• Super Mac N Cheese at the Motown Macdown

  Filed under Eatable, George's Notes, Recipes, Vegan Food, Videos
  Dec 13

  
  Garden Fresh Gourmet founder and CEO, Jack Aronson, recently invited me to participate in the first annual Motown Macdown in Ferndale, Michigan.  This macaroni ‘n cheese competition is a benefit for Justin’s Vision, a non-profit organization which sends children with severe illnesses and their families to the Give Kids The World Village in Kissemee, Florida.  The Macdown was to be a fierce battle of accomplished and well known chefs in Southeast Michigan:  Brian Polcyn of Forest Grill & Cinco Lagos, Brian Perrone of Slows BarBQ, Chris Franz of The Rattlesnake Club, Matt Baldridge of Cliff Bell’s, The Hungry Dudes bloggers and me–The Vegetarian Guy.
  
  I got to work creating what I do best, delicious plant-based dishes, with a goal of showing vegans and non-vegans alike that a dairy free mac ‘n cheese can be as satisfying as its counterpart.  My entry was not only 100% plant-based, but also gluten-free–emulating the classic American macaroni and cheese many of us grew up on.  I drew inspiration from  my grandmother’s Greek pastitsio, a noodle and cheese dish, which I frequently enjoyed during childhood visits to her home.

  Super Mac ‘N Cheese: MyFoxDETROIT.com

  The recipe includes some ancient whole grains (quinoa, teff and amaranth), cashews, almonds and extra virgin olive oil–all healthy and energizing ingredients. This dish feels and tastes like the traditional mac ‘n cheese, without the simple carbohydrates or cholesterol laden fats.  It thrives on the synergy between flavor, texture, healthy ingredients and comfort. The coup d’etat is my chive and extra virgin olive oil puree, which adds a zesty “zing”–mostly appreciated by us grown up kids.

   

  

  Although my entry did not win the competition, it was the surprise of the event.  After the blind tasting, many were asked if they knew one of the dishes was vegan and gluten-free.  Most tasters had no idea and were pleasantly surprised!  Proving that this dish can stand on its own in flavor and texture no matter what one’s dietary preference is.

  

  The Macdown was a huge success.  Not only was it a great time with music and song–but it sold-out!  Justin’s Vision not only gained a lot of recognition and press through this fundraiser, but it raised enough funds to send a family to the Give Kids The World Village and helped to pave the way for the next exciting fundraiser!

  

  Super Mac N Cheese

  Super-food, Vegan and Gluten Free

  Serves 6

  10 cups water

  ½ teaspoon sea salt

  1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

  8 ounces Ancient Harvest quinoa macaroni

  ½ teaspoon sea salt

  2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

  Preheat oven to 350 F.  In a large saucepan, bring water, ½ teaspoon sea salt and 1 teaspoon olive oil to a boil.  Add macaroni and stir to remove clumping.  Cook until the pasta is tender around the edges, but firmer than Al Dente.  Strain, rinse with cool water, drain well and place in a bowl with ½ teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons olive oil.   Mix well and reserve.

   

  Blend A

  ½ cup raw cashews

  1 tablespoon dijon mustard

  1 ½ cups soy milk or other non-dairy milk

  Puree all ingredients in a blender until very smooth and transfer to a bowl.  Reserve.

   

  Blend B

  3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes

  25% of Blend A

  ¾ cup soy milk

  1 cup Daiya cheddar style shreds

  Puree all ingredients in a blender until very smooth. Reserve.

   

  Bechamel

  2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  ¼ cup yellow onions, minced

  1 teaspoon garlic powder

  2 tablespoons teff flour

  2 tablespoons amaranth flour

  2 tablespoons almond flour

  1 teaspoon black pepper

  ½ teaspoon smoked paprika

  1 ½ teaspoons sea salt

  ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

  ½ cup soy milk

  75% (the rest of) of Blend A

  ½ cup water

  1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice

  ½ cup grated Daiya cheddar style shreds

  Lightly oil a 6×9 baking dish, set aside.  In a medium saucepan on medium-low heat, slowly cook the onions until clear around the edges, then add the garlic, teff and amaranth.  After 1 minute, add the almond flour, black pepper, smoked paprika, sea salt and turmeric.  After another minute, stir in soy milk and the remaining Blend A.  Simmer and stir until a thick gravy consistency, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in water, lemon juice and Blend B.  Transfer to baking dish and fold in the noodles and ½ cup Daiya.  Spread out evenly.

   

  Topping

  ½ cup Daiya cheddar style shreds

  ¼ cup almond flour

  2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

  ½ teaspoon mild paprika

  Evenly sprinkle Daiya on top, then almond flour, oil and paprika evenly.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

  Note:  All ingredients were found at my local Whole Foods Market.  Many groceries now carry most of the ingredients.
  Tagged as: Ferndale, gluten-free, Organic, Recipes, Vegan, Yia Yia
  
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