ahhhh, sweet savasana….

i easily hung out at the “gas station” for a good 20 minutes tonight + after re-fueling i had enough energy to whip up a vegan mac + cheese! i ended up taking pieces of recipes from here + there. (oh she glows + cooks dot com have extended versions.) we don’t have any cashews in the house so i decided to omit those + mix up a few of the ingredients. it ended up being easier than easy + tasted cheezier than cheesy! we loved it + plan on making it time + time again…with variations here + there, of course. ;)

MAC-NO CHEESE (V) (GF if you want it to be)

2 cups of cubed butternut squash
pot of H2O
salt + pepper
1 tablespoon of miso
1 tablespoon of tahini
1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons of paprika
1 cup of the “squash water”
1.5 cups of pasta (whatever kind you ♥…we went brown rice shells)
another pot of H2O
breadcrumbs for your crust/topping.
you could certainly omit the breadcrumbs if you’re GF or anti-bread—i’m trying to get Frankie on my dairy-free side so we went for whole wheat breadcrumbs this time. :)

1. fill your pot with your squash + cover with water. bring water to boil + then simmer for 15-20 mins until the squash is nice + soft. (you can also steam or bake it!)
2. once cooked through, drain + place in blender with miso, tahini, salt, pepper, paprika, nutritional yeast, and “squash water” …which is just a cup of water from the pot that the squash boiled in (vegetable broth would work here as well).
3. boil water + pasta while you preheat the oven to 350.
4. blend all of your ingredients until it looks like Kraft Mac. :D
5. mix with pasta + transfer to glass dish. top with breadcrumbs of choice or go naked! it really is yummmmy all by its lonesome.
6. bake at 350 for 15-20 mins. if you want your crust to be extra crispy, mix your breadcrumbs with some Earth Balance in your blender and use that as the topping….not as healthy, but you’ll get a few more vegan-questioners on your side.
7. take out when it looks delish + top with salt + pepper.

this was so easy—and yummy even without the cashews! totally tasted “cheesy” + really hit the spot. ill add peas or broccoli next time! tonight we had asparagus + greens on the side. kids will absolutely love this dish!! ♥

Corn and Butternut Squash Bisque (V)(GF)

Ingredients:
16oz frozen organic corn
1 cup of Butternut Squash cubes
2 1/4 cups of almond milk
1 clove of garlic
2 table spoons of white wine
2 table spoons of balsamic vinegar
2 table spoons of Maple Syrup
1 tea spoon of the hot sauce of your choice
1 table spoon of olive oil
salt & pepper to taste!

Heat up a large fry pan with olive oil on medium heat.
Add in the garlic diced up.
Add in butternut squash until it’s slightly browned.
Add in corn sprinkle, with a pinch of salt, and stir.
Once the corn has started to get color on it, add in the white wine, another pinch of salt and some pepper too! Stir and cover.
Stir every few minutes until the butternut squash can be easily halved with your stirring spoon, then remove from heat and get the blender ready!
Spoon small mounts of your mixture into your blender while slowly adding in almond milk. *** remember to take the center piece out of the blender top so the hot air doesn’t blow the top off and burn, use a kitchen towel to make sure the mixture doesn’t fly out of the blender ***
If your mixture is really thick feel free to add more almond milk.
Once all is blended strain out the course bits with a colander into a pot (might take some shaking stirring). The more you strain it the smoother the consistency, did it twice. (I froze the course bits I strained out to add into corn bread at some point.)
Once you have your bisque to your desired consistency put the pot on medium low heat. Don’t heat too quickly or else the soup will break.
Add in your hot sauce and more salt and pepper to taste. If you want to skip the maple balsamic drizzle, you’re ready to eat from here.

In a small fry pan reduce your balsamic vinegar on med/high heat.
Once it’s reduced 1/3 add in maple syrup. Lower the heat to med/low until it’s thicker (about 1 minute).

Plate up your soup and drizzle your maple balsamic on top!
EAT UP!