We hit up one of our favorite vegan cookbooks, Quick & Easy Vegan Celebrations because we were in the mood for some comfort food. We noticed that macaroni and cheeze was one of the most popular recipes in the books by customer rating, and the only thing that needed to be tweaked in the recipe was substituting the macaroni and bread crumbs with gluten free options.

Classic Macaroni and Cheeze

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

• 1 pound gluten free macaroni
• 2 medium yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
• ⅔ cup diced white or yellow onions
• 2½ cups water
• ⅔ cup vegetable oil
• ⅓ cup raw cashews
• ⅓ cup raw macadamia nuts
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ cup unseasoned gluten free bread crumbs, optional

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and set aside. While the pasta is cooking, combine the potatoes, carrot, onions, and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. (The smaller you cut them, the less time it will take.)

Put the oil, cashews, macadamia nuts, salt, garlic, mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, cayenne, and the vegetables and their cooking water into a blender and process until completely smooth. Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce until completely coated. Transfer to a lightly oiled 3-quart casserole dish or place 6 lightly oiled 6-ounce ramekins on a baking sheet and divide the mixture evenly among them. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs, if using. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbling.

This dish will take you back to those childhood days where you ate warm mac and cheese on those cold winter days!