Mommy Monday: Vegan Macaroni and Cheese from Scratch (dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, soy-free)

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Thankfully for us dairy-free eaters, there are a lot of resources and recipes out there on the blogosphere to try. On Sweet Roots, there are recipes for homemade coconut milk mozzarella and cheddar (the cheddar is one of the most popular posts). The recipe below uses cashews as a base. If you are staying away from nuts, you can actually use the homemade coconut milk cheddar to make a nut-free mac and cheese.

I love to experiment but many recipes fall short of my expectations. I want a cheese that is healthy (super processed soy protein isolate? no, thank you) and that will please the palate. Thankfully I have a toddler taste tester to ensure this latter one.

This recipe is derived from this  nacho cheese sauce from Tessa the Domestic Diva.

Introducing dairy-free cheeses to a formally cheese eater can be tough. At first, their taste buds might not welcome the nut or coconut derived versions but try and try again!

To make this more nutritious, I like to boil frozen broccoli, cauliflower or peas in with the noodles to add some vegetable.

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Vegan Macaroni and Cheese from Scratch

Cashew Cheese Sauce
1/2 cup cashews, roasted and unsalted *
1 1/4 cup water
2 Tb nutritional yeast
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp tapioca flour
1 Tb oats (or any flour of your choice)
1/2 tsp dehydrated garlic powder
1/8 tsp liquid smoke (optional)
Pinch of Salt
Splash of Lemon Juice
2 Tb Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Tessa used a butter substitute but I like using olive oil so feel free to use whichever you have on hand)

2 cups Gluten-free Macaroni or Noodles of Choice (I buy mine from winco)

1. Boil water in a medium sauce pan. Add noodles.
2. Blend all of the ingredients in a blender until completely incorporated. (I like to blend dry first then add water and then oil).
3. When noodles have reached desire doneness, strain and set aside.
4. Add the sauce to the pot and let cook on medium for one minute, stirring a couple times to make sure nothing settles. Add noodles and stir until sauce adheres to noodles and thickens. Serve and enjoy!

* You can use raw if you prefer. Tessa did.