Veggie Max’n’Cheeze

I’ve been trying to tell y’all.   This chick isn’t playing!

Veggie-rockin’ is serious business.  You’ve got to eat your plants!  So, yeah, we tossed it in a cheesy sauce that’s not really cheese but tastes like cheese to give you a veggie-licious dish remniscent of traditional American dishes, but, you know, with a ton of nutrients.

Hey.  I did what I had to do.

This dish is prepared with raw veggies.  If needed, you may gently cook the vegetables to desired tenderness prior to adding the cheese sauce.  For this method, I would add the cut zucchini only a couple or few minutes prior to removing from heat.

Ingredients

2 Zucchini, peeled

2 Head of Broccoli, florets only

1 Head of Cauliflower, florets only

2 cups of Frozen Peas, thawed

All American Cheese Sauce, recipe below

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Instructions

To make your zukaroni, cut zucchini in half lengthwise.  Use a melon baller, corer or spoon to rake out the seedy center.

Lie the zucchini cut-side down and slice into macaroni sized pieces (roughly a little ¼ inch thick).  Place in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Chop broccoli and cauliflower florets into somewhat tiny pieces.  Add to mixing bowl.

Stir in peas and coat with cheese sauce, as desired.  Add salt and pepper to taste and serve or gently heat to serve warm.

If heating on a stove top, keep some extra water on hand to keep the mixture from getting too thick too quick and watch that you don’t scorch it!

All-American Cheese Sauce

Instructions

1 cup Cashews, pre-ground or pre-soaked

2 tsp Lemon Juice

½ – ¾ cup Water, or as needed to blend

½ – ¾ tsp Sea Salt

2 tbsp + 2 tsp Nutritional Yeast

*I have heard that not all nutritional yeast is created equal.  I use the stuff out of the bulk bins at whole foods or “Bragg’s Nutritional Yeast Seasoning.”  This may not make a big difference in a lot of recipes but I have a hunch it can in this one.

Instructions

As noted, the cashews should be pre-ground.  For this they need only a few seconds in a mini food processor or grinder.  If you don’t have one of either of these, you may elect to presoak.  For this, I would recommend starting with ½ cup of water when blending.  Adjust water content while blending as needed to encourage blending and to reach desired consistency.

Combine cashews, lemon juice, and water in a (mini) blender and process until smooth.  You may need to stop occasionally to scrape down sides to help keep it going.

You may give this more of that yellow-orange color with a pinch of turmeric, if desired.  Just be careful not to add too much.