Healthy Mac and Cheese (Mckenna @ Totallyhealthyrecipes.com))

This recipe is allergy-friendly, vegan friendly, and very versatile.

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked pasta of any variety I used Wheat free/Gluten free Brand: Mrs Leepers organic rice vegetable twists. They were green, red and white and made from organic brown rice, org spinach powder and org beet powder) 
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or whole, organic/raw milk)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast*
1 Tbsp vegan butter replacement**(or organic butter)
1 T flour (any type of very fine flour)
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp sea salt

I added some frozen peas (cooked) in ours this time

*nutritional yeast is a yellow flaky looking thing found in the bulk food section of your health food store. It has a very nutty, cheesy flavor. It’s an inactive yeast, which means it’s not really going to contribute to yeast growth in your body. It’s yummy sprinkled on popcorn, garlic bread, in pasta sauce, etc. It’s super high in vitamin B12, and has some protein.

**note on butter replacement many of these contain processed soy, but you should be able to find one without soy in it. Earth Balance has one variety without soy that works great in this recipe.

Directions:

Start cooking the pasta according to the package directions. While it’s cooking, you should have plenty of time to make the sauce and even steam a few handfuls of frozen veggies to toss in at the end if you want. To make the cheese sauce, add the butter to a small sauce pan on medium heat. While it’s melting, whisk together the milk and flour, and add the milk mixture to the butter as soon as it’s melted. Stir and then add all the remaining ingredients. Whisk it for about 3-5 minutes or until it thickens. You can stop whisking to check the pasta, drain it, check the optional veggies, etc… on medium/low heat, it’s not going to burn very easily.

I like the ease of this meal, because usually everything is “done” at the exact same time. Drain your noodles, pour in the sauce, stir it up and serve.

Mckenna Says: I often make a double batch of the cheese sauce, to keep some of it in the fridge for several days. It’s yummy to reheat (add a little water, because it will thicken) and dip in raw or steamed veggies.

IRELAND FAMILY REVIEW: Mom liked it a lot, Dad said it was good but he would not call it mac and cheese, its not CHEESY so to say, he said it's just a new pasta dish, but I told my kids it was a new kind of mac and cheese and TayTay gobbled it up, loved the peas in it and asked for seconds and gobbled that up too. LouLou ate it about as normal as she eats most things these days.

We will for SURE make this again.