Vegan Truffle Mac & Cheese

Honestly, who doesn't love mac and cheese? Its one of those staple recipes that not only my kids love but so do I. There isn't anything more comforting than a big bowl of cheesy noodles. Then add truffle oil to the mix and your classic mac and cheese has reached a new level. But something about loads of cheese, butter, and cream on pasta just doesn't seem like the healthiest choice lol. So I decided I needed to figure out a way I could make this dish just as appetising as the original but with some nutritional substance.  So here is what I came up with.  My version gives you all the ooey gooey-ness of real cheese but all the health benefits of eggplant and okra... Weird, I know cheese sauce made of eggplant and okra but trust me it wont disappoint. Take a leap of faith, try it out and let me know what you think. Enjoy!!!

What you need:

• 2 cups dried macaroni prepared as the package says, put to the side.
• 1 small eggplant or 6-8 rounds, sliced into circular disks (see picture above)
• 5-6 fresh okra
• 1 head of garlic
• 1/2 cup, raw cashews soaked overnight (or a min of 4 hours)
• 3 tbsp. tapioca starch (flour)
• 3 tbsp. nutritional yeast
• truffle oil to taste, I like about a 1-2 tsp
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1-1/2 cup, water
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• green onion for garnish
• vegan golden parmesan for garnish

The how to:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F
• Cut the top off your head of garlic so the cloves are showing. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap in tinfoil place in oven for 25-30mins.
• Wash and cut your eggplant into 1/4-inch thick rounds, brush with olive oil and put on a roasting pan or tinfoil-lined baking sheet.
• Brush okra with oil and also put on the pan. 
• Bake eggplant and okra in the oven for 15 mins.
• Remove eggplant, wait until slightly cooled and peel skins away.
• Add eggplant, okra, 4-5 cloves of roasted garlic, cashews, water, and nutritional yeast into blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy.
• Heat oil on medium heat, make a light roux with tapioca flour.
• Add blended mixture a little at a time slowly incorporating into roux. 
• Cook and stir constantly for about 5 mins or until desired consistency.
• Remove from heat, add truffle oil, and mix.
• Add pasta, and season to taste. 
•  Garnish with slivered green onion and/or vegan parmesan.

Loaded Vegan Veggie Lasagna

Mmmmmmm lasagna! I had a major craving for lasagna so here it is. This recipe is definitely not as quick to make as my other recipes but I had to have it. I know vegan and lasagna probably shouldn't be in the same sentence but bare with me. It's not only LOADED with all the veggies below, it is low fat, low in calories, and could satisfy a connoisseur of lasagna, if there was one. I know it seems like a pretty hefty recipe to tackle, but if you prepare the tomato sauce, vegan parmesan, and tofu ricotta before hand, it shouldn't take very long. I had left over tomato sauce and vegan parmesan from a spaghetti supper I had made earlier in the week. So, for me this recipe only took about 90 mins from start to finish (roughly 60 mins of bake time). So let's get started!

Loaded Vegan Veggie Lasagna

What you need:

• 9' x 13' x 2' baking dish
• 1 large eggplant, sliced thin lengthwise (cut off ends and compost)
• 2 small zucchini, sliced thin lengthwise (cut off ends and compost)
• 1 large onion, small diced
• 2 peppers, small diced
• 1 1/2 cups broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 1/2 cups cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 cup mushrooms, thin sliced
• 1 cup spinach, rough chopped 
• 3-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups tomato sauce  
• 1 recipe of tofu ricotta
• 1 recipe of vegan parmesan 
• 1/2 box of quinoa and brown rice lasagna noodles (oven ready) 
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup daiya cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

The how to:

• Prepare tomato sauce, vegan parmesan, and tofu ricotta if not done already.
• Start by slicing and dicing all of your veggies as stated above. (see pictures if unsure)
• Heat oil on med/high heat. Sauté onions until light caramelization. Add mushrooms and garlic, stir and let cook for about 2 minutes.  Add peppers, broccoli, and cauliflower.  Cook for about 3 minutes more, then stir in spinach and 1 1/2 cups of tomato sauce. Add a splash of water if it seems a bit thick. Set aside. Remember these veggies don't need to be completely cooked through since it still needs to be baked. 
• Start layering:

1. 1/2 cup tomato sauce on bottom of pan.
2. Uncooked lasagna noodles 
3. 1/2 of the veggie sauce mixture, sprinkle with parmesan
4. 1/2 of the tofu ricotta
5. Eggplant slices sprinkled with parmesan
6. Remaining veggie sauce mixture
7. Zucchini slices
8. Remaining tofu ricotta 
9. Uncooked lasagna noodles
10. Remaining 1 cup tomato sauce or more if needed. Make sure there is a good amount of sauce on top of the noodles. They need moisture to cook. 

• Cover with your choice of vegan cheese. I used a mixture of Daiya's vegan mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Cover and bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit. Uncover after 40 mins and set oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Cook for 15 minutes longer. Watch to make sure cheese doesn't burn.
• Take out of oven, and let rest for 5-10 mins, cut, serve and enjoy. nom nom!!