A Blog For Vegan Persian Food...

But first Veganize IT! Mac 'n Cheese. I spent a lot of time hunting down this recipe so it is fitting for the inaugural day of the blog to post it. No worries, the blog will be dedicated to all things Persian and Middle Eastern, but for now people, bring on the vegan goodness of mac n' cheese. Pictures to follow when I actually make it this weekend! Recipe is courtesy of VegNews.

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Serves 6

4 quarts water
1 tablespoon sea salt
8 ounces macaroni
4 slices of bread, torn into large pieces, or breadcrumbs or Panko flakes
2 tablespoons + 1/3 cup non-hydrogenated margarine
2 tablespoons shallots, peeled and chopped
1 cup red or yellow potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup onion, peeled and chopped
1 cup water
1/4 cup raw cashews (I like to add more to make it extra creamy)
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon paprika

1. In a large pot, bring the water and salt to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until al dente. In a colander, drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

2. In a food processor, make breadcrumbs
by pulverizing the bread and 2 tablespoons
margarine to a medium-fine texture. Set aside. You can use breadcrumbs or Panko flakes and mix with vegan margarine.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan,
add shallots, potatoes, carrots, onion, and
water, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and
simmer for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are
very soft.

4. In a blender, process the cashews, salt,
garlic, cup margarine, mustard, lemon juice,
black pepper, and cayenne. Add softened
vegetables and cooking water to the blender
and process until perfectly smooth.

5. In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta and
blended cheese sauce until completely coated.
Spread mixture into a 9 x 12 casserole dish,
sprinkle with prepared breadcrumbs, and
dust with paprika. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese sauce is bubbling and the top has turned golden brown.