Macaroni and Cheese

This is a recipe that I stumbled upon out on the internet and thought, "What the heck, I'll give this a try." Other internet roamers had made this dish and had left positive ratings of this dish. Yes, I've been mislead by readers comments before, but I decided part of this food journey of mine is about taking chances. How could it be possible to make macaroni and cheese without one single ounce of cheese? And have it taste like there is cheese? Well, to my amazement it can be done. I'm not kidding. Macaroni and cheese- without the cheese. Yes, you read this correctly, no cheese. Not one tiny bit. Yes, you can have all the comforts of macaroni and cheese without the artery clogging, quadruple bypass causing cheese :) ENJOY!

Macaroni and Cheese (without the cheese)

Ingredients:

4 cups. whole wheat macaroni
4 slices bread, torn into large pieces
2/3 cup + 2 Tbsp. Earth Balance buttery spread (or butter)

4 Tbsp. peeled and chopped shallots
2 cup peeled and chopped red or yellow potatoes
1/2 cup peeled and chopped carrots
2/3 cup peeled and chopped onions

4 Tsp sea salt
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Black pepper and Cayenne pepper, to taste

Paprika, to taste

Directions:

· Preheat the oven to 350°F.

· In a large pot, bring water and 1 tablespoonful of sea salt to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

· In a food processor, make breadcrumbs by pulverizing the bread and 2 tablespoonfuls of butter until the mixture has a fine texture. Set aside.

· In a saucepan, add the shallots, potatoes, carrots, onions, and 2 cup of water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are very soft.

· In a blender, process the cashews, garlic, mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, cayenne, 2/3 cup butter, and 4 teaspoonfuls of sea salt. Add the softened vegetables and cooking water to the blender and process until smooth.

· In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta in the blended sauce until completely coated. Spread the mixture into a 9-inch-by-9-inch casserole dish, sprinkle with the prepared breadcrumbs, and dust with paprika. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the top has turned golden brown.