Julie Montagu’ gives the comforting classic a healthy twist with this vegan kale mac & cheese recipe
“When I was growing up in the middle of America, I loved and lived on mac and cheese. I mean, let’s be honest, it is just SO good! However, most mac and cheese isn’t exactly going to give you what you need nutritionally and it depletes the energy supply. ]
So, for my kids’ sake, I had to find a mac and cheese that tasted as good (if not better) AND filled them with all things good.
This recipe takes 20 minutes, but you do need to do a little planning and place the cashews in a bowl of water the night before. Then you’re ready to go when you come home the next evening.”
Ingredients
• 250g dried macaroni
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 140g cashews, soaked overnight, then drained
• 350ml almond or coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
• 25g nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• large handful kale, shredded
Method
1 Cook the macaroni according to the packet instructions.
2 Meanwhile, heat a medium-sized saucepan over a medium heat, add the coconut oil and sauté the onion and garlic for 5 minutes or until soft.
3 Put the onion and garlic, soaked cashew nuts and the rest of the ingredients, except the kale, into a blender and blitz on high until thoroughly blended.
4 Pour the cashew ‘cheese’ back into the saucepan with the shredded kale and cook on a low heat, stirring frequently, until warm and the kale is wilted – about 2–3 minutes.
5 Add the drained, cooked macaroni to the pan, stir well and serve immediately.
Recipe courtesy of Julie Montagu, extracted from Superfoods Superfast © Quadrille.
