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!

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchilada Bake

Three days a week I get to spend the day with these lovely ladies in the Natural Chef program at Bauman College.  It is one of the most rewarding, and fun, experiences for me.  As their kitchen manager, I boss them around a lot (but they secretly like it, I'm sure), I look out for them, I feed them, I learn from them, and hopefully, they from me.

At the beginning of the semester I had to cook lunch for them each day until they had taken the requisite classes that would allow them to enter the kitchen.  Now I am back to cooking for them as they begin their business classes.  I asked them the other day what they would like me to fix, and they almost unanimously said, "Can you make that enchilada dish you made back in March?"  Happy to not reinvent the wheel, I was eager to comply.  The students have various food allergies and intolerances, so coming up with dishes that are gluten-, dairy-, and soy-free is not always the easiest thing.  But this meets all those requirements, and well, it's dang good!  The recipe looks a little daunting (i.e long!), but it's really very easy....don't be afraid!

First I roast these veggie to make a tomatillo salsa: tomatillos, onions, garlic, jalapeno, and tomatoes. Pop these in the oven with the sweet potatoes (no, no pic of the sweet potatoes, they're not sexy).  Only takes about 25 minutes.  Remove the stem and seeds from the jalapeno, and the stems from the tomatoes, and puree in a food processor with a little olive oil.  Soooooo yummy!

While that's happening, roast a couple poblano or pasilla peppers over a flame or broil them if you don't have a gas stove.

When the sweet potatoes are done, scoop out the flesh and mash with a little lime juice, cumin and coriander.

Mash the beans with a little lime juice and salt.

Chop the poblano pepper into bite-sized pieces.

Get your salsa ready, and here we go.....

I like to lay the tortillas flat, rather than rolling- it's just easier, and I dig easier! 

Pour enough salsa to cover the bottom of an 11X7 baking dish. Lay 4 tortillas on top, then place half the sweet potato mixture, half the black bean mixture, and half the peppers on top of the tortillas.  Pour on a little more salsa to cover.  Top with 4 more tortillas and the remaining sweet potato, black beans and pepper.  Add a little more salsa, and then top with remaining 4 tortillas.  Cover the top with salsa.  Bake for about 25 minutes, and top with sliced avocado.  Yep, you can thank me later!  The ladies requested this again for a reason, peeps!

I served it with cilantro lime rice (now you've got that complete protein thing going), and a refreshing watermelon, mint and arugula salad, with a honey-lime dressing.  Happy dance, for sure!

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchilada Bake

Serves 6-8

Sweet potato mixture

3 lbs sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons lime juice

½ teaspoon sea salt

Tomatillo Salsa

1 ½ lbs tomatillos, remove husks and rinse

2 medium onions, peeled and quartered

2 large heirloom tomatoes

1 jalapeno pepper

4 medium cloves garlic, skin removed

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 ½ teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon pepper

Black Beans

2 cans black beans

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons coriander

2 poblano or pasilla peppers

12 corn tortillas

1 avocado, thinly sliced

·         Preheat oven to 400°.

·         Pierce sweet potatoes all over with a fork.  Place on a parchment paper-lined- baking sheet and bake 45-60 minutes until cooked through.  Remove from oven and let cool until ready to handle.

·         Meanwhile place tomatillos, onions, tomatoes, jalapeno, and garlic on a parchment paper-lined- baking sheet and roast in same oven for 20-30 minutes until blistered and browned.  Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Remove stem and seeds from jalapeno.

·         Puree roasted vegetables in a food processor or blender, with lime juice, oil, salt, cumin and pepper.

·         When potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove skin and mash pulp in a large bowl.  Add lime juice and salt, stirring to combine.

·         In a separate bowl, mash beans slightly, adding lime juice, cumin and coriander.

·         Chop peppers and set aside.

·         To assemble, lightly cover the bottom of an 11X7 baking dish with salsa.  Top with 4 tortillas, half the sweet potato mixture, half the black bean mixture, half the peppers, and a little more salsa. Repeat with another layer using the remaining half of the sweet potatoes, beans and pepper.  Add a little more salsa and cover with 4 more corn tortillas.  Cover the top with salsa and bake 20-30 minutes until cooked through.  Top with sliced avocado.