Vegan Kimchi Mac and "Cheese"

Before you read any further…. yes. This is that carrot and potato “cheese.” I happen to like that vegan mac and cheese style, so thats what we’re going with. But if you prefer a cashew vegan cheese or even just a regular non-vegan mac and cheese, go for it! This recipe is customizable.

I start by chopping and boiling potatoes, carrots and an onion. Cook pasta at the same time. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water and drain pasta. Once the potato mixture is cooked thoroughly, drain and add to a blender with almond milk, salt, raw garlic, turmeric, black pepper, the reserved pasta water and nutritional yeast. Add liquid as you go if you need a bit more. Everyones veggies are different sizes! If you like a little funky-ness or heat, you can also add a tbsp or so of brine from a pickle or pickled jalapeño jar OR some Franks Red Hot. I did both. Blend until completely smooth, like a queso dip.

Take your kimchi and sauté in some Earth Balance or olive oil. Once it releases a good amount of moisture, add pasta to kimchi and pour “cheese” sauce over it. Mix it thoroughly. You can either serve right here or go one step further — of course I went the extra step and baked it with some bread crumbs on top… because who would I be if I wasn’t extra. Sprinkle with parsley and voila!

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Vegan Kimchi Mac and "Cheese"

Yield: A half-tray of mac and cheese

Author: Cristen's Creations

Vegan mac and “cheese” — with a twist. This recipe can be cut in half easily if you're not looking to feed a group, or if you're using it as a side.

Ingredients:

Potato & Carrot "Cheese"

• 3 medium yukon gold potatoes (peeled
• 3 medium carrots (peeled)
• 1/2 large onion or 1 small onion
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 cup almond milk
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water
• 1 tbsp pickled jalapeño brine (optional)
• 2-3 tbsp Franks Red Hot (optional)
• Water, to boil
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste

Kimchi mac

• 1 cup of kimchi (mine is homemade, using Maangchi's recipe for vegetarian kimchi but feel free to use whatever you can get!)
• 2 tbsp Earth Balance, another vegan butter or olive oil
• 1 pound of macaroni
• Garlic breadcrumbs, to top (optional)

Instructions:

1. Boil a large pot of water.
2. Peel and cut potatoes and carrots into large chunks. You can leave the onion whole, with just the first layer and ends cut off or you can cut into a few larger chunks.
3. Add potatoes, carrots and onion to boiling water and allow to cook until the potatoes are tender.
4. While you're waiting for the potato carrot mixture, boil pasta water and DON'T salt the water. Both the kimchi and the sauce can be very salty. You can always add more at the end.
5. Once cooked (slightly underdone if you plan to bake at the end), reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water, drain and set aside until you're ready.
6. Once potato mixture is cooked until the potatoes are fork tender, drain and allow to cool for a few minutes.
7. Add cooked potato, carrot and onion to the blender with raw garlic, almond milk, nutritional yeast, reserved pasta water, hot sauce (optional), jalapeño brine (optional) and spices. Blend until completely smooth (queso consistency). You may need to add more or less liquid depending on how large your vegetables were. Go slowly. Set aside.
8. In a large pot or pan, add earth balance. Once melted, sauté kimchi in earth balance until it releases most of its moisture (5-6 minutes). Add pasta to the kimchi and stir through. Add sauce to the kimchi and pasta. 
9. You can stop there and enjoy OR add to a tray, top with breadcrumbs and bake on 375 until brown and crisp.

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