What I Ate Wednesday

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wiawWow, I can’t believe this is my first WIAW post!  Truth be told, the WIAW posts on the blogs that I follow are usually always my favorite.  It’s a great view into the typical day of eating.  Now without further ado, here is what I ate Wednesday!

Breakfast: Nature’s Path Ancient Grains with Coconut Milk. Normally, I have more fruit with breakfast, or a smoothie. But this was grocery shopping day, so I was low on produce!  wiaw1 Lunch: Big spinach salad with organic spinach, chopped tomatoes, and garbanzo beans.  Topped with my favorite – Goddess dressingwiaw2Snack: Banana and orange.wiaw3Dinner: Cheese-less Greek Pizza topped with roasted red peppers, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives and red onions. Also enjoyed a glass of red wine with this, as I was celebrating a friend’s birthday.wiaw4

Dessert: Vegan Fro Yo! Milky Way and Marshmellow fluff vegan frozen yogurt.  Before I went vegan, I was having fro yo almost everyday!  Recently I found out that a local place offered 2 vegan flavors daily, so I now treat myself a few times a month.  Loved these flavors!wiaw5

Sweet Potato Cashew Mac and Cheese

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….or should I say Cheeze?  Oh the elusive cheese.  I swear, as soon as someone finds out I’m vegan, the very first thing they say is “Cheese??  You gave up cheese???  Oh I could give up meat, but I could never give up cheese!”  And of course I don’t ever want to get into the details about how yucky the dairy industry is, or how bad large amounts of cows milk is to the human body, because realistically, I can understand how they feel.  I too had my own love for cheese for a large part of my life, but after giving it up, I can honestly say that I have never felt better!  I am lighter and more energized than ever before.  And the best part of it all?  That I don’t really have to give up my favorite comfort foods.  With the right techniques and substitutes, you can still enjoy all of your most enjoyable meals, veganized!

Mac and Cheese is a staple.  Warm, comforting and creamy, there really is nothing else like it.  For this recipe, blended cashews are used to get the creamy base; sweet potatoes are also blended in for extra nutrients, fiber, and color; and nutritional yeast is added for that cheezy taste.

Sweet Potato Cashew Mac and Cheese

  • 8 oz pasta of your choice (I used a half package of gluten-free brown rice pasta)
  • 2 cooked sweet potatoes or yams
  • 1 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened Almond milk)
  • 1/2 cup cashews (soaked at least 4 hours or overnight, drained)
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 TBS yellow mustard
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • salt and pepper to taste

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  • To make cheeze sauce: Blend together the flesh of the sweet potatoes (I macandcheeseused leftovers from the night before), non-dairy milk, cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, cumin, and salt and pepper until creamy. The sauce will be a nice yellow-orange color. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
  • In the meantime, cook the pasta according to macandcheese1package directions. Drain cooked pasta, and pour in your delicious sweet potato cashew sauce in with the pasta.
  • Grab a fork and go to town with your amazing vegan mac and cheese!

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