I'm a planner. This includes me obsessively developing a menus at the beginning of each week for every-single-meal. Lately, though, I feel like I've lost some of my creativity. Last Thursday I found myself at lunch time not wanting what I had packed, but unsure of what I did want. I'm not sure if you understand: this is a scary thing for me! I love food and I love looking forward to eating; and here I was "out of love".That night I went out to dinner with Boyfriend and ate a French dip sandwich. Yes, meat. For some reason, I thought my issue was flexitarian boredom. I.e. that eating primarily vegetarian had finally become unappealing.
In retrospect, I wonder if I was actually just low in iron and my body was craving a food high in it: beef. But mostly, I think it was just me in a food rut. This week I'm trying to be consciously creative: Today for lunch, I had a buffalo tempeh salad with kale, carrots, and feta. Ok, not so creative...BUT tonight I finally made completely vegan macaroni and cheese--with gluten-free pasta. It was so easy (like, three steps), surprisingly creamy, and actually tasted kind of cheesy. I mean, it was obviously not macaroni and cheese; however, it did satisfy the craving!
For the creamy cheesiness, it primarily relied on nutritional yeast. Here's a post from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen about this strange substance. Basically, its a good source of B-vitamins, folic acid, zinc, protein, etc. and can be tossed into and on top of most things to add a cheesy / nutty flavor.
[I should note that I let Boyfriend blind test it...He was unpleasantly surprised and not very happy at me. Appearance-wise, it totally fooled him though! hehe]
I'm looking forward to making this next time the macaroni & cheese craving strikes :)
Happy meatless eating!
Easy Vegan Macaroni & Cheese
Adapted from Oh She Glows! and Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
Servings: 2
4 ounces pasta of choice (shells, elbow, etc)
1/2 cup unsweetened plain almond butter
1/2 cup cold water
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 tablespoon tahini
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons arrowroot flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
A few shakes of paprika (I used smoked paprika)
Cracked pepper to taste
- Cook pasta according to directions. While cooking, add the remaining ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend for 30-60 seconds.
- Once pasta is cooked, drain and return to pot over medium-low heat. Pour in "cheese" mixture and stir frequently for about 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
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