MAC & CHEESE (Vegan)

I found this recipe on the VegNews website (by Allison Rivers Samson). It was voted their #1 recipe for several years. It is pretty awesome for not having any dairy or fake stuff in it. I wouldn't say it tastes that much like mac & cheese, but it is really good anyway.

INGREDIENTS:

4 quarts water

1 tablespoon sea salt

8 ounces macaroni

4 slices of bread, torn into large pieces

2 tablespoons + 1/3 cup non-hydrogenated margarine (the first time I made this, I actually didn't see the "+1/3 cup" part and only used 2 T... still good!)

2 tablespoons shallots, peeled and chopped

1 cup red or yellow potatoes, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup carrots, peeled and chopped

1/3 cup onion, peeled and chopped

1 cup water

1/4 cup raw cashews

2 teaspoons sea salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon paprika

In a large pot, bring the water and salt to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until al dente. In a colander, drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside. (You know how to do this... no photo)

In a food processor, make breadcrumbs by pulverizing the bread and 2 tablespoons margarine to a medium-fine texture. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, add shallots, potatoes, carrots, onion, and water, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft.

In a blender, process the cashews, salt, garlic, 1/3 cup margarine, mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, and cayenne. Add softened vegetables and cooking water to the blender and process until perfectly smooth.

In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta and blended cheese sauce until completely coated.

Spread mixture into a 9 x 12 casserole dish, sprinkle with prepared breadcrumbs, and dust with paprika.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese sauce is bubbling and the top has turned golden brown.

SALAD DRESSINGS

It is super easy, and super cheap, to make your own salad dressing. You should have all the ingredients already on hand to make all of the most basic types of dressings... plus they are much fresher and better for you than the kind in a bottle from the store. I'll start with the one I know my kids will want the most:

RANCH
This ranch isn't as thick as the bottled or powder packet kind of ranch dressing (they put something in there as a thickener), but it tastes the same and I like it thinner because you can use less and it still coats all of your salad. Thinner dressings are always better for getting an even coating, using less, and hence less calories. (It may not work very well for dipping your pizza in, but if you are eating pizza you probably aren't watching your calories or health at the moment anyway)

1/2 cup milk (or almond milk)
2 T mayonnaise (or vegan mayo)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
pinch cayenne pepper

Put all of the ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake like crazy. It is better if you let it sit for a little bit to let the dried herbs rehydrate. Store the rest in the refrigerator.

So now that you have that one down, here are all the other basic dressings... you can make them in a bowl and just whisk them up, or shake them in a jar. Adjust the ingredients to your taste...

THOUSAND ISLAND
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup ketchup
2 T sweet pickle relish

ITALIAN
1/2 cup oil (olive, canola, vegetable)
1/4 cup vinegar (red wine, apple cider, white, balsamic)
2 T house seasoning*
1 T dried Italian herbs
Optional 1 teaspoon of sugar
You can make this into any kind of special fresh dressing by substituting Dorot frozen herbs instead of the dried herbs, like basil or cilantro. Just use 2 of the frozen cubes. (If you make basil dressing, put in the sugar.)

CATALINA
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup oil (olive, canola, vegetable)
2 T vinegar (white, red wine, or rice)
2 T sugar

HONEY MUSTARD
1/2 cup oil (for a creamier dressing use mayo instead)
2 T dijon mustard
2 T honey

COLE SLAW DRESSING (Also used for Broccoli salad)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

CREAMY MEXICAN
I use this on my favorite salad of beans, corn, tomato, and avocado.
2 T Mayonnaise
2 T ketchup
splash of rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
sprinkle of house seasoning*
4 or 5 dashes of Tapatio or hot sauce

*HOUSE SEASONING
1 part kosher salt
1/2 part ground pepper
1/4 part onion powder
1/4 part garlic powder
I always have a big shaker jar of this in the kitchen, it is great on frozen vegetables with a little butter, or tossed with olive oil on vegetables before roasting. If you are a carnivore, you can use it on any meats before roasting.