Buzzfeed Video Vegan Macaroni and Cheese!

I went to the grocery near my apartment that I rarely go to because, well it's no Trader Joe's! I needed kitty littler(of course) and treats. It's been about two or more weeks since I've been there, and I was very pleasantly surprised to see some new to the store vegan products! It tells me they had a demand, and that makes me smile every time. This is my Pick three for this week.

I didn't even know this existed!

They used to only have two of this brand of vegan faux things!

They used to have no Just Mayo, now they have all three flavors!

This is what I call progress! This store is not vegan unfriendly, but it certainly isn't a vegan mecca or anything like that. It's just so encouraging to me. Whether you eat faux things like the meats and cheeses or not, there is no denying that they are really making a difference. Not just tastier food for those of us who are already vegan, but they are making food that is tasty enough to make some meat eaters take notice.
I also finally got around to trying Buzzfeed Video's vegan mac and cheese they put out about a month or so ago. It made quite an impact, and I watched quite a few review videos. Some non vegans even tried it! The recipe is a very good base, but it needs some sprucing up. I followed the recipe, I just jazzed it up a little. I have to say I really loved it, and I will be making it again, with the bells and whistles of course!

So vegan cheesey!

The first extra I did was to soak the cashews. Then, when it came time to blend the ingredients, I added a tablespoon of tahini sauce, A ton of nutritional yeast, and the juice of about half of a lemon. Also a few dashes of hot sauce.

Smoked paprika and black pepper add to the flair!

I also had a sliver of smoked Gouda daiya left, so I stirred small pieces into the pasta to melt. I was worried that the potatoes would become a little gummy when blended. I remember once I made a potato soup that was blended and it had a gummy, goopy consistency that was off-putting. This was not the case with this sauce. It was smooth and creamy, dare I say velvety?
Before spicing it up a bit it did mostly taste like potato, which isn't a bad thing. After the nutritional yeast, and all the seasonings, it was nice an cheesey. I forgot I also added a little turmeric for color.
This might become my new go to mac and cheese recipe! The whole meal was done in under fifteen minutes, except for the cashew soaking time.