If there is one meal in our house that I can always count on my girls devouring it is macaroni and cheese. When I make macaroni and cheese I always like to add in veggies, like peas and carrots to give it some color. It just looks healthier having the green and orange in there, plus it is a great way to sneak in the peas. I always believe that food should be colorful. Not rainbow ice cream artificially colorful, but naturally colorful from fruits and veggies. I feel good when I look down at my plate and see lots of color. Stir-fry’s are a great example of a colorful meal and one of my favorites to make. Even just chopping up some fresh fruit for a nice snack or adding raw veggies to a meal somehow makes it complete.

If I ask my girls what they want for lunch, they’ll usually respond “Macaroni and cheese!”

To which I say “Macaroni and cheese please.“

Veggies Love Macaroni and Cheese

This macaroni is a very hearty whole wheat dish that is loaded with protein. The whole wheat macaroni packs a whopping 12 grams of protein per 1 cup serving and the peas add an extra 10g of protein to the entire dish as well as many other health benefits. The cheesy sauce contains both nutritional yeast and red miso, which are sources of B12 for vegans. The cheese sauce is sure to please even the most skeptical taste testers. Just don’t forget the veggies! Veggies love mac and cheese you know!

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 375 gram box whole wheat macaroni
• 1 recipe Creamy ‘Cheese’ Sauce (see below)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped  fresh or frozen carrots (3 medium carrots)
• 2 cups frozen peas

These are the veggies that I typically use, but you could use whatever you like. I also like to use broccoli and cauliflower sometimes for something different.

Creamy ‘Cheese’ Sauce

Use this delicious, creamy sauce in pasta dishes or on cooked veggies like broccoli and cauliflower. Mmmmmm…

Makes about 3 cups of sauce

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup margarine
• 1 3/4 cups silk (or other non-dairy milk)*
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons red miso
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/3 cups nutritional yeast

* Silk original soy milk works best for this recipe, because it is creamy and adds a slight sweetness to the sauce.

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the macaroni. Cook the macaroni 8-10 minutes, until tender. While the macaroni is cooking, prepare the cheese sauce.  In a medium saucepan, melt the margarine on medium heat and add the soy milk. Next, whisk in the flour, tahini, lemon juice, tomato paste and miso. Finally, whisk in the nutritional yeast. Bring all the sauce ingredients to a light boil, until bubbly and thick. Remove from heat and prepare the veggies. If I am only adding peas and using frozen carrots, I simply add them in with the macaroni for the last few minutes of cooking time and drain them altogether. If I am using broccoli or carrots I steam the veggies for a few minutes, until tender in a separate pot. Once everything is prepared, drain the macaroni and veggies and place in a large bowl. Pour the cheese sauce over top, mix and serve!

This meal never fails.