Well, well, well. It’s day 5 and my visiting, teenage son is still eating vegan food. Ha! And liking it. Double ha! He went back for seconds on this dish (((sigh))). It makes me so happy.

I chose to use almond milk instead of my usual soy milk for this dish. There has been so much contradictory babble about soy products of late, hasn’t there? Here is what Dr. Fuhrman has to say about soy products. One of the reasons I use only one brand of soy milk in place of other non-dairy milks is because virtually ALL of the others contain too much added crap. Seriously. Why do they feel the need to add: calcium carbonate, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan, soy lecithin, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, d-alpha-tocopherol (natural vitamin E)… I say, JUST LEAVE IT ALONE. The soy milk I purchase has two ingredients: soybeans and water. I sometimes make my own nut milks. That’s really the healthiest way to go if you have the time!

Anyway, sorry about the rant. Back to today’s dish! The “cheese” sauce in this recipe is delightfully sweet from the cashews and the roasted squash. I admit it’s not exactly the same flavor as traditional mac & cheese, à la blue-box-brand, but it’s oh-so-much healthier!

Here you go:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cashews
• 1 1/2-2 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 1 roasted butternut squash (2 cups)
• 3 TBS nutritional yeast
• 2 TBS yellow mustard
• 1 TBS mellow white miso
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 pounds pasta of your choice

1. To roast the butternut squash, cut in half lengthways, remove the seeds, coat with a small amount of olive oil and bake, face-up, at 425 degrees F for about 1 hour or until a fork easily pierces the thickest part. Let cool. I sometimes do this a day ahead and just scoop out the flesh and keep it in the fridge until I need it. If you want to you can also use frozen/thawed squash but roasting it adds a rich depth of flavor. 
2. Place the cashews and 1/2 cup of the almond milk in a high powered blender and blend until smooth.
3. Add remaining ingredients and blend well. Transfer to a saucepan and heat on low until warm.
4. Cook your pasta per directions. I used wheat-free elbow noodles.
5. When pasta is cooked, transfer back to the cooking pot and toss with the sauce. You can add some veggies if you want. I added some steamed broccoli and it was delish!
6. Top with some freshly grated nutmeg for an extra special flavor.

a clean plate… oh, yeah.