Cashew Mac n' Cheeze

Comfort food? Yes please!

I'll make this one short, I've been so backlogged with photos of delicious food to share but no time in my life to post them! The past couple months have felt like one continuously long day. Seriously, the school has been so busy this year. So many balls to keep up in the air that the food blog had to take a little rest. As much as I hate to let it rest, I always know I'll never let it sit too long. It's my hobby, my passion, my love.

Cooking and eating delicious home-cooked meals with my family - it's nostalgic, it's warm, it's friendly. It's, honestly, what I look forward to at the end of each day. It brings me back to my childhood, seeing the rush of the day in my father's face come to a calm once he decided what he was going to put on our plates for supper. His passion always showed in the kitchen, no matter how stressful his day had been earlier. Once the onions were sizzling, the veggies were chopped, and the pots were boiling, all the stresses were gone. He had completely transformed from the hustle of the day to the calm of being home again. I know I've adopted this tradition for myself, thanks to his influence in my life. Getting in the kitchen at the end of a busy day is the reward to the day. The phone goes down, the emails stop, everything stands still while the warmth of home cooked food awaits. Even with the challenge of an empty fridge mid-week and minutes to figure something out, there is no stress. The kitchen is my calm. 

This exact dinner came out of such a moment. Little to no time left in the day to think over what to make, limited groceries to go from, and leftover roasted red peppers to use up before they went bad. So, with a simple roasted red pepper cream sauce as my inspiration, I took the vegan route and turned out with this delicious mac n' cheese-tasting dish that honestly, was amazing! Creamy, cheesy, easy, peasy. Ready in 15 minutes. So good, enjoy! 

Cashew Mac n' Cheeze

Total time: 15 minutes + soaking time for cashews

Ingredients

• 2 roasted red peppers
• 2 Tbsp vegan butter or coconut oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp basil 
• sea salt/pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup cashews soaked in water for 30 minutes or even better, overnight!
• 1-2 tbsp. cup nutritional yeast

What to do:

1. Add the roasted red peppers to a food processor along. Purée until smooth, adding a tablespoon or two of water if needed to help it blend. 
2. Add garlic it to a skillet with the butter or oil. Sauté over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or just until the garlic is smelling good. Pour in the puréed peppers and add basil. Stir to combine.
3. Allow the sauce to simmer. Turn the heat down to low and let the sauce simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring often, or until the mixture is thick.
4. Meanwhile, in your food processor, combine your cashews, soaking water, and nutritional yeast. Blend until very smooth. Add sea salt/pepper to taste. 
5. Add the cashew cream to the skillet, stir until the sauce is smooth, and allow to heat through. 
6. Add pasta to the sauce and stir to evenly combine. Tastes great with a little added greens, too!