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
The Cheesiest Vegan Broccoli & Cheddar Baked Potato Ever!
The Cheesiest Vegan Broccoli & Cheddar Baked Potato Ever! is made with an incredibly easy, cheesy, healthy, and delicious vegan cheddar cheese sauce. This is my staple sauce for nachos (I add taco seasoning and cilantro to that one), some of my mac n’ cheese recipes, or to pour over veggies or fries. If you are NOT a lover of nutritional yeast (nooch), this isn’t the sauce for you. However, if you ARE a lover of nooch, like myself, you’ll find yourself drooling even thinking about this cheesy goodness! To me, this is sex in a potato. If a potato were ever sexy, this potato would have high heels and look like Christy Brinkley.
I received loads of potatoes from my Organics to You delivery and kept saying that I was going to make these broccoli and cheddar baked potatoes. However, I kept making fries on the grill because my wee man is totally obsessed with them. Last week, the craving was real so I made a TON of my vegan cheese sauce to make sure that I could fully smother my two potatoes with cheesiness and broccoli (they weren’t both for me, I’m not that much of a fatty – though my soul totally is 🙂 – carb whore 4eva!). Besides having a baked potato that’s actually baked well, the gluttonous cheese factor is most definitely the foundation for goodness in this recipe.
I stabbed the crap outta the potato (great way to let out post-concert rehearsal stressors – LOL), and rubbed it with olive oil, Himalayan pink salt, and cracked pepper, then baked it. The rest is on the recipe card. Easy as _________ (whatever works for you – certainly not pie, that’s not easy, that’s BS). Lastly, as per my new Youtube additions to my posts, I’ve left you with what I was listening to when making this glorious cheesy vegan broccoli & cheddar baked potato. Enjoy the tunes and the grub! -FGG
- 2 large potatoes
- 1 3/4 C broccoli florets
- 1/4 - 1/3 C nutritional yeast
- 3 Tbl flour (I used whole wheat)
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Salt & cracked pepper to taste (I use little to no salt due to the broth)
- Himalayan pink salt (or other salt) for potato
- 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base paste
- 1 Tbl dijon mustard
- 2 tsp soy sauce (I used Bragg's Aminos)
- 2 C water
- Oil for pan
- Heat oven to 425f
- Wash potatoes and rub with olive oil, Himalayan salt, & cracked pepper
- Stab potatoes with fork
- Leave in oven for 50-60 minutes -turn potatoes about every 20 minutes
- Remove from oven - let cool for 5 minutes and cut in half - be sure to NOT cut through to the bottom
- Remove about 1-2 Tbl of potato from the insides
- Heat oil in pan on medium - medium high - add flour - mix constantly for 1 minute
- Add bouillon paste and slowly add water and yeast - stir to break up clumps for 3-5 minutes
- Add broccoli and turn up to medium high - be sure to stir if it bubbles
- Add dijon, soy, oregano, onion and garlic powders, and any salt & pepper you'd like -stir occasionally for 5-7 minutes
- The sauce should be thickening from the flour and yeast
- Remove from heat or let thicken more
- Pour hot cheese & broccoli sauce over the baked potatoes
- Enjoy!
- Beer - Lager
- Red- Pinot Noir
- White- Dry Sauvignon Blanc or Cotes du Rhone
Cheesy Vegan Sweet Potato Fries Nacho Style!
Cheesy Vegan Sweet Potato Fries Nacho Style! are officially my most favorite appetizer/meal/party food of the month. The flavor is as loud as the bright & bold colors in the pictures. Imagine the loudest and ‘bestest’ mariachi band in your mouth, costumes included, and you’ve arrived at the level of deliciousness in this dish. 😉 I’ll definitely be making these for a Cinco de Mayo party this year for sure.
I sliced and grilled sweet potatoes on the BBQ – french fry style. However, first I coated them in grape seed oil and taco seasoning for an even bigger flavor explosion. MWAH! I sliced up some sweet bell peppers I had to get rid of, grilled corn and then cut it off the cob, and then smothered the nachos in avocado, cilantro, and a DELICIOUS vegan nacho cheese sauce with spinach. I scarfed them down at a disgusting speed and then washed them down with a frozen homemade mango margarita. All my calories for the day? Yeah, probably… Worth it? TOTALLLYYYYY!
Cheesy Vegan Sweet Potato Fries Nacho Style! can easily be a lunch, dinner, appetizer, party plate, Cinco de Mayo grub, summertime grub, or literally anytime grub! Go getcha mariachi on in yo’ mouth and groove it up with a mango marg! 😉
- 2 sweet potatoes - grill as fries OR 20oz bag of frozen sweet potato fries (cooked)
- 4 sweet mini peppers - sliced
- 1 small avocado - sliced OR 1/2 a large avocado - sliced
- 1/4 C cilantro leaves
- 1 ear of corn - grilled and cut off the cob
- 1/3 C salsa
- Hot sauce to taste
- 1 C large spinach leaves loosely packed OR 1/2 cup if you're using baby spinach
- 1/4 C nutritional yeast
- 3 Tbl flour
- 1 Tbl soy sauce (I use Bragg's Aminos)
- 1 Tbl dijion mustard
- 3 Tbl fresh cilantro
- 1/2 tsp Better Than Bouillon's Vegetable base or another broth paste OR about 1/4 C liquid vegetable broth
- 3 Tbl of onion - diced
- 2 Tbl taco seasoning - leveled
- 1 C unsweetened vegan milk (I used soy)
- 1/2 C - 1 C water (this is optional, however, you may need this to make the sauce creamier - add it slowly and stir before adding more)
- 3 Tbl vegan butter
- Salt to taste
- Heat pan with butter on medium heat and then add onion and a dash of salt - stir occasionally for 3 minutes
- Add the flour and and stir very well until it becomes thick and creamy like a roux
- Add the milk and stir in until there are no bumps
- Add the nutritional yeast, soy, mustard, taco seasoning, broth, and cilantro - stir until creamy
- Add the spinach, water, and any salt you might like to add - stir until you have your desired consistency from adding water and then turn heat to low
- On a serving dish, place the fries, peppers, and add some of the nacho sauce - layering as you go
- Top with salsa, avocado, cilantro, and hot sauce
- A mango or any other margarita
- OR
- Mexican beer
