Vegan Poblano Mac and Cheese [Eat]

I have been trying to eat healthier by having a vegetarian/vegan diet during the week and allowing myself to eat animal products during the weekends. Also, I started cooking more, maybe because I got awesome wedding gifts for my kitchen. The deal is that we are having a Thanksgiving potluck at work and one of my coworkers is vegan (he doesn't eat any animal product, not even honey). 
Since I have been trying the vegan diet, I wanted to support the only vegan in the office and cook something he can actually eat. I went on Pinterest and found a link to many awesome Thanksgiving vegan recipes. Here is the link. The one that caught my attention was the Mac and cheese! Not only because it looked tasty but also because it looked pretty easy to cook. Some of my non-vegan co-workers were not happy that I was in charge of the Mac and cheese. Since it was going to be vegan, I told them I would make some over the weekend and bring a sample. While I was preparing the "cheese" I remembered I had some poblano peppers in the fridge and thought it could give it a spicy kick. I saved half of the regular flavor (for those that don't like spicy) and then just threw in the poblano peppers to see how it would taste. The result was a spicy mac and cheese! My husband loved it and couldn't believe it had no dairy. I took both flavors to work and my coworkers sampled them. Everyone liked it but they preferred the Poblano flavor! I was very happy with the outcome and wanted to share the recipe with all of you! 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 cups of dried macaroni
  • 1 cup of peeled/diced potatoes
  • 2 cups of roasted and peeled poblano peppers 
  • 1/4 cup of peeled/diced carrots
  • 1/3 cup chopped onion
  • 3/4 cup water (use the one from the boiled veggies)
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews (make sure to soak them in water for 30 min before use)
  • 1/4 cup of coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast flakes
  • 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon of salt (or to taste)
  • 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
  • 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1 pinch of paprika 


INSTRUCTIONS: 

1. Roast the poblano peppers in the oven at 400 degrees. For about 10 minutes per side or until it looks dark and bubbly. Remove them from the oven and place in the bowl. Cover and set aside for 15-20 minutes. Start removing the skins from the peppers and then run the pepper under cold water. The water will help to lift more of the skins off. Remove the cap and gently remove any of the seeds. Chop them and place them aside. 
2. Cook macaroni, drain and set aside.
3. Bring several cups of water to boil in a small pot. Cook the chopped potatoes, carrots, and onion in the boiling water, for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are soft enough to blend.
4. When veggies are soft enough to blend, remove them from cooking water, and place them in your blender. Add ¾ cup of that cooking water to your blender, along with your remaining ingredients. You can always put aside some regular "cheese" before adding the poblano peppers. 
5. Blend until smooth. It will look like real cheese. 
6. Pour sauce over your cooked macaroni noodles in a dish of your choice, taste for salt, and serve immediately.










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