Chipotle Chili Mac N “Cheese”

July 4, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Happy 4th of July! I hope you are enjoying the day off and participating in all the fun festivities! I am spending the day with family, but I still wanted to leave you with a recipe today! I know it’s not very “4th of July-y” but it is delicious whenever you make it. This is kind of a grown up mac n cheese because the chipotle adds a little bit of a kick. Also, if you have an Aldi near you and are gluten free, you need to go and stock up on their gluten free pasta. They have two types of corn flour pasta, penne and fusilli, and brown rice spaghetti. They all cost less than $2 for over a pound of pasta and the only ingredients are corn flour and water or brown rice. Considering most gluten free pasta costs well over $4 and sometimes has more ingredients than I can count, this is a fantastic deal. Aldi is really doing a great job of adding better quality products to their store, including a line of organic food called simply organic. I have been able to find honey, almond milk, and even almond butter at one, all for reasonable prices. Ok, public service announcement over, on to the recipe!

Chipotle Chili Mac N “Cheese”

1 package of whole wheat or gluten free pasta (I used penne but obviously macaroni would work too)
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water overnight
3 chipotle chili’s soaked in warm water for at least 30 minutes (save the water!)
1 cup vegetable broth or water
1/2 cup reserved chili water
1 tbsp tapioca starch (corn starch could work too, but I haven’t tried it)
1 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp chili powder
4 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt
smoked paprika, as a garnish (optional but really tasty!)

1. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions and then drain and set aside

2. While the pasta is cooking, remove the chili’s from their soaking water (but remember to keep it!) and chop into bite size pieces. Saute the onion over medium high heat until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Place the onion and garlic into a blender along with the rest of the ingredients, except the smoked paprika. Blend everything until you have a smooth and creamy sauce. The sauce will be thin and liquid-y at this point, don’t worry that’s ok!

4. Pour the cheese sauce into the pot that you cooked the pasta in and heat over medium heat until the sauce starts to thicken up. Add the pasta back into the pot and stir to combine with the sauce. Sprinkle the smoked paprika over the pasta after it has been served if desired.

This is a fairly quick meal to throw together as long as you remember to soak your cashews before hand. If you forget though, have no fear. You can do a quick soak by boiling some water and then pouring that over the cashews and letting them soak for at least 30 minutes. You can also double this and serve to a hungry crowd, so if you’re looking for a healthy and tasty dish to bring to your 4th of July BBQ, this might fit the bill! Enjoy!

“Parmesan” Topping

May 9, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Growing up, my sister and I topped many a meal with the green container of “shake-y cheese”. Thats what we called it in our house, because you could shake cheesy goodness on to anything. Clever I know. I also know that shake-y cheese isn’t really cheese at all, but that didn’t stop it from tasting delicious sprinkled on top of a big ol’ plate of spaghetti. There are a variety of different healthier and dairy free versions of this topping out there, but I think this one comes closest to the salty and slightly buttery taste of my beloved shake-y cheese. Plus it is really simple to make a bunch and then store it in a container in the fridge. Make this and get to shakin’!

“Parmesan” Topping

1 cup walnut pieces
3-4 tablespoons nutritional yeast, depending on how cheesy you want the flavor to be
2-3 tsp salt, depending on taste

1. Preheat oven to 250. In a blender or food processor, pulse the walnuts a few times until coarsely chopped. Add in nutritional yeast and salt and process everything until it has a fine breadcrumb like texture.

2. Line a large baking pan with parchment paper or a silpat. Spread the walnut mixture evenly over the pan and place in the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes in 10 minute increments. After each 10 minutes move the mixture around so it doesn’t burn. It will be done when it has a nice golden brown color.

3. Let the topping cool and then transfer to a container. You can store this in your fridge for up to a month.

Simple and easy way to add flavor to any of your meals! This is great on vegetables, lasagna, spaghetti, casseroles, or anything else your little heart desires. Enjoy!

Dairy Free Lasagna

May 2, 2014February 19, 2015 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

I don’t eat dairy anymore, and for the most part, I really haven’t missed it all that much. But every once in awhile, I get a hankering for something gooey, cheesy, and delicious. Those hankerings usually lead to creative and tasty recipes. This one is no different. You might be thinking to yourself, “There is no way that you can have a delicious lasagna without wonderfully yummy ricotta cheese.” And I say to you, nay nay. You can have a delicious lasagna without wonderfully yummy ricotta. Just ask my husband who has no problem with dairy and would love it if there were more of it in the house (there’s none). He loved this meal and devoured second helpings. I may have too…

Dairy Free Lasagna

1 batch of my tomato sauce, or store bought sauce (just make sure to read the ingredients!)
1 package of lasagna noodles (I used brown rice to keep it gluten free but whole wheat would work well too)
1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water overnight
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp rice vinegar
1 to 2 tsp italian seasoning
1 to 2 cloves garlic

*If you’re using my tomato sauce, you can prepare it ahead of time and store in the refrigerator. That way you can just assemble everything.

1. Cook noodles according to instructions on the package. Once cooked drain and set aside to cool a little bit. You might want to undercook your noodles just a little so they won’t turn to mush when you cook them in the oven.

2. While the noodles are cooling, drain soaked cashews and place into a blender or food processor. Add in water, lemon, salt, rice vinegar, italian seasoning, and garlic. Pulse to combine everything and then let it run to smooth everything out. You can leave it a little chunky or totally smooth, it’s your preference.

3. Preheat oven to 375 and get out a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Line up the tomato sauce, noodles, and cashew cheese for easy assembly. Pour a little tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan so the noodles don’t burn. Then put a layer of noodles down, then a layer of cheese, and finally a layer of tomato sauce. Keep layering everything until you run out of noodles. You might have a little cheese and sauce leftover, that’s fine You can use it to dress up another dish!

4. Cover lasagna with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and take of the aluminum foil. Place back in the oven for another 5 minutes. Take lasagna out of the oven and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes (this helps it set so when you cut it, it doesn’t fall apart). Cut into squares and eat up!