Healthy Living [aka: Trying to find cheesy food to eat when I'm hungover]

In an effort to be 'healthy' I made Vegan Mac and Cheese.

So as I have mentioned before I'm going to start cooking new recipes.  I'm going to try and make things I've never made before.  And its going to be exciting.  That's the plan anyways.  So I'm starting slow.  Instead of just jumping in feet first and all of a sudden making tons of new recipes all at once I'm making new things once in a while.  To prepare myself. 

Now I would like to mention that I am not a vegan.  And I'm not planning on becoming one unlike my super fantastic cousin.... BUT because I do have some dietary considerations I am very open to cooking vegan when required. 

Like when I'm hung over from a wedding in Drumheller the night before and all I want is creamy cheesy noodles and I'm not allowed to eat cheese because it makes me sick :(

Yes.  This is BF riding a Triceratops with a Cowboy at a Wedding in Drumheller.  This is FOR SURE the picture of the night, and I feel it adequately sums up the entire mood of the wedding.  If you look closely at the background you can see the Drumheller Penitentiary.

So I looked up about 10 different Vegan Mac and Cheese recipes and then I mixed them all together, didn't pay attention to any of them and did my own thing.  And it surprisingly worked.  It was creamy and noodle-y and actually kinda healthy-ish and totally yummy. And even a little bit cheesy. 

Nope I couldn't wait to eat it before taking a picture.  And it was yummy enough that I ate it for lunch the next 2 days also!

Ingredients:

11/2 cups of uncooked pasta [I used macaroni noodles]
1/4 cup of a cup of margarine [you could use as little as 2 tbsp if you wanted, but more makes it creamier]
1/4 cup of flour
1 3/4 cups of boiling water [you can use pasta water]
1 tbsp of soy sauce [or tamarind]
1 tsp turmeric [this is what turns the sauce yellow, it adds some taste but its ok to not use it as well]
1/2 cup of Nutritional Yeast [available at Health Food Stores]
1/2 tsp of paprika
1 tbsp of tahini [optional]
1 tsp of cayenne [optional]
1/2 tsp of dry mustard [optional]
a couple of handfuls of spinach
some breadcrumbs
tomatoes

Preheat your oven to 350 F and boil water to make pasta.

In a sauce pan melt the margarine over medium heat.  When melted whisk in flour, let cook for a few minutes, making a roux.  Add boiling water and stir until smooth.

Add in soy sauce, paprika, dry mustard, cayenne, turmeric, tahini and any other spices you think sounds good. [garlic powder, onion powder, chilli powder] Let cook for a minute.

Add nutritional yeast, stirring constantly. When smooth your sauce is done!

Mix noodles, spinach and sauce together in a casserole dish.  Top with breadcrumbs and tomatoes. 

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.  Broil for another 5 to brown the top (I was way to hungry and skipped broiling it.  It was still yummy)

Your done!

I think this recipe would be awesome with all kinds of veggies and stuff mixed in.... maybe some peppers or broccoli. 

* Just to let you know, when I cook I pay no attention at all to recipes or what I'm really doing.  I think this is close to what I made, but who knows? Hopefully if you try making this then it turns out awesome for you! *



Also I am on the hunt for new recipes to try, so if anyone has any suggestions send them my way please!