Vegan Mac and Cheese

8-10 Oz Whole Wheat Rotini
2 Cups Steamed Broccoli Florets
2 Pieces of Bread, toasted and ground to breadcrumbs

1 Cup Peeled, Finely Chopped Potatoes
1/4 Cup Peeled, Finely Chopped Carrots
1 Cup Water

1/3 Cup Raw Cashews
1 Tbs Miso (any kind, I like red)
1 Tbs Tahini
1 Tbs Lemon Juice (sub: 2 tsp White Wine Vinegar)
1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/3 Cup Earth Balance Margarine
1/3 Cup Nutritional Yeast
1 to 1 1/2 tsp Salt
Black Pepper to taste
Paprika for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350º

Heat a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, steam broccoli and set aside. I use my rice cooker. Simply put the florets in the cooker with 2-3 Tbs of hot water and turn the cooker on. Broccoli will be bright green and tender-crisp when done. Don’t forget about it in there–it’ll finish cooking before the rice cooker clicks off, so if you forget about it, you’ll overcook your broccoli. Mine takes less than 10 minutes to cook.

Make sure the carrots and potatoes are chopped very small; this will reduce the cooking time greatly. Place the chopped potatoes and carrots in small sauce pan that has a lid. Add the 1 cup of water. Boil covered until tender, 10-15 minutes.

While the potatoes and carrots are cooking, add the remaining ingredients to the blender (cashew, miso, lemon juice, mustard, earth balance, nut. yeast, salt and pepper). Once potatoes and carrots are done cooking, add them and their cooking water to the blender as well. Blend until VERY smooth. If needed, add soymilk or water 1 Tbs at a time to thin. Taste for seasoning.

Toast the bread and process into crumbs.

Toss the cooked pasta and broccoli with the sauce. Place in a casserole dish and top with breadcrumbs, black pepper, and paprika.

Bake for 25 minute at 350º F until browned and bubbly.

Spaghetti with Vegan Tomato Cream Sauce

1 Large, ripe tomato (2 cups roughly chopped, 1 1/2 cups blended)
1/2 Cup Raw Cashews
1 Tbs Tomato Paste
1/4 Cup Water

2 Tbs Olive Oil
2-4 Cloves Garlic, minced, optional
6 Ounces (ish) Whole Wheat Spaghetti
1 tsp Salt (edit: upped from 3/4!)
2-3 Tbs Wine or Water, optional
1-2 tsp Freshly Cracked, Coarse Black Pepper
1 Large Handful Fresh Basil Leaves, chopped

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.

Core the tomato, then roughly chop it. Add it to your blender, seeds, skin and all. Add cashews, tomato paste, and water. Blend until very smooth.

Add olive oil to a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute until golden, being careful not to burn. Once water is boiling, add pasta. Pour sauce from the blender into the saute pan and bring to a simmer. Add salt and let cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
If desired add wine/water to thin out the sauce. Taste and season more if necessary. Let simmer until pasta is finished cooking. Once pasta is cooked, drain. Add pasta to the saute pan with black pepper and freshly chopped basil leaves. Toss to coat. Serve immediately, garnishing with more pepper and basil.

Raw Chocolate Pudding

2 avocados (ripe)
1/2-3/4 cup agave nectar (blue)
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
2 tbsps coconut cream (concentrate)
1 tbsp alcohol (free vanilla)
1 dash sea salt
1 dash cinnamon (optional)
1 tbsp Chia Seeds (optional)
slice banana (strawberry slices to garnish)

1 Place everything in a high-power blender or food processor and blend on high until very smooth. You may need your temper /spoon to move the contents a little so the motor doesn't bog down on you.

2 Keep stored in an air-tight container in the fridge if not eating right now.

Fudgy Vegan Brownies

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry (flour plain flour works fine)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 mashed banana (riper)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup soymilk (plain, cow's milk works fine)
1 tbsp flax seed meal (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Preheat oven to 350°F Coat 9-inch-square baking pan with cooking spray.

2 Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl.

3 Melt chocolate chips with canola oil in double boiler, stirring until smooth. (Or heat in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth.).

4 Remove from heat, and whisk in banana and sugar.

5 Combine soymilk, flaxseed meal, and vanilla in measuring cup, then fold into chocolate mixture.

6 Stir chocolate mixture into flour mixture until just combined, then spread in prepared baking pan.

7 (If topping with M&Ms, sprinkle them on now.).

8 Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out dry, but middle is still soft.

9 Cool in pan on wire rack, then cut into 16 squares.

Pumpkin Lentil Curry

1/2 cups (290 g) red lentils

3 cups plus 2 tbsp water, for sauteeing, divided

2 medium size yellow onions, finely chopped

1 tbsp minced ginger

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 can (15 oz) light coconut milk

798 mL can pumpkin puree

1 tbsp curry powder

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (optional)

1/2 tsp salt

Heat 2 tablespoons of water in a large saucepan. Add onions, ginger, and garlic, and cook until onions are translucent, about 6 minutes.

Add lentils, remaining 3 cups water, coconut milk, pumpkin, curry powder, cayenne, and optional coconut, and cook over low-medium heat until lentils are mushy but still retain body and texture, 35 to 40 minutes.

Stir occasionally, and keep an eye on how quickly the liquid is evaporating. If it evaporates too quickly, you may need to add more water or milk before the lentils are cooked. Add salt. Serve over rice.