Vegan/Gluten Free Mac & Cheese

It's been a busy summer and I haven't really had a chance to post what's been crossing my taste buds of late, but today's recipe is for those who are not only vegetarian/vegan, but also gluten intolerant

I've become a huge fan of Brewers yeast - especially sprinkled over popcorn, but I began to look at what else could be done with the highly nutritious and versatile flavoring and so I've been experimenting - and this is one of my end results - which to me looks very much like the gack imitation mac & cheese that comes in a box.

Vegan/Gluten Free Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

1 cup Brown Rice Penne or spiral pasta (Trader Joes brand is what I use)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 -3/4 cup Brewers yeast flakes
dash of Sriracha sauce
black pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring a pot of water to boil. Add a healthy dose of salt - as the Italians say - until it tastes like sea water. Add the pasta and cook til desired tenderness. Brown rice pasta will become like mush if you over cook it so keep an eye on it as it cooks - usually 8-10 minutes.

While the pasta is cooking, heat a medium a saute' pan over a medium high burner. Add the olive oil and chopped onion. Now turn the heat down to low and let the onion caramelize - this will bring out the sweetness of the onion. Add the chopped garlic and continue to saute' over a low heat for a few more minutes. Make sure to not over cook the onion garlic mixture - the garlic will turn bitter.

In a bowl, add about a 1/2 cup of the hot pasta water, the dash of Sriracha hot sauce, Black pepper and the brewers yeast, whisk in the bowl - it should have a very thick consistency - but not like paste - add more brewers yeast of water as needed. Once the pasta is done, drain it, add the sautéed onions to the sauce mixture and then the pasta. Toss and serve. A variation would be to toss in some steamed broccoli flowerettes.

This is comfort food that is nutritious, and full of flavor.

Bon Appetito