With the recent release of my third book, The Beauty Detox Power, I am super excited to share this amazing recipe with you. You will find this dish under the ‘Carbs’ Cravings section of the book… This recipe is called Beauty Food – Paired, Vegan and Gluten-Free Mac and Cheese.
It took me a few tries to perfect this dish for you, but I think you are really going to enjoy it. My Vegan and Gluten-Free Mac and Cheese brings up nostalgic feelings for a lot of us. I personally love the velvety rich texture of eating this dish, which is super satisfying. When it comes to making this dish vegan, many recipes use cashews which can cause a digestion nightmare. Cashews in this dish would be a Beauty Foods combining No – No! You don’t want to combine cashews (heavy fat/protein) with starch (regular or gluten-free pasta). I am excited for you to enjoy my creation that is totally nut-free and made from a blend of butternut squash and coconut milk. Yummy!
Imagine. This Vegan and Gluten-Free Mac and Cheese is just ONE recipe from the The Beauty Detox Power. This book contains over 60 new recipes plus amazing life-changing new information. I can’t wait to reveal this new information that will shift your perspective about the role of food in wellness forever. In this new book, I teach you all the factors involved in achieving and maintaining your ideal weight, to give you back control over how you look and feel. Remember, we are complex beings, and just looking to oversimplify what affects our weight and health leads to long-term frustration and misery.
I hope making my Vegan and Gluten-Free Mac and Cheese recipe brings you as much joy and happiness as it did for me! Stay tuned… next week we are going to have some pretty awesome topics for the blog!
Beauty Food - Paired, Vegan and Gluten - Free Mac 'N Cheese
Mac and cheese is among the leading carb cravings that people tell me they have. It’s not just the carbs they crave; it’s also all the fatty dairy. So many vegan dishes get their creamy, cheesy quality from cashews, but I wanted to avoid those here. Nuts are a pro- tein, and combining them with pasta, even when it is gluten free, results in a dense protein-starch combination that should be avoided for easier digestion. In this recipe, the fatty richness is derived from a blend of butternut squash and coconut milk. This recipe is a variation of the one that caterer Hope Bailey and I created together as an appetizer and served in elegant little espresso cups at an event we hosted. I hope you, too, enjoy this properly combined, much healthier version of mac and cheese!
Ingredients
- 2 cups cubed butternut squash 1⁄2-inch cubes
- 1 cup diced white onion
- 2 medium cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil plus 1 tablespoon for the bread crumbs
- 1 ⁄2 teaspoon sea1 salt plus 1⁄2 teaspoon for the sauce, plus ⁄2 teaspoon for the bread crumbs
- 1 ⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus 1⁄4 teaspoon for the sauce, plus 1⁄4 teaspoon for the bread crumbs
- 2 cups full-fat unsweetened coconut milk 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast plus 2 tablespoons for the bread crumbs
- 1 ⁄2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 ⁄2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- Few drops Tabasco sauce or other similar hot sauce optional
- 3 ⁄4 cup gluten-free bread crumbs made from about 3 pieces of toasted gluten-free bread, which are cooled, then pulsed in a food processor
- 11 ⁄2 teaspoons paprika
- 8 ounces gluten-free pasta elbows or shells cooked according to the package directions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Toss the butternut squash cubes, onions and garlic with 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil, 1⁄2 teaspoon of the salt and 1⁄4 teaspoon of the pepper in a large bowl. Spread the squash mixture on a baking sheet and roast in the oven until the squash cubes are soft and golden brown, around 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the coconut milk, thyme and bay leaves in a medium saucepan, and bring the coconut milk to a rolling boil over medium heat. Turn off the heat and let the coconut milk steep for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs with a slotted spoon.
- Combine the cooked coconut milk, the squash mixture , 1⁄2 teaspoon of the salt, the remaining 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper, 2 tablespoons of the yeast, the dry mustard, turmeric, and Tabasco sauce in a blender and process until smooth. Set the butternut squash sauce aside.
- Toss the bread crumbs with the remaining 1 tablespoon coconut oil, the remaining tablespoons nutritional yeast, the remaining 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, the remaining 1⁄4 tea- spoon pepper and the paprika. Set the bread crumb mixture aside.
- Arrange the cooked pasta in a large bowl. Pour the reserved butternut squash sauce over the pasta and combine well. Spoon the pasta into a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Sprinkle the reserved bread crumb mixture over the pasta and bake for 20 minutes, or until top is golden. Spoon out, serve at once and enjoy each bite!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was on Instagram!
I just made this….Best. Thing. Ever
I would say it makes about 6 smaller servings or 4 large ones
I have some pumpkin puree in the freezer from last seasons harvest…would using this in place of the butternut be alright?
You could try it! It may taste a little different but that may be a nice mix-up to the original recipe.
It turned out perfect ^_^ I added some sage to the bread crumbs in honor of the pumpkin. Good thing I’m growing pumpkins again this year, this is a new favorite! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Kimberly, i noticed that in the recipe, you use glutenfree bread crumbs. But there,s normal yeast in it, used also in not glutenfree bread.!!! They don,t put nutritional yeast in it. I,ve tried it several times, eating glutenfree bread with tomatoes or other veggies, but the next morning i had a terrible headache and pain in my gut within a few hours. So i think it,s better not to use glutenfree or normal bread crumbs on it.Or am i wrong?
Hi Irma…you can definitely omit the breadcrumbs. Always listen to your body. Take the crumbs away and see how your body reacts, then you’ll know if this is something you need to stay away from in the future. Hope this helps! ;)
I made this tonight and added chopped kale to the boiling noodles for the last 2 minutes, plus frozen peas. I love peas in my mac cheese! This was really delish and a great option for me to bring to a spaghetti dinner tomorrow. It was a little on the sweet side though, perhaps it was the coconut milk? Will hemp milk suffice?
What would you suggest for removing the onion? I have really bad GI issues with onion.
Hi Amanda and thanks for the great question! Feel free to remove the onions all together. No need to replace with another vegetable (unless you’re okay with something like leeks). I try to stay away from onions and garlic at times, which you can check out my articles on this topic by going to the website and using the search box. Sending you lots of love! ;)
I made this tonight and absolutely love it. The coconut milk does add a slight sweetness but I think it actually is what makes it so yummy. Thanks for the great recipe!
I agree! Thanks for trying it out, Beauty! Sending you lots of love xx