Easy Breezy Mac and (almost) Cheezy

I have fed this to people and been called a liar when I told them it was dairy free AND made without vegan cheese (which I think is gross due to its high oil content). Not only that, it's quite low calorie compared to the traditional dairy version or even other vegan versions because I used nutritional yeast (which has no calories) instead of oily vegan cheese. Try it out on your cheesoholic friends- I guarantee they’ll love it!

What you’ll need:

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 2-4 tablespoons of flour (Kamut or Spelt)
• 2-3 cups of almond milk (unsweetened)
• 1/2 an onion finely chopped
• 3-5 cloves of garlic minced
• 1-2 cups red star nutritional yeast
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Basil (optional)
• Pasta of your choice (I like brown rice pasta or spelt pasta)

Put water to boil with a touch of oil and salt for the pasta. Add pasta when the water boils and cook until al dante. In a medium saucepan, melt coconut oil over medium low heat. Once it is melted, add the flour to make a roux*. the mixture should be quick thick, but not totally solid and dough like. Add the almond milk and whisk so that roux mixes in with the milk. Some separation will occur until mixture heats up. Bring to a gentle boil and let boil for 5-10minutes, until it reaches a saucy thickness. Add garlic and onions and allow to cook another 5 minutes at medium low, until garlic and onions are soft and tender. Stir in nutritional yeast and allow to ‘melt’, then season with salt, pepper, and basil to taste. Mix with cooked and drained pasta and serve with a sprig of fresh parsley or a leave of fresh basil on top.

To make this closer to traditional mac and cheese do not add the garlic, onions, or basil. You can also add Italian seasoning for a different flavor, or if you want to spice things up a bit, add some chili powder and serve as a dipping sauce with tortilla chips.

* Note: the consistency of the roux correlates directly to the thickness of the sauce, so if you are making more sauce, make a larger roux, but make sure you use more almond milk as well.