Cheeseless Mac n' Cheese

Forks Over Knives is my all-time favorite food documentary, so it is no wonder that the Forks Over Knives Cookbook is one of my go-to recipe sources.  One recipe I make the most is the No-Cheese Sauce.  It comes together in minutes, and you can use it to make delicious pastas, dips, and more.  You simply blend the following ingredients together in the food processor:

• 1 yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons cashews, toasted
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1 cup nutritional yeast
• Salt to taste

For those of you not familiar with nutritional yeast, it is a deactivated yeast with a cheesy flavor that you can find in the bulk bin section of most health food stores.  It is a complete protein and a good source of vitamins, particularly the B-complex vitamins.  We always keep a jar full in our pantry!

When I am craving comfort food, I use this sauce to make a fabulous dairy-free mac n' cheese.  You can keep it simple and just toss the sauce with noodles and bake, or you can doctor it up in lots of ways.  

The other night, I cooked up some Hodgson Mill veggie rotini and tossed it with the no-cheese sauce, 1/2 pound seasoned and cooked grass-fed beef, and roughly 3/4 cup each of black beans, salsa, and pepper-jack Daiya cheese.  I sprinkled some cayenne pepper on top and baked for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

The Daiya cheese made it extra creamy and delicious.  This recipe is definitely a keeper!