Vegan and Gluten Free Mac and “Cheese”
serves 6-8
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 cup short grain rice
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
6 ounce silken tofu
1 pound gluten free short pasta
-In a heavy post, heat the olive oil and saute the onion for couple of minutes. Add the celery and the carrots and continue to saute for five minutes.
-Add the garlic, the sage and the tarragon. Saute for couple minutes and add the rice and the turmeric. Stir until the rice is well coated.
-Add the water, the salt and the pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until the rice is cooked and smell and taste done. Remove from the heat.
-Place the cooked rice in a food processor with the tofu and puree until you have smooth yellow paste. THIS IS YOUR VEGAN CHEESE.
-In a pasta pot, bring salted water to boil, and drop the pasta. Stir and boil for 6 minutes or until the pasta is al-dente. Remove from the heat and drain well.
-Place the pasta in a bowl, add the vegan cheese and toss well. Spoon the pasta in a baking dish and bake in a 375 degree F.oven for 25 minutes. You can sprinkle ground toasted almonds on the top if you like.
Susanne Powers says
I finally made your mac and cheese. It was a huge hit. It will definitely be on the menu anytime I have a critic of plant based diets over for dinner because it looks and tastes like ‘real’ mac and cheese without using high fat cheese substitutes.
sanaacooks says
Hello Susanne: I am so glad. I don’t believe in any factory made substitute that is why I keep working with vegetable to make sauces. I am working on vegan Spanakopita. I will publish that when it work.
Thanks for the comment and enjoy your dinner.