Mac & cheese? Yes, please
THE FOURTH COOKERY BOOK from Sunday Times No 1 bestselling authors Henry and Ian, aka ‘the vegan Jamie Olivers’, is packed with outrageously tasty, super speedy dishes made without meat, eggs or dairy. It’s perfect for weeknight dinners after a long day, fast breakfasts to supercharge the family, or Sunday meal prep for the week ahead.
In just 20 minutes flat, you’ll be creating fragrant curries, hearty stews, comfort food for cold nights , indulgent puds, tasty rice and noodle dishes, and one-pan wonders.
No fancy kit, no out-there ingredients. You’ll be able to get all the bits and pieces you need from your nearest major supermarket. Everything has been tried and tested and is bursting with flavour.
Let vegan food never be called bland, because – honestly? – this might just be their tastiest collection of recipes yet as well as their quickest.
Following is one of their recipes:
The big quick alternative mezze platter
DIPS! We love a dip. If we’re at a party and someone brings out dips and crudite´s, we’re straight over there, dipping away. If you’re wanting to up your dip game and impress guests at your next party, these recipes are gonna help you out. You’re definitely going to need a food processor here and, if you’re making them all, having a silicone spatula to hand would be very helpful to speed up the process. We’ve coupled the dips with crudite´s, flatbreads, pickled green chillies and dolmades because we love them. You can feel free to use whatever floats your boat.
Ultimate Vegan Mac & Cheese
There’s something about creamy, cheesy pasta that just works. We’ve made a lot of mac and cheese recipes in our time but this might well be the best. It’s exceptionally creamy, incredibly cheesy and the breadcrumb topping gives it an unbelievable crunch. Coupled with a fresh salad this mac and cheese is the stuff of dreams.
Ingredients
300g macaroni 750ml almond milk 50g cashew nuts 40ml olive oil
1 garlic clove
40g flour
100g vegan cheese 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast 2 tsp Dijon mustard
50g fresh breadcrumbs 2 tbsp olive oil salt and black pepper
Method
Add the macaroni to a pot of boiling water and cook for 1 minute less than the packet instructions. Drain.
Meanwhile, put a medium saucepan over a medium-high heat, add the almond milk and cashews and bring to the boil. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blitz until smooth.
Pour the oil into a frying pan and place it over a medium heat. Peel the garlic and grate it straight into the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes until just starting to brown. Add the flour to the pan and whisk until it combines with the garlicky oil to make a paste.
Cook for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low and slowly pour a little of the almond milk and cashew mixture and whisk until completely combined before adding more until all the nut milk is incorporated. Cook for 2 minutes.
Grate the vegan cheese, add the nutritional yeast, mustard and cheese to the pan. Stir to mix and add a splash more almond milk if the mixture is too thick. Taste and season generously with salt and pepper.
Take the pan off the heat and stir through the cooked pasta.
Spoon into the ramekins.
Put the breadcrumbs, olive oil and a big pinch of salt and pepper into a bowl and stir to mix. Scatter the crumbs over the pasta and place the ramekins under the grill and cook for 1–2 minutes, keeping a close eye on them, until the topping is crispy. Serves 4–6