Alisa Fleming, www.GoDairyFree.org ~ This recipe was a feature from Debra's Natural Gourmet newsletter.  Did I mention that Debra Stark makes and sells fabulous granola?  I digress.  Next to pizza, I think good old mac 'n cheese has to be the most missed food when following a dairy-free and gluten-free diet.  Yet this recipe gets Adam Stark's seal of approval, "Adam says that Anne has created a creamy, dairy- and gluten-free mac'n'cheese worthy of the original.  And the vegetables sneak in right under the radar.  A culinary feat!  Anne says she wings it with the veggies.  All quantities are approximate, and you should always use whatever's fresh and fun." ...

Anne's Not-Your-Average Mac'n'Cheese

Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Vegan

1 bag Tinkyada rice pasta (I like spirals)
1½  Tbsp Earth Balance spread
1½  Tbsp sweet brown rice flour
¾ c plain soy milk
½ tsp salt
1 pkg Follow Your Heart vegan cheddar , (this is by far the best vegan cheese)
½ c organic red cabbage
3+1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 c organic broccoli florets
2 organic carrots
1 medium red onion
½ organic red cabbage
1 Tbsp oil for sautéing

Chop the veggies into whatever sizes and shapes you like, but small enough to fit on a fork.  Shred the Follow Your Heart, reserving 2 tbsp for topping.  Set pasta water to boil.
 
Make a roux by melting the Earth Balance in a small saucepan then adding the rice flour until it becomes a hot paste.  Add ½ cup soymilk to the roux and bring to a simmer.  Add the cheese, and 3 tbsp yeast, and stir until it melts.  It will melt, eventually.  If your sauce needs more liquid, add soymilk.  
 
Sautee veggies in oil, with salt and pepper, until tender, but crisp.  Toss noodles and veggies with the cheese sauce in an oven-safe pan, taste for seasoning, and top with the remaining yeast and.  Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes until cheese melts.  Enjoy.

Feeds 5

Photo is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.  While I am sure that Anne's version looks just as marvelous, we didn't have an actual photo handy .... we were just getting your appetite ready with a visual.