Kids Favorite: Vegan Mac and Cheese

 What can you give vegan kids any time that make them super-happy?  Vegan mac and cheese is a super meal that goes well with just about ANY veggie!  Yes, parents are tricky like that!  You say your kids won't eat cooked broccoli?  Serve it with a SMALL pile of mac and cheese.  When they ask for more mac, tell them that they can only have seconds if they eat that broccoli.  It works for me, seriously.  You just have to have really good mac and cheese prepared.  It is so super easy to make it from scratch...you just throw everything in the blender to make the sauce and then add that to the cooked macaroni.  This is not in my recipe, but I like to make the mac and cheese, stir in a bag of Daiya shredded cheese (vegan cheese in the grocery) for extra cheesiness, throw it in a glass baking dish, crush up french fried onions and sprinkle them on top, then bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes.  It's GOOD!  The recipe I use is from the blog Vegan Dad. 

INGREDIENTS

Makes enough for a family of 5 with leftovers. Cut in half if needed.

- 1/2 cup raw cashews

- 2 tbsp sunflower seeds

- 2 tbsp pine nuts

- 2 cups soy milk

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

- 1 1/2 cups firm tofu (does not have to be silken)

- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

- 1/2 tsp tumeric

- 1 tsp paprika

- 1/2 tsp garlic powder

- 1 tsp onion powder

- 2 tbsp miso (something mellow)

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tbsp cornstarch

- 3 cups uncooked macaroni

METHOD

1. Cook macaroni, as per directions, until al dente.

2. While macaroni is cooking, place all other ingredients in a blender and blend for 5 minutes, until very smooth. Make sure all nuts and seeds have been blended.

3. Drain macaroni and return to pot over medium heat. Add sauce and bring to bubbling. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens and reduces a bit (about 5 mins)