Today marks three weeks that I’ve adhered to the plant-based plan with NO deviations! The big difference this time is that I’ve assiduously avoided processed vegan food as well–things like fake bacon and commercial veggie burgers, etc. The other big difference is that James has joined me on my foray into plant-based eating (I KNOW! I was as surprised as you are!). James, of course, is granting himself some leeway, however, (as is his wont): he still enjoys a glass of wine (or three) with dinner…and perhaps a post-prandial rum & coke (or two–haha!). His usual eggy-cheesey-white-bread-slathered-with-butter breakfast has even been replaced with shredded wheat!!

In any event, I had been feeling rather fabulous (as I always do when I eat this way)…until Thursday evening when I was felled by a rather nasty flu (so nasty that I had to cancel a hair appointment and miss a dinner with one of the teenagers visiting from Medicine Hat…and, as you know, I love the teenagers. This one’s 38, but still a teenager to me).

Now, my darling James has been waiting on me hand and foot for the past few days…bringing endless cups of tea and mugs of Neo Citran, so I roused myself this evening to make some vegan comfort food: Mac & Cashew-Cheese with Broccoli. It’s very slightly adapted from this Isa Chandra Moscowitz recipe, and it’s super quick and insanely delicious!

1 cup cashews

1 cup boiling water

1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon vegetable paste

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 tsp powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Place the cashews in a Magic Bullet and cover with the boiling water for about ten minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend it until smooth (about a minute and a half).

 

Cook a 340-gram package of brown rice pasta. Steam a half pound of broccoli over the boiling pasta. Drain the pasta and broccoli, return to the pan, pour the sauce over and mix it all up.

Now…don’t over-serve it: remember that brown rice pasta is super, super filling, and a sauce with cashews as a base is pretty filling as well, so this recipe should make four servings (though James was able to eat two!).

And it tastes even better with a squirt of sriracha or Frank’s Hot Sauce!

Next, I want to try Isa’s fancier version–here’s a video of my best friend (though she doesn’t know it), Isa Chandra Moscowitz making Red Pepper Mac & Cashew-Cheese with baked brussel sprouts. I don’t even like brussel sprouts, but she makes them look delicious!