Vegan and Gluten Free Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli

So, this was our first attempt at vegan macaroni and cheese. Overall, I was very happy with it. It didn't quite taste like the regular mac and cheese, because, obviously, it's not. But it's a great substitute. And it tasted great with some vegan parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. This recipe is from Karmachow.com.

 Vegan and Gluten Free Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli 

Ingredients:

1/2 pound gluten free brown rice elbows

Blend together:

1-1/2 cups plain, unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk or Almond Milk
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or more to taste)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
pinch cayenne pepper
1 tablespoons tahini
black pepper to taste

1 Tbsp brown rice flour
1-2 Tbsp olive oil or Earth Balance (soy free)

1 - 2 c. broccoli florets (depending on how much you like)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 tsp. olive oil

 Directions:

1. Prepare pasta to al dente. While pasta is cooking, heat 2 tsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and saute garlic until tender. Add broccoli and a splash of water, cover and steam until tender.  In the meantime, blend all remaining ingredients together in a blender except for olive oil and brown rice flour. When pasta is done, drain and rinse and set aside.

 2.  Over medium heat, add olive oil or Earth Balance to a sauce pan and heat. Add brown rice flour and stir to make a roux. Add sauce mixture and pasta and cook, stirring, until mixture boils and thickens. If sauce is too thick, add more coconut milk, if too thin, add a little more rice flour. Add in cooked broccoli and stir to combine. If the sauce needs a touch more flavor, add more mustard and onion or garlic powder. Top with a dash of smoked paprika and serve immediately!

 

Note: As you can see, we decided to use broccoli and cauliflower. We didn't have to add anything extra since the consistency was just right. We used regular paprika and it was wonderful =)