! I have been making the vegan Mac & Greens ( I added kale and broccoli just to up the nutritional value) regularly ever since.  In fact it's the only mac & cheese we will eat now.

The recipe calls for nutritional yeast as the cheese base.  If you are vegetarian or vegan this stuff is a staple but if you are new to it, nutritional yeast is a powerhouse of nutrition (it's even in the name!). 

One ounce of nutritional yeast  has 14g of protein (plant based protein that is easy to digest), 79 calories, fat free, has 18 different amino acids, 15 different minerals, rich in B vitamins and especially B12 (it's one of the only sources of non animal based vitamin B12 available), rich in folic acid, high in fiber 7g/oz, low in sodium, gluten free and is non-yeast forming.

The rest of the recipe is good for you too!  I make mine Mac & Greens by adding both kale and broccoli and  I also use quoina pasta.  All in all it's about a healthy mac & cheese you'll ever get.  Here's the recipe. I hope you enjoy this version of  guilt free mac & cheese as much as I do!

Mac & Greens Recipe-
-8 oz pasta (I use Ancient Harvest Quinoa elbow noodles)
-1 bunch kale, washed, stems removed and chopped (or you can finely chop the stems for added crunch)
-1 head broccoli chopped

 Cheese Sauce
(Adapted from Appetite For Reduction,  Moskowitz p.173)
-3/4 cup nutritional yeast
-1/4 cup all purpose flour
-2 teaspoons granulated garlic
-2 teaspoons onion flakes
-1/4 teaspoons salt
-1/8 teaspoon turmeric
-2 tablespoons broth powder
-1 1/2 cups water
-1 teaspoon yellow mustard
-hot sauce (I use Siracha) optional

In a small pot start the sauce by mixing the nutritional yeast, flour, garlic, onion flakes, salt, turmeric, and broth powder (no heat yet).  Add the water and mix well to beat out any clumps until mostly smooth. Turn the heat on to medium-high and cook stirring regularly until it starts to boil. Once boiling some turn the heat down to a slow boil.  The sauce should thicken.  Cook for another 5 minutes or so stirring constantly to prevent sticking. It should get a thick, smooth melted cheese consistency. Turn off the heat and add in the mustard and optional hot sauce.

It is very easy to cook this all at once so that everything is done at the same time if you work in steps. This is how I usually do it.
1) get the cold sauce ingredients ready in a pot
2) In two separate pots start the water to boil- one for both the pasta and one for the greens, adding salt to the pot that will cook the pasta.
3) once the water is boiling in the 2 pots I turn on the heat for the sauce (medium high) and dump just the kale in one pot, and wait a minute or two before I put the the pasta in the other pot.
4)while the greens and the pasta are cooking you can focus on the cheese sauce and turning down the heat once it starts to boil
5) While stirring the sauce I let the kale cook alone for 5 minutes then add the broccoli and cook the greens for 2 more minutes and drain (total of 7 minutes kale, 2 minutes broccoli)
6)  pasta generally takes 8 minutes and by this time both the greens and sauce are done. Drain the pasta add it all together an viola vegan Mac & Greens!