I got some positive feedback about my barbecue “pulled pork” quesadillas, so I’m introducing another comfort food recipe! I consulted one of my favorite vegan cooks, Angela Liddon, author of the Oh She Glows blog and cookbook by the same name – and found a recipe on her blog for mac and cheese! I used the same ingredients she did at slightly different amounts, but I baked the mac and cheese at the end for that extra gourmet texture. The cheesy sauce was easy to make and I already had all the ingredients in my pantry. It was a huge hit in our house – we ate it 3 nights in a row until it was all gone! Every time my husband would eat it, his eyes would get really wide and he’d ask, “You’re sure you wrote down the recipe, right? You have to make this again, exactly the same way!!!”
Let’s talk about nutritional yeast. Sounds unappealing to eat if you haven’t heard of it, but it’s a useful and healthy cheese replacement with its nutty, cheesy taste. It’s a yeast that’s usually grown on molasses, then deactivated with heat. (Yes, it’s vegan because yeast is a fungus, like mushrooms.) It has lots of B vitamins and vitamin B12 may be added, so it’s good for cell building. It is a complete protein, meaning it has all the essential amino acids your body needs, all in one place. It has no saturated fat or sodium.
Compare this with dairy.
-Dairy products are loaded with saturated fat, and cheese has tons of sodium. Saturated fat and sodium increase your risk of heart disease and strokes, two of the leading causes of death in the United States and developed countries. The compound choline in dairy and eggs is converted by your intestines and your liver to TMAO (trimethylamine-N-oxide), which increases risk of cardiovascular events like heart attacks.
-Cheese is actually addictive – the mammalian body’s metabolism of casein, the milk protein, turns it into casomorphins which are opiate-like chemicals that encourage a nursing calf to bond with its mother by activating its brain’s pleasure centers. No wonder so many of my friends say, “I could give up meat, but I can’t give up cheese, I love it too much!” Casomorphins can make you feel a little like you got a small dose of morphine, which may not sound bad, but there have been studies that show that in children who cannot metabolize it well, it is associated with sudden infant death syndrome and autism.
-Cheese can also contain inflammatory cells due to cow mastitis, an infection of the udders.
-Casein, the dairy milk protein, was implicated in increasing the rate of liver and breast cancer development in rats and mice. Countries with higher animal-source dietary fat have higher rates of breast cancer. (Campbell T., The China Study 2005)
If all this information doesn’t make you want to lay off the cheese for your own health and well-being, visit my post about how dairy cows in factory farms are subjected to a lifetime of suffering and sickness, or watch any number of the documentaries to educate yourself: Conspiracy, Earthlings, Vegucated, etc.
Now, for the recipe!
Serves 8
Time: 60 minutes
-Bake for 40 minutes in 450 degrees
PREPARE TO LOVE THIS DISH!!!
Sources:
http://ohsheglows.com/2011/10/03/butternut-squash-mac-n-cheeze/
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm
http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-cheese-crack-science-20151023-story.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/263528-what-are-the-benefits-of-nutritional-yeast-flakes/
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/carnitine-choline-cancer-and-cholesterol-the-tmao-connection/
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cows-milk-casomorphin-and-autism/
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/article/confessions-of-a-cheeseaholic/
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/blog/get-know-nutritional-yeast
Campbell, T. Colin, and Thomas M. Campbell. The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health. Dallas, TX: BenBella, 2005. Print.