July Cooking Tool of the Month – Blender
Today's guest post comes from my Twitter friend that I have yet to meet in person but I hope I will soon! Corinne is a wonderful writer, plant-eating mama, and Kris Carr's editor. She cooked her way through my book and had such great things to say about it. Like me, she likes to eat clean, whole vegan food and that's what she feeds her family too! I love how she snuck in beans to this mac n' cheese sauce for an extra protein punch. The blender is of course the best thing to use to make sauces especially if they include beans or nuts. Enjoy!
I adore simple, nourishing food, especially now that I’m a mama. There are a variety of vegan mac and cheese recipes out there, but sometimes the ingredient list makes my head spin. I created this mac and cheese recipe with beans in mind, since they give my growing vegan daughter a protein boost. Also, nutritional yeast can be tricky to find at times, so I created a recipe that’s just as tasty without the nooch. And last but not least, I added smoked paprika to the sauce after learning about this phenomenal spice via Save The Kales! It’s a show-stopping addition.
The single serving is the perfect size for my toddler, while my husband eats 3-4 at a time. Great for a snack or serve them up with a big salad or a side of sautéed collards, chard, or kale.
Broc-Mac-N-Cheese Cups 
Makes 12 Mini-Macs
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice pasta shells or macaroni (Tinkyada brand recommended)
1 head broccoli, chopped
“Cheese” Sauce
1 can Great Northern beans (Eden brand recommended)
2 tablespoons tamari
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon tahini
1/2 cup almond milk (or any non-dairy milk)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (make sure it’s smoked!)
Bread Crumbs
1 tablespoon Earth Balance (or any vegan butter)
1 cup chopped whole wheat bread (fresh baguette recommended)
Optional
Apple Sage Field Roast Sausage, chopped
Preparation
1. Preheat oven at 350.
2. Cook rice pasta according to directions. A couple minutes before pasta is done, add broccoli. Once cooked, drain water and set aside.
3. While pasta is cooking, add all “Cheese” Sauce ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
4. In food processor, add bread and vegan butter and pulse until crumb texture is achieved. Set aside.
5. In large bowl, mix Cheese Sauce and pasta. (Add field roast if desired). Mix well.
6. Fill cupcake tin with 12 liners. Fill each cup with cheese-pasta mixture. Top each with bread crumbs.
7. Bake for 12 minutes or until bread crumbs begin to brown.
Note: For gluten-free option, skip bread crumbs or choose a gluten-free bread.
Corinne Bowen is a journalist and copywriter living in Baltimore, MD with her husband and baby girl. She blogs about motherhood, marriage, writing, and her vegan kitchen at CorinneBowen.com. Follow her tweets: @Corinne_Bowen.
Friday, July 20, 2012 - 2:11 pm
Gud changes to Johan Stefaniak recipe
Tuesday, July 24, 2012 - 1:11 pm
[...] cooking session. I came out on the other side with zucchini muffins, mac n’ cheese cups (recipe here), tri-color slaw, and lentil soup. The soup was the biggest hit, with the zucchini muffins and mac [...]
Thursday, July 26, 2012 - 12:53 pm
[...] July 26, 2012 by lydia via theblissfulchef.com [...]
Tuesday, November 27, 2012 - 4:47 pm
[...] Salad (with video) Pina Colada Macadamia and Chocolate Choc Chip Cookie Dough ice creams by Janae Broc-Mac-N-Cheese Cups by Corinne Crimson Beet and Sweet Potato Soup (with video) Green Smoothies Saved my Dad’s [...]