Not Mac and Cheese

First - this dish is really delicious.  The only place that falls apart is when you go into it expecting it to taste like a box of Annie's.  So as a disclaimer, this is not macaroni and cheese.  It's not flour macaroni and it doesn't have any dairy products - so think again before referring to this recipe as a "Vegan Mac and Cheese".  It's not.  Okay... FYI this makes about 8 servings, feel free to cut it in half.

Sauce:
1 1/4 c "raw" cashews (pre-soak these for an hour or two)
1/2 c nutritional yeast
2 c almond milk (or coconut milk)
1/4 c white miso
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
2 cloves garlic

Pasta!.... 2 lb pasta.

So my personal gluten-free opinion is that Tinkyada PastaJoy Spirals are the absolute best widely available brown rice pasta on the market. However, better pasta do exist.  If you are Denver-ite, Pappardelle's Pasta makes a couple mean gluten-free options, as does Cappellos (which does exclusively GF) - both are available at the Denver Urban Homesteading [year round!] farmer's market on 2nd and Sante Fe.

Anyway. Start your pot of water for pasta.

Drain your soaking cashews and put in at least a 7 cup food processor. I'm usually all for less energy intensive chopping tools, but you really need a powerful food processor or blender for this recipe.  Process the cashews for a full minute or until they don't appear to be getting much smaller (but not turning to butter).  Then add the remaining ingredient and blend on your highest setting for a couple minutes.  The texture should resemble something creamy. Like so.

Your pasta should be about ready to go in.  After your pasta is cooked and drained combine the sauce and pasta in the warm pot for a little while. Serve as is or with tasty cooked vegetables mixed in (I like onions and mushrooms and kale).