Cheese-less Mac & Cheese???

I've been craving mac & cheese for about a week now, but I didn't want all the cheese. I was still feeling a little guilty about my wicked grilled cheese sandwich that accompanied Tom's awesome tomato soup this weekend.  But the nature of mac and cheese is THE CHEESE, so what to do???  Get wackadoo....and get out the nutritional yeast. Oh, I can hear you....."Yeast? Gross!"  Come on, haven't you learned to trust me yet????

I had never heard of nutritional yeast until a couple years ago when, like all the crazy cooking stuff I learned about, I went through the Natural Chef program at Bauman College.  Truth be told, I had the same "Yeast?  Gross!" thought when they first brought it up in class, but then I tried it, and I learned about the health benefits, and I was sold.  It's full of B vitamins, including B12, which makes it a terrific addition to a vegetarian or vegan diet.  It also provides protein, essential amino acids and fiber.  But what I dig the most...it gives a cheesy flavor to things.  So I figured I'd give it a shot in creating my cheese-less mac & cheese.  It did not disappoint....

I started out the usual way:  Sauteed a chopped onion in a little olive oil until they're soft and translucent.  Then it's time to roux....

Add a tablespoon of butter to the pot and let it melt.

Then add a tablespoon of flour and whisk it until combined and the onions are coated, just a couple minutes.  A roux is essentially equal parts fat (in this case, butter) and flour, so use as much as you need.

Next add a cup of milk and stir to combine.  I also save about a cup of the pasta cooking water, so I can use that to either thin out or add body to a sauce later (I added about 1/3 cup at the end for the consistency I like).... always save a little bit of that good starchy water no matter what kind of sauce you're making for your pasta.

Next I stirred in 3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, a couple cups of chopped baby spinach (kale, arugula or collards work great, too) and some chipotle puree (I take a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and whip it up in my mini food processor and keep it in the fridge for aaaallllll kinds of things that could use a little kick).  Toss in cooked quinoa pasta shells (a full package) and you can thank me later!! (I've left all other kinds of pasta in favor of quinoa pasta...great for the gluten intolerant, and I just love the protein it provides, since I don't eat a lot of animal proteins.)

I only added spinach this time around (cuz that's all that Mother Hubbard's cupboard had), but this is a great opportunity to work some vegetables into your diet in a really easy and yummy way.  This time of year try sauteed mushrooms, roasted butternut or acorn squash, and lots of greens.  In summer try zucchini and tomatoes.  This one will keep you going year round! (I ate the whole pot in 24 hours!)

Next experiment....making it completely dairy free.  I'm going to try coconut oil for my roux and coconut milk....think it's gonna be yummy!