Vegan Mac & Cheese (Say What?)

Mac & Nutritional Yeast. I hipster, shoot me. 

Sup Baby Caterpillars?

I totally made vegan mac and cheese today. I went full Desi on it by by adding lots of green chilies, green peppers, onion and tomato. So, this is a good recipe to kind of make your own.

This recipe needs nutritional yeast, which is not the most Indian-grocery-friendly thing to get. But don't panic, I did get this  most economical version available for only 400 rupees. Buy it here 

OK, so let's get to it, chop chop.

What You Need

2 cups macaroni
1 firm tomato diced
1/2 medium onion diced
1 green pepper (capsicum), diced
1/4th cup nutritional yeast
2 cups soya or almond milk
3 tablespoons of  cornflour, arrowroot powder or flour
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or juice of half a lemon)
2-3 green chilies chopped (omit if you can't take the heat)
1 tablespoon mustard
1 table spoon black pepper
3 garlic pods minced
 sea salt to taste
1 tablespoon sugar/brown sugar
Italian seasoning/oregano and any other seasoning of choice
1 tablespoon crushed chili flakes
4 tablespoons oil ( I used olive)

That's the red star stuff I was talking about

How You Make It

In a pot bowl your water and add some salt to it. When the water is bubbling add your uncooked pasta. Cook for exactly 11 minutes, drain, and rise under cold water and set that baby aside.

Set a pot on medium flame. Add oil and garlic. Now add your soy/almond milk and stir. It won't really mix because the oil will separate your mylk. Now add your cornflour/flour and keep stirring until it starts to thicken. You can add your nutritional yeast now, and keep stirring. Add more soy/almond milk and cornflour/flour to get your desired quantity and thickness. Now add your pepper, salt, seasoning, sugar, chili flakes and vinegar/lemon juice and mustard. Add your veggies to this bubbling sauce. I really like my veggies to be crisp and semi-raw not over cooked, so if you are like me, then put of the flame about 4 minutes after you add the veggies. If you like your veggies soggier (yuck, ok no judgement) then let it cook some more.

Now add your cooked pasta to the sauce and give it a good stir. Check for salt. Eat this lovely baby-bum soft pasta piping hot. Makes for a great (healthy-essh) dinner.

Vegan Cheese Sauce Notes : Nutritional yeast gives a nutty cheesy flavor. Mustard and apple cider vinegar balance the nutty taste with that fermented taste of cheese. This combination gives you the closest cheese replacement. It's also the least complicated and usually you can make it without bursting into tears mid-recipe.

It's Friday tomorrow. Get your groove on.