Jalapeño mac & cheese with roasted brussels sprouts

For our first dinner as vegans, Suzanne and I decided to make a classic comfort food staple: Mac & Cheese. We found a recipe on post punk kitchen and decided to give it a little spin of our own. (The recipe calls for chipotle peppers but we opted for jalapeños. I also added a little red pepper and a dash of tabasco for an extra kick.)

I had tried my hand  at a vegan mac & cheese last March, and while it was good, this "cheese" sauce was muuuuuuch easier to make and we thought it tasted better too. This dish was awesome, however, it only seems appropriate that I utter that famous phrase from Reading Rainbow: "Don't take my word for it." So, for those of you who are interested, check out the recipe below.

The Noodles:

Boil 8oz. of macaroni noodles in a pot with added salt. (We used a gluten free organic noodle)

The Brussels Sprouts:

Preheat the oven to 425 degree. Cut up 1lb. of brussels sprouts into fourths. Spread them out on a baking pan/cookie sheet and sprinkle them with olive oil and salt. Lastly, throw them in the oven for 18 minutes.

The Sauce:

• 1 cup of soaked raw cashews (should be soaked for at least 2 hours. If time is an issue, you can boil them for 15 minutes)
• 2 tablespoons of meso
• 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
• 2 cloves of garlic or 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
• 3 diced and seeded jalapeños
• 1 cup of vegetable broth
• Salt to taste

Throw this into a blender and blend until smooth.

Once the noodles are done, drain them and put them back in the pot. Set the burner on low, toss in the sauce, and stir until it thickens. Once the brussels sprouts are done, toss those in and give them a stir. (This is where I added the crushed red pepper.)

Lastly, dish it up and serve! This recipe make about four servings. Today was a great day for vegan food. Suzanne and I have been feeling great and are looking forward to other great meals. We both thought that time would be the hardest thing to work with, so our plan as of now is to make about three different meals on Sundays. This way, we have a variety to choose from during the week and it should last us awhile. Alongside of this dish, Suzanne made some tomato soup and a quinoa/lentil stew with peppers and carrots. Hope everyone had a great Sunday!

-Bearded Vegan