Joy’s Vegan Mac and Cheese

Today I’m excited to share someone else’s recipe! It’s from the new amazing cookbook from Joy McCarthy (of joyoushealth.com) called Joyous Detox! Joy McCarthy is a holistic nutritionist, based in Toronto, who has been spending the past several years sharing and educating people everywhere about healthy eating and healthy living. You might’ve seen her on her regular TV appearances, or on her YouTube channel, or on her website of course.

Joyous Health

I’ve been a fan of Joy’s for many years, so I was really happy when her publisher asked me to review her new cookbook, and even happier when Joy invited me and my husband to her cookbook launch party in Toronto last month! It was a lot of fun to meet her in person (and yes, she is just as sweet and joyous as she seems). It was a great atmosphere, and of course, delicious foods from her book were passed around.

Joyous Detox

The title of the cookbook could be misleading some people, but this book is not really a “detox” the way many people think about it. It’s simply a cookbook of really healthy recipes, made with whole foods, that just happens to help our body naturally detox and stay healthy through nutritious foods. All the recipes are dairy-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free.

For those who might not be used to eating a healthy diet (or just want a change), there is a 2-day program, as well as a 10-day program (vegan and omnivore) included.

This book is great because it doesn’t just give you a bunch of recipes, it also teaches you a few tips to live a healthier life and be more comfortable in the kitchen.

Honestly, everything in that cookbook sounds delicious, it was hard to choose a specific recipe to share with you today, but Joy recommended her vegan Baked Mac and Cheese, so I had to try it (plus I had a jar of organic nutritional yeast sitting in my pantry that was dying to be used!). As you may or may not know, while I usually try to eat dairy-free foods, I still enjoy eating organic cheese for treats. It’s one of those things that is hard to beat. I even thought that if that recipe didn’t turn out “good enough”, I might just add some real cheese on top. hahaha

But it turns out that I didn’t have to! Don’t get me wrong, I still like my cheese, but this dish was super tasty and was completely fine without it! I personally liked it better when it was freshly made than the next day though, but it was good nonetheless, and it’s definitely a great options for vegans and people who can’t eat dairy. I know there are options out there for vegan cheeses, but these are usually highly processed, and should definitely not be used on a regular basis, but kept for occasional treats, if you wish.

Win a copy!

Joy and her publisher are being super nice to eyecandypopper’s readers and followers, and offering a free copy of her new cookbook Joyous Detox, to be shipped anywhere in Canada! How cool is that?!

The contest is happening on my Instagram account and is open to Canadian residents only. Check out my Instagram account this morning for all the instructions. [contest closed]

And check out Joy’s Instagram account for a chance to win a copy of my eCookbook! 🙂 [contest closed]

Bon appétit!

Recipe excerpt from Joy McCarthy’s Joyous Detox cookbook, printed here with permission from the author and the publisher.

Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese

makes 4 portions

• 1 cup/250 ml raw cashews
• 1/2 cup/125 ml grated carrot
• 1 cup/250 ml boiling water
• 1/4 cup/60 ml nutritional yeast
• 2 Tbsp/30 ml Dijon mustard (grainy or smooth)
• 1 tsp/5 ml apple cider vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Sea salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 cups/500 ml gluten-free macaroni (brown rice or quinoa pasta)
• 1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
• 1 or 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup/60 ml shelled hemp seeds

*note: I think the amount of salt needed can vary with your nutritional yeast. Mine wasn’t salty at all, so I added a good amount, probably around 1-2 tsp total. I also decided to quickly sauté my onion and tomatoes before mixing it in, because I like the taste of roasted onion and my tomatoes were frozen.

Soak cashews in enough water to cover for 4 hours. Drain.

Preheat oven to 350F/180C.

To make the cheese sauce, in a blender or food processor, combine cashews, carrot, and boiling water. Blend until smooth. Add nutritional yeast, mustard, cider vinegar, garlic, sea salt and pepper. Purée until creamy. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until tender but still chewy. Drain. Return hot pasta to the pot, add red onion, tomatoes and cheese sauce, and combine well. Spread mixture evenly in an 8-inch/2L square baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes or until top is golden brown. Sprinkle with hemp seeds and serve hot.