Creamy Cheesy Pasta (Vegan)

Creamy Cheesy Pasta (Vegan) is a go-to in my household. My kid thinks it’s mac n’ cheese so he scarfs it down AND I trick him into eating veggies. Score!!! For me, I love it because it’s incredibly easy, delicious, and healthy. I get loads of nutrients all at once. Lastly, I can make a huge pot and have lunches for me and the wee man for days. Another score for sure! Especially with my insane schedule and life. Time is incredibly valuable!

This is another recipe I made when I was sick. Honestly, I can’t even sit when I’m on my death bed. I feel like if I truly want to shift gears from teaching (I’m a music teacher) to branding myself via this blog, my books, and my upcoming podcast and vlog, I can’t EVER take a break! However, I fuckin’ love it. 😉

I thought I’d share the journey of my weight loss since I spoke about that in the last food post. Down another 3 in a week! Honestly, I tried to cut carbs out completely for a few weeks but it was hard af.  Now, I’m limiting them. I don’t mind having one meal a day in carbs. That, I can handle. In a dish like this where the sauce is incredibly healthy, I feel even less guilty. I just re-tweaked my meds and the insatiable appetite did not come back. Fucking phew! How someone gains 60 lbs in 14 months is totally, completely, bat shit crazy, kinda fucked bs. At this point, since the 14 lbs fell off in 6 weeks and I’m still going down, I’m hoping that I’ll have a svelte bod by June. 😉 I miss my bikinis, cute dresses & jeans etc. We need a reunion – ASAP! The way I’m doing it outside of the med switch (albeit the most important part for sure) is by cutting some carbs, cutting some booze, going to sleep earlier, and getting back on the workout train since I just quit my tap dance class. I’m so fucking eager to be myself again, that moving toward that goal quickly  is all of the motivation I need. Could I be doing more? Fuck yeah, but this is what’s working for me. It’s what I can give right now. The last thing I’ll say is this, don’t overdo it so you get tired and quit. It’s SO easy to quit. Start small and add on more workouts, dieting etc as you go so you stay in the groove. Gotta be in it to win it, right?! 😉

Happy Monday! -FGG

Here’s a great tune to liven up your Monday blues. 😉

Creamy Cheesy Pasta (Vegan) – Serves 4

Ingredients-

1/2 C raw cashews – soaked overnight from the day prior – drain them now

12 ounces dry elbow macaroni noodles – cooked

1 1/2 C cooked butternut squash – scoop out of the shell

1/2 C carrot – diced & steamed

1 C coconut milk (I use the full fat milk for a better texture)

1/4 C nutritional yeast

2 tsp Dijon mustard (this may sound like a weird ingredient but trust me, it works and is totally necessary!)

1/2 tsp salt (or more to your liking)

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp turmeric 

Pepper to taste

Directions-

Combine sweet potato, carrot, and 1/4 – 1/3 cup of water in a high powered blender (I use my Vitamix) and blend until smooth and creamy

In a bowl, add the cashews to the squash & carrot mix, coconut milk,  lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, nutritional yeast, black pepper (if using), turmeric, garlic powder, and onion powder – blend until completely creamy & smooth

Pour the sauce over the pasta – mix well

Done!

Pair with:

Red – Chianti

White – Riesling 

Beer – Pilsner