Vegan Mac 'n' Cheese

For those of you that don't know me that well, I love cooking and I'm really into healthy eating. I have been completely vegetarian for over a year now and I am currently working on becoming completely vegan. It has been quite the journey so far but I've learned many new things along the way. I still can't believe how many delicious foods can be made without the use of meat or dairy. Yes! You heard right! No DAIRY! And one of my all-time favorite foods is definitely Mac 'n' Cheese. Who doesn't love some good Mac 'n' Cheese? Well you may be wondering how it can be possible to make Mac 'n' Cheese without the cheese? Look below and I'll show you how. It's so easy!

Before you start you need to gather together the ingredients.

Ingredients 

1 box elbow macaroni 

2 cups broccoli florets 

¼ cup vegan margarine (I used smart balance) 

1/3 cup all-purpose flour 

3 cups soy milk (make sure its plain, not vanilla)

½ cup nutritional yeast 

2 tablespoons tomato paste 

2 teaspoons salt 

1 teaspoon garlic powder 

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

1 tablespoon syrup

Next bring a large pot of salted water to boil (for my chemistry fans, salt actually raises the boiling temperature of water and allows the pasta to cook faster). Next add the macaroni and cook according to package directions. It should take about 10-15 minutes. Cut the brocolli into florets and add them in the last 5 minutes of boiling. Cook the brocolli until tender then drain the water and return to the pot.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan make a paste by whisking together the margarine and flour over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes. Once the paste is formed add the soy milk little by little so that the paste slowly turns into a creamy sauce. Then add yeast, tomato paste, salt, and garlic powder and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and let simmer until sauce thickens. At this point you can add the lemon juice and syrup to taste. Add the sauce to the macaroni and serve immediately.

Doesn't that look amazing? 

Prep time: 10 min 

Cooking time: 20 min

Serves: 4-6 

Now for those of you that aren't vegan nor trying to be, you may think that there is no point in making this. I mean seriously, why go through the trouble when there is a perfectly good Kraft Macaroni that is ready in 15 minutes and all you have to do is add the powdered cheese? I'll tell you. There is nothing more satisfying that making your food from scratch! But beyond that, this recipe is full of good protein and low in fat so you don't have to feel guitly eating it (really, eat as much as you'd like). Oh and most importantly...it tastes amazing! So take the challenge, make your own vegan Mac 'n' Cheese, you won't regret it!