Mac & Cheese, 3 Ways

Yesterday was the 6-month mark of my beloved grandpa Amal's death.

It's been a rough week in terms of grieving--he was in my dream 2 nights ago and when I woke up I thought that reality was a dream instead, and started crying. It took me everything I had to drag myself out of bed and go to Arabic. I was planning on taking the day off, but realized that it would've been the exact opposite of what my grandpa would have wanted. He was an academic, a scholar, a doctor--no way would he have approved of not going to class, especially if it were for his sake.

I miss him dearly, more than anyone besides my grandma, who died this past January. I've been taking this time since their untimely deaths to be in even more close contact with my living grandparents, understanding in October for the first time that mortality is, in fact, real, and it does affect people close to me.

So, I celebrated their lives. I celebrated life in general. I celebrated writing 7 awesome pages in an hour and a half for a paper. I celebrated not caring about the grade I got on my last stats test. I popped open a bottle of champagne with a friend and we made a toast to all of these things, enjoying the present, not caring about what came next.

Not yet, anyway.

Because, you see, dear readers, what came next was mac & cheese. What may immediately come to mind is the classic Kraft blue-box mac & cheese with the powder that somehow turns into this creamy cheese that as children (and as college students, let's face it) we simply adored. Not only the smell and the taste and the sight of it, but also the sound of it. The sound of that creamy macaroni mingling with the oddly-colored bright orange cheese....it's a sound that brings back childhood memories, for sure.

Anyway, I've been working the last 3 days at making and testing different recipes for dairy-free mac & cheese. And these ones, I've found, are the best. I also decided to add quinoa to it, but feel free to leave it out.

"No, no, you have to LISTEN to it" -me nagging my friend to....hear the mac & cheese

Dairy-Free Mac & Cheese with Quinoa, Three Ways
inspired by Oh She Glows, Tia Tofu, and Healthy Happy Life

Method #1:
Ingredients

• 15oz. pureed butternut squash or pumpkin
• 3 T cashews
• a bit of unflavored/unsweetened almond milk
• one large garlic clove
• salt
• dehydrated garlic
• mustard powder
• curry powder
• turmeric
• italian seasonings
• pepper
• 2 T nutritional yeast

Instructions

1. Ground your cashews in the food processor. Add almond milk, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt, mustard powder, and dehydrated garlic.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the pumpkin and the rest of the flavors to taste.
3. Put pumpkin in food processor with cashew mix and adjust seasoning to taste.
4. When pasta/quinoa is cooked, stir in cheese sauce and it will be heated by the pasta.

Method #2:

Ingredients

• 1.5 c cheddar Daiya
• 1 c dairy-free milk (I used unsweetened original almond milk)
• 2 T nutritional yeast
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Mix together the milk and nutritional yeast in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil.
2. Add the cheddar Daiya and black pepper to taste. Stir constantly until the Daiya is melted, about 2 minutes.

Method #3:

Ingredients

• 3/4 c nutritional yeast
• 15oz. can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• salt, pepper to taste
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1.5 tsp mustard powder
• 1 c pumpkin
• 3 T EVOO
• 3 T Earth Balance (or butter)
• 1 T agave
• 2 T tahini
• almond milk, to thin (if desired)

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in food processor. ........

"MORE QUINOA" -this picture

It really is quite delicious. Choose your favorite method and make it again and again! I've had mac & cheese 4 times this week already. I love the addition of the quinoa, it makes such an interesting texture.

My grandpa is the reason why, more often than not, I decide to have a good day no matter what. To be nice to everyone I meet, to give everyone a smile. He was an incredible man, and his smile will always be a beacon of light for us, reminding us of the good times, and the right thing to do in any situation. I miss him a lot.

I love you, Grandpa. This post is for you!!

Song of the Day-- Stand by Me, River Phoenix. Grandpa's song.

Recovery Quote of the Day-- "Promise me you will nourish your body with delicious food, your mind with knowledge, and your soul with so much love, because you have so much of it to offer." -Grandpa

-Carina