Vegan Mac and Cheese

Ok, let's be real for a second here. This 'Mac and Cheese' contains some mac but no cheese. 

 BUT, it will give you the same fuzzy, warm feeling the folks at Kraft have always promised minus the bloating, bubbling layer of grease and the gnawing sense of regret that will follow you to the gym for the entire week as you try to 'exorcise' (*BADDUM TCH!*) those cheesy demons! 

Or maybe that's just little old self-loathing me... I should really work on that... 

Either way though, this dish is legitimately the bomb dot com! Its not only VEGAN but also GLUTEN-FREE and pretty low in fat, especially when compared with its traditional counterpart. Rather than a cheesy, floury sauce it uses fresh pumpkin roasted with garlic and spices, almond milk and nutritional yeast for that familiar cheddar' flavour. Plus I served it in an edible pumpkin bowl so you know... its got that cute yet practical factor going on.

The Spicy Oompa Loompa

Sometimes the weather is chilly, your nose is runny and you just want a big bowl of hot and punchy soup to cuddle up with.

This is one of these times.

Featuring an earthy trio of pumpkin, sweet potato and carrot and the spicy flavour hit from freshly grated ginger and red curry paste, all tempered with the creamy deliciousness of coconut milk. Its a winter winner for sure.

 

The Spice Oompa Loompa

Olive Oil (or coconut oil)
1 Brown Onion, roughly diced
1 Garlic Clove, crushed
Fresh Ginger (piece about 5cm long), peeled and grated
1 tbsp Red Curry Paste
Small bunch of Carrots, washed and roughly chopped
1/4 Butternut Pumpkin, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1 Sweet Potato, roughly chopped
1 cup Coconut Milk
3 cups Vegetable Stock


Optional: Extra coconut milk, chia seeds and fresh coriander to top.



Heat the oil in a large saucepan and saute the onion, garlic and grated ginger until the onion is soft. Add in the curry paste and cook for a further 2 or 3 minutes to cook the paste. Add in the carrot, sweet potato and pumpkin and stir well to cover everything in the curry paste.

Add in the coconut milk and vegetable stock and bring to the boil then turn the heat down to a simmer and allow to cook for around 30-40min or until the vegetables are completely softened. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before blending with a stick blender until completely smooth.

Reheat on the stove if necessary and serve topped with an extra drizzle of coconut milk and a scattering of chia seeds and torn coriander.