Plant-based Mac'n'Cheeze 

“The human body had no more need for cows’ milk than it does for dogs’ milk, horses’ milk, or giraffes’ milk.” – Dr. Michael Klaper

Mac'N'Cheeze

If you are American, you will be surprised that I've NEVER had Kraft Mac'n'Cheese. I grew up in Australia, and even though it's available, it's not something that I would ever buy. Overly processed, boxed food has never been on my shopping list. So, I say with conviction that this mac'n'cheeze recipe is the most delicious I have ever had!! 😂.

I make it without salt, but it does benefit from a bit of miso paste. Add the saltiness to your taste, but for optimal health, keep the sodium as low as possible.

Check out the video below.

Sauce Ingredients

1/2 red onion - roughly chopped

1 carrot - roughly chopped

1 medium potato - roughly chopped OR 1 medium sweet potato - roasted

2 cups of water mixed with 1 tablespoon Veggie Stock Powder

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon miso paste

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/2 cup cashews - optional (delete if you want a low-calorie version)

1/4-1/2 cup Nutritional Yeast (Nooch)

1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper or smoked paprika (to taste)

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (not shown in the video - but add it - it's awesome!)

Other Ingredients

1 packet lentil, chickpea or whole wheat pasta (225gm)

1/2 head broccoli - chopped into florets

A handful of cherry tomatoes

Chopped vegetables of your choice

Method

1. If using sweet potato, peel and chop into chunks, then roast in an oven till tender.

2. Cook the pasta in a separate saucepan as per the box instructions.

3. Place onion, garlic, carrot, potato (if using), cashews (if using), water and stock powder into a saucepan and cook till veggies are tender.

4. If your blender cannot handle hot liquids, allow it to cool.

5. Otherwise, pour mixture into a blender and add sweet potato (if using), paprika, nooch and apple cider vinegar.

6. Blend till smooth.

Options

1. Quick and Easy

   Steam the broccoli. Pour the sauce over the pasta. Top with broccoli and halved cherry tomatoes. Enjoy.

2. Baked

   Chop your favorite veggies and place them in an oven-safe baking dish. Mix in cooked pasta and sauce. Top with Vegan Parmesan (recipe in my book Fabulous Health). Bake until golden.

Your plant-based health checklist:

Here is a quick checklist to get you started with your plant-based journey.

Remember, imperfect action beats inaction; get started and keep trying.

• Write a list of plant-based foods you already like. (Check out my free list HERE.)

• Look up your favorite recipes and work out ways to swap animal products for plant-based ingredients.

• Be open to new flavors and try new things.

• When at restaurants, order the plant-based option.

• Instead of dairy milk, use plant-based milk in your coffee and cereal. If you don't like the taste, try another brand.

• Unless you want to, there's no need to swap out everything all at once. One step at a time is fine. Eventually, you will crowd out all the unhealthy animal products with healthy plant-based foods.