If cutting back on meat (even part-time) is part of your plan, you’ll appreciate The Complete Plant Based Cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen (ATK). The book features 500 recipes for noodle bowls, salads, vegetable dishes, sandwiches, soups and more—all tested and approved by ATK experts, creating an inspiring “recipe” for eating well without meat. Both recipes below are from the cookbook.
CREAMY CASHEW MAC AND CHEESE
ATK chefs went on a mission to craft an irresistible version of homestyle stovetop mac and cheese that didn't require cheese. Say what? You read that right. Their winning formula is a mixture of cashews, cauliflower and plant-based milk, simmered together and blended until smooth, which makes a decadent-tasting sauce. Funky nutritional yeast, when combined with mustard powder for bite, tomato paste for sweetness, and vinegar for tang, gives the dish a surprising, remarkable cheesy flavor. You have to try it to believe it!
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
⅓ cup refined coconut oil
¼ cup nutritional yeast
4 teaspoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons table salt, plus salt for cooking pasta
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
4½ cups plant-based milk or dairy milk
10 oz. cauliflower florets, cut into ½-inch pieces (3 cups)
1¼ cups raw cashews, chopped
1 lb. elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
Directions
1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat until melted and shimmering. Stir in nutritional yeast, mustard, tomato paste, garlic, salt and turmeric and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Stir in milk, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in cauliflower florets and cashews, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, partially covered, until cauliflower is very soft and falls apart easily when poked with fork, about 20 mins.
3. Working in two batches, process cauliflower mixture in blender until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of blender jar as needed.
4. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add macaroni and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until nearly al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain macaroni.
5. Transfer pureed cauliflower mixture to now-empty pot and bring to gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Add drained macaroni and vinegar and cook, stirring constantly, until warmed through and sauce is slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
6. Adjust consistency with reserved cooking water as needed, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.
UDON NOODLES WITH MUSTARD GREENS AND SHIITAKE-GINGER SAUCE
The spicy bite of mustard greens and rustic chew of udon noodles make a great partnership that's delicate, but filling. Udon are fat noodles made of wheat flour that are sold dried or semi-dried. Since they're starchy and a bit sweet, they stand up well to savory sauces, like the aromatic and flavorful broth in this recipe, featuring shiitake mushrooms, mirin, rice vinegar and other delicious Asian pantry staples. You’ll love this comforting dish on a chilly winter evening—or any regular weekday.
Note: Do not substitute other types of noodles for the udon noodles here.
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
8 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced thin
¼ cup mirin
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled, halved and smashed
½ oz. dried shiitake mushrooms, rinsed and minced
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon Asian chili-garlic sauce
1 lb. mustard greens, stemmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
Table salt for cooking noodles and greens
1 lb. fresh udon noodles
Directions
1. Heat vegetable oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add fresh mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in 2 cups water, mirin, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, dried mushrooms, sesame oil and chili-garlic sauce and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid has reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes. Off heat, discard garlic and ginger and cover pot to keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add mustard greens and 1 tablespoon salt and cook until greens are nearly tender, about 5 minutes.
4. Add noodles and cook until greens and noodles are tender, about 2 minutes.
5. Reserve ⅓ cup cooking water; drain noodles and greens, and return them to pot. Add sauce and reserved cooking water and toss to combine. Cook over medium-low heat, tossing constantly, until sauce clings to noodles, about 1 minute.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
Both recipes from “The Complete Plant Based Cookbook” published with permission by America’s Test Kitchen.
For ideas on how to have a healthier diet (but not quit meat completely), read our article “Confessions of a Weekday Vegan” at www.sandiegofamily.com/things-to-do/dining-and-recipes/confessions-of-a-weekday-vegan.
