Last year, oddly enough also in April, I had attempted to Veganize Macaroni and Cheese recipe.  I made it so it was gluten free and soy free.  My creation turned out good, but honestly, I have not made it much since.  It possibly could be due to the fact that I was never crazy for Mac & Cheese, who knows.  However, I recently had received a comment on that recipe that made me go: “Hmmmm…. What can I do better?”  When I first made the recipe I had positive feedback, but I think that the latest comment might have come from someone who was not necessarily trying to stay away from soy.

Last week, when I posted a gluten free Sundried Tomato Penne recipe, I received an e-mail from a reader.  Something in that e-mail, three little words, set off a light bulb in my head.  Totally unrelated to vegan Mac & Cheese, the reader mentioned “vegan cream cheese” and my new, and honestly, the BEST, vegan Macaroni and Cheese recipe was conceived [thanks, Ameena!].

Within a couple of days, I bought my ingredients and headed to my “lab” to concoct my new creation.  It turned out good!  No, better than good, since hubby asked for it the next day again. The second time around, however, I perfected it.  I am now ready to share it with the world!

If you were a Mac & Cheese lover before going vegan, you will be happy having eaten this.  Even if you are not fully vegan, this recipe will help you get away from dairy and wheat.

Vegan Macaroni & Cheese Recipe {Gluten Free}

feeds 4-6 people

Ingredients

• 12 oz box of organic brown rice pasta [I used Lunberg] (you can use wheat pasta also)
• 2 medium size white or yellow onions
• 1/4 c water to saute onions
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 garlic cloves
• Himalayan or Sea salt to taste
• 1/8-1/4 tsp your favorite, freshly ground pepper [I used pink and white pepper corns]

Optional

• 8 oz of mushrooms, chopped [mushrooms can be added to onions and sautéd]

Cheese

• 10 oz vegan Cheddar cheese by Vegan Gourmet [image #3]
• 4 oz [half of the container] vegan cream cheese by Toffuti [image #4]
• 1-1.5 tbsp apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice [I prefer vinegar]
• 1-2 tsp yellow or Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 1/3 cup cooking water from pasta

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to directions, salt water lightly; drain and save cooking water;
2. Chop onions into cubes [image #1], sauté on high heat in water for 4-5 mins, stirring, then reduce heat to medium, add minced garlic, and sauté for additional 5 mins; to avoid using oil you will use 1/4 cup water to help you along, adding 2-4 tbsp of water at a time [you can watch a video on how to fry/saute without oil here, especially around 2:26 min of the video];                                                                 
3. Add cooked pasta and stir together, taking off the heat [image #2]
4. To make cheese: add all ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until smooth [see image #5]; you might want to chop cheddar cheese into smaller cubes to make it easier to blend;                                                                                         
5. Transfer pasta into a baking dish; stir in cheese mixture [see image #6]; sprinkle with freshly ground pepper of your choice;                                                                                                                          
6. Bake for 10 minutes, uncovered, at 400 F;
7. Serve and enjoy!

I served up this amazing vegan Mac & Cheese dish with Cucumber and Bok Choy salad.

Cucumber & Bok Choy Salad

Ingredients

• 1/2 head of bok choy [bottom portion, see image below; save top part for smoothie making ]
• 1 English cucumber [if it is not organic, make sure to peel]
• 2 tbsp chopped dill
• 1-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• Himalayan or sea salt to taste

Preparation

• Chop bok choy and cucumber as shown in image #2 below;
• Toss with vinegar, dill and salt and serve.

If you try making these dishes, let me know what you think, if you tweak anything.  I am looking forward to hearing back from some happy Mac & Cheese lovers.