Baked Macaroni & "Cheese"

(recipe from VegNews magazine)

4 quarts water
1 Tbsp. sea salt
8 oz. macaroni
4 slices of bread, torn into large pieces
2 Tbsp. and 1/3 cup margarine (I used coconut oil)
2 Tbsp. shallots, peeled and chopped
1 cup red or yellow 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 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1/4 tsp. paprika

In a large pot, bring the water and salt to a boil.  Add macaroni and cook until al dente.  In a colander, drain pasta and rinse with cold water.  Set aside.

In a food processor, make breadcrumbs by pulverizing the bread and 2 Tbsp. margarine to a medium-fine texture.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350F.  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.

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.

In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta and blended cheese sauce until completely coated.  Spread mixture into a 9x12 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.

(This "cheese" sauce is delicious!  I made this with gluten-free pasta and omitted the breadcrumb topping.  Baking really dried out the dish, so in the future I'd probably just serve after tossing the sauce with the pasta.)

Baked Eggplant with Tomato Chutney

(recipe from Eat Up Slim Down 2010, Prevention Magazine)

1 medium eggplant
2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided (I used coconut oil)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil, or 1 tsp. dried basil
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
1/4 cup pine nuts (I used walnuts)

Preheat the oven to 425F.  Coat a 13" x 9" baking dish with cooking spray.  Cut the eggplant into 1/2" slices and brush with 1 tsp. of the oil.  Sprinkle each side with salt and pepper; lay the slices in the baking dish.  Bake for 30 minutes or until the eggplant is tender.

Heat the remaining oil in a nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat.  Cook the onion and garlic for 3 minutes, stirring, until softened.  Add the vinegar and basil and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the pine nuts.  Spoon over the eggplant and bake for 10 minutes.

Creamy Cashew Macaroni

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

2 cups raw cashews
3 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more for the baking dish
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp. white miso
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. whole-grain elbow or fusilli pasta
1 can (14.5 oz.) no-salt-added diced tomatoes

Soak cashews with enough water to cover for at least 4 hours. Drain.

Place cashews in bowl of food processor with oil, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, miso, garlic, salt, paprika, and pepper.  Pulse until cashews are finely chopped.  With motor running, add 3/4 cup water and process until smooth.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F and lightly oil a 9x13-inch shallow baking dish.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and return to pot.  Add cashew mixture and tomatoes and stir to combine.  Transfer to the baking dish and bake for 30 minutes or until heated through and golden on top.