Macaroni and (not)Cheese!

A while back during a study potluck that my medical school partner was having, one of his friends from class brought this amazingly delicious macaroni dish. It was so good that I hardly realized it was vegan. But, good news: it was! So, during the most recent potluck hosted by the Vegans and Vegetarians of the Tri-Cities I decided to try my hand at making homemade creamy vegan "cheese." Below, you will find my recipe for baked Macaroni and (not)Cheese with broccoli and zucchini on top.

Baked Macaroni and (not)Cheese with Broccoli and Zucchini Topping

Ingredients:
1 block of tofu (I use Twin Oaks brand)
4 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
3/4 cup of nutritional yeast flakes
1 can of pumpkin puree
1/3 cup of cashews, minced
garlic powder, onion powder, dill, thyme, salt, pepper to taste
3/4 cup almond milk
1 head of broccoli, chopped up
1/2 of a large zucchini, diced

Directions:
In your food processor or blender add the tofu and almond milk and blend until it the tofu is mostly pureed. Now, add the pumpkin and continue to blend until you have a nice, creamy mixture. Now add the yeast flakes, the garlic, and other spices. Continue to blend. Finally, add the cashews and blend until you have a nice creamy mixture.

Cheese is ready to go!

Pre-heat the oven to about 350 degrees F.

Meanwhile, boil your pasta (I used rigatoni) and steam or boil your vegetables. Once your pasta is soft (after about 8 minutes of boiling), drain it and place in a baking dish. Pour the cheese on top and mix well. Now, drain your vegetables, mix them with salt and pepper and place them on top of the pasta and cheese. You can mix the cheese over the vegetables slightly (to make sure they are all nice and cheesy too). Bake until the vegetables and cheese on top are slightly browned and the cheese is bubbly. I baked mine for about 25 minutes.

Enjoy!