I realized that I have accidentally been holding onto a recipe for a long, long time. After writing my last post, I tried to search for the link to my Mac and Cheeze recipe, only I realized I never posted it! And it’s one of my favorites! I made this back in the early fall when I was on a squash kick – and I think it has the potential to bring me back into it again.
I had an old Mac and cheese recipe from a few years ago that called for real cheese and a recipe from another vegan blog that used “cheeze” and squash. I combined the two, made some tweaks, and fell in love. I think if I had made this version at my friends house, they would have love it too – or been scared of the kale, it’s hard to tell 😉
Mac and Squeeze
It’s Mac and “Cheeze” with a squash twist. These are modified from ohsheglows.com and sarasnow.com. Put them together and you’ve got Mac and Squeeze. It seems like a lot of work, but all the steps are very easy. Hope you enjoy!
1 butternut squash
1 bunch kale
1 tbsp (or less) olive oil
½ large tomato, sliced
1 package macaroni (I used a gluten free quinoa blend)
5 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
¼ cup vegetable broth
1 tsp (gluten free) flour, corn starch, or arrow root powder
1 tbsp Earth Balance
¼ non-dairy milk or creamer (unflavored)
Garlic powder and salt to taste
2-3 tbsp Raw cashew crumbs
Daiya cheese (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil macaroni according to package directions. While macaroni is boiling, peel, chop, and steam squash*. In a separate pot, add Earth Balance. Whisk in milk and flour. Add nutritional yeast and broth. Whisk together until a sauce forms. Add garlic powder and salt to taste. For the kale, heat olive oil in a sautee pan over medium heat. Chop kale, removing stems. Add to heat until slightly wilted. Garlic and salt to taste.
When the macaroni is cooked, rinse and drain. Add sauce to the macaroni and stir. Add in the cooked kale and stir a little more. Mash the squash and add it to the macaroni and kale mixture.
Transfer this to a casserole dish. Sprinkle with daiya cheese if desired. Layer the tomatoes on top of macaroni. Sprinkle with cashew crumbs (you can make these in a blender or food processor). Bake in oven for approximately 10 minutes, until the tomatoes are cooked and the daiya cheese is melted.
Remove from oven and enjoy! Warning: you may not be able to stop at one serving. Luckily, it’s a pretty healthy indulgence.
Next up I’ve got a fantastic book review coming your way! Stay tuned – you won’t want to miss this one.
Peace and love to you,
Jessi
