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Smoky Mac & Cheese

Clea Grady

Warming, smoky comfort food. Perfect on cold days.

  1. ½ a bag of macaroni or fusilli
  2. ¾ cup of cashews – soaked for at least 2 hours
  3. 1 x onion
  4. 3 x cloves of garlic
  5. 4/5 sundried tomatoes (a handful)
  6. 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
  7. 1 tablespoon of miso paste
  8. 1/2 tablespoons of tomato puree
  9. ½ – 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
  10. ½ teaspoon of turmeric
  11. 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke (optional)
  12. ¾ tablespoons of nutritional yeast
  13. 2 cups of veggie stock (I use Bouillon)
  14. Juice of half a lemon (optional)
  15. Optional: 1 x roasted red pepper or 1 large carrot chopped small and fried with the onion and garlic

Serves four or two big portions with leftovers for the next day!

Serving suggestions: wilted kale and toasted sunflower seeds, roasted Brussel sprouts, roasted cauliflower and broccoli, steamed broccoli

  • Put the cashews in a bowl with some water and cover with water and leave to soak – allow for two hours unless you have a mega powerful blender!
  • If using the pepper and roasting your own then rub with a little oil and put on baking tray and into hot oven. Allow for 30 minutes to cook. If using peppers from a jar then you can add later.
  • If serving with roasted veg, prep and put in oven alongside the pepper. Crunchy veg will take longer than the pepper to roast so timing should be about spot on.
  • Add pasta to pot of boiling water and cook as per packet instructions. When al dente pour into colander and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
  • While the pasta is cooking, finely chop your onions and garlic and add to a big pan with oil. Cook until nicely softened but not brown. If using carrot, also chop finely and add alongside the onions and garlic. Cook until carrot is soft.
  • Scrape down the pan and add the onion and garlic mix to the blender, along with the rest of the ingredients (don’t add the yeast last or you will lose some of it when it whizzes around). If using the pepper, this is when you add it. (Remove as much of the skin as you can before doing so and exclude all pips and the stalk.)
  • You now need to blend until lovely and smooth. This will take at least three or four goes depending on your blender. Scrape down the sides in between blends to make sure everything is incorporated.
  • Pour the mixture back into the pot that you cooked the onions and garlic in and allow to thicken on a medium/low heat. Stir frequently.
  • When thickened you can choose to add the lemon juice. I find that it lifts it a little but taste before doing so. Just add a little squeeze first if you like and then taste again.
  • Now add the cold pasta into the sauce, mix thoroughly and heat through.
  • When nice and hot it’s time to serve… Spoon into large bowls with accompanying veg. Dig in!

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