Cauliflower Mac n' Cheese (Dairy-Free, Vegan)

Mac n' cheese was hands down a childhood favorite of mine. My mom used to be the mac n' cheese queen. Making everything from scratch and baking in the oven with a panko breadcrumb topping. YUM! To this day, I still love to enjoy a comforting, cozy bowl of mac n' cheese. That's why this holiday season, we're recreating Mama Nickelsen's famous mac n' cheese recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 head of cauliflower (frozen works too!)
• 1 cup whole wheat pasta (I use elbows or shells)
• 1/2 soaked cashews
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 3 Tbsp gluten-free panko breadcrumbs
• pinch of pepper
• pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Pre-soak cashews in hot water (for about an hour) and drain
2. Cut cauliflower into bite-sized chunks
3. Steam cauliflower and remove 1/2 cup of cooked cauliflower for "cheese" sauce. Leave the remaining cooked cauliflower in collander.
4. Time to cook the pasta! Bring water to a boil and cook until al dente.
5. While pasta is cooking, take the 1/2 cup of cooked cauliflower, soaked cashews, dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, and seasonings and add to blender. Blend until smooth. If too thick, add water as needed until "cheese" sauce is pourable.
6. Take the sauce and pour over cooked cauliflower and pasta. Top with breadcrumbs and pop into the oven at 350 degrees until the top is golden brown (a few minutes should do the trick!)
7. Top with herbs, a pinch of paprika, and cracked black pepper and enjoy!