Vegan Macaroni & "Cheese"

This vegan casserole dish is super yummy.  I love that it doesn't resort to using nutritional yeast to deliver the cheese-like sauce.  Try it, you'll like it!

What You Need:

• 4 quarts water
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 8 ounces whole wheat rotini
• 4 slices of bread (I use Ezekiel), torn into large pieces
• 2 tablespoons + 1/3 cup Earth Balance butter
• 2 tablespoons shallots, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1/3 cup onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup raw cashews
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

What You Do:

1. In a large pot, bring the water and salt to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain pasta, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
2. In a food processor, make breadcrumbs by pulverizing the bread and 2 tablespoons margarine to a medium-fine texture. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, add shallots, potatoes, carrots, onion, and water, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft.
4. In a blender, process the cashews, salt, garlic, 1/3 cup margarine, mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, and cayenne. Add softened vegetables and cooking water to the blender and process until perfectly smooth.
5. In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta and blended cheese sauce until completely coated. Spread mixture into a 9 x 12 casserole dish, sprinkle with prepared breadcrumbs, and dust with paprika. Bake for 30 minutes or until the "cheese" sauce is bubbling and the top has turned golden brown.

*modified from VegNews*