Tailgate Mac and "Cheeze" (with greens and jalapeños)

Week 3: Browns vs. Bills (part 2)

In addition to the traditional tailgate ribs I made for week 3, I wanted to bring a little more southern BBQ to the table.  Nothing says BBQ like mac and cheese next to a plate of ribs, greens, and baked beans.  But being a vegan doesn't mean you have to forego any of these things.  Mac and "cheeze," as many cookbooks and chefs call it, can be made a variety of ways without any cheese.  Common ingredients include:

• Soy based cheese substitute
• Nutritional yeast
• Ground cashews or other nuts
• Soy, almond or hemp milk
• Steamed veggies like yukon gold potatoes, carrots and onions
• Vegan margarine
• Silken tofu

This recipe again comes from Alicia Simpson's Quick and Easy: Vegan Comfort Food.  I wanted something in a casserole dish that could be easily heated on the grill.  I added a few additional ingredients, such as the collard greens (from the last CSU farmer's market of the season) and jalapeños. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 24 oz. whole wheat macaroni noodles (don't be fooled by the label!)
• 1 bunch collard greens, destemmed and chopped (see technique below)
• 5 jalapeños, finely chopped (leave the seeds for extra heat)
• 3 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 cups diced yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup raw cashews nuts
• 1/3 cup raw macadamia nuts (just use more cashews if you can't get them)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• Pinch of tumeric
• Pinch of sea salt
• Juice of one lemon
• 1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (I like Ian's brand)

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350. 
• Prepare the macaroni according to the package.  Add in the chopped collard greens in the last 5 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

Destem by folding the leaf in half and cutting along the side

Roll a bunch of leaves in a tight cylinder 

Chop it up!

Cooked pasta with greens (you can do this every time you make pasta with any greens)

• Sautee the jalapenos in a bit of water or olive oil spray for a few minutes.  Toss in with the pasta.
• Meanwhile, combine the potatoes, carrots and onion in a pot with the 3 cups of water.  Bring to a boil and simmer until soft (about 10 minutes).

Chopped veggies

• Place the boiled veggies (don't drain), nuts, garlic, spices and lemon juice in a high speed blender.  Blend until smooth. (Note: I love my vitamix, thanks mom!)

Nuts, garlic, spices and lemon juice

No joke, it's the Ferrari of blenders

• Pour the sauce in with the noodles to coat.  Transfer to a sprayed casserole dish (pyrex or foil).  Top with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes.

Action shot 

With the jalapeños 

• Note: If bringing to the tailgate, you'll want to bake it for a little bit before you step out the door. Then just throw in on the hot grill to warm up in the parking lot.

The complete BBQ meal from Week 3