Mac 'n Greens

Dinner 10/26

Mac 'n Greens

Leftover smoked cashew/macadamia cream sauce (- horseradish) + Daiya + wilted chard + nutmeg = Mac 'n Greens.

This. Was. Awesome.

Mac 'n Greens
(makes 4)

Smoked Cream Sauce

smoker box
3/4 cup of cashews
1/4 cup of macadamia nuts
water
salt
1 tbs. nutritional yeast
1/2 cup of soy/rice/almond milk

Pasta

16 oz. macaroni

(you'll probably have leftover pasta depending on what type you use -- this only used about 3/4 of the total amount of macaroni)

Greens

1 tbs. olive oil
1 small bunch of chard, rinsed, stems removed & leaves thinly sliced
salt & pepper to taste

Sauce Base

2 tbs. soy margarine
2 tbs. all-purpose flour
2 cups of smoked cashew/macadamia cream sauce
1 tbs. nutritional yeast
1 tsp. nutmeg
salt & pepper to taste

Cheese

4 oz. Daiya


To make the smoked cashew/macadamia cream, start by smoking the nuts with alder wood for 20 minutes. Add them to the Vita-mix along with enough water to make a cream sauce. The amount will vary, but you're looking for a smooth, creamy sauce. Now, thin it out by adding 1/2 cup of soy/rice/almond milk and the nutritional yeast and puree together again. The resulting sauce should be able to coat the back of a spoon easily. Check for salt and reserve.

(Don't want to do all that? Use 2 cups of soy/rice/almond milk. We won't tell anyone.)

Cook the pasta as directed on the package. We used macaroni, but any funny shaped pasta* will do.

Depending on how big a fan of chard stems you are, you can dice them very small and pan fry for 3-4 minutes before adding the leaves. If not, just omit them. Otherwise, in a large saute pan, cook the leaves with the olive oil on med-low heat until wilted, and check for seasoning. Remove from the pan and reserve.

In the same pan, melt the soy margarine, add the flour and whisk together to make a roux. Cook for 2-3 minutes until it bubbles and turns a nice golden color. Add the smoked cashew/macadamia cream slowly, whisking quickly to avoid lumps. Continue to whisk until the mixture thickens. Add salt, nutritional yeast and nutmeg and whisk to incorporate.

Add the shredded Daiya, stir until melted, add pasta and reserved chard to combine.

Check for seasoning, and try not to eat all of it directly from the pan.

Place the pasta into a lightly greased (with soy margarine) Au Gratin dish or 6oz. ramekin. Sprinkle extra nutritional yeast on top (to taste) or bread crumbs (or both).

Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes.

* "unless you think round is funny."

Tags: chard, pasta, smoker box, daiya, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666