Last night my little guy couldn't sleep and so we let him stay up late watching cooking shows with us, and he said, "Oh, I want mac and cheese!"  It was late and I wanted him to go to sleep, so I said, "I'll make you mac and cheese for breakfast."

This morning came, and I knew the rice cooker mac and cheese was going to save the day.  And was I ever right!  This is exactly the kind of easy recipes I was wanting to share when I started this blog, so here it is and I hope you love it!

In under 20 minutes we had creamy mac and cheese with slightly crispy edges just like baked mac and cheese.  

Method
Mix all ingredients in rice cooker and stir as well as possible.  Then set rice cooker to cook and set a timer for 5 minutes.  At 5 minutes, stir, and then set for another 5 minutes.  At the 10 minute mark, stir again and taste (it may be sticking to the bottom a bit, just gently scrape away).   If the noodles still need some time, give it another 2-3 minutes and check again.  Mine took exactly 13 minutes total this morning, and it was PERFECT.

Check out some more of my recipes using the rice cooker HERE.

There's something about classic flavors and textures to take you back to another time.  When people transition to veganism or just try to eat more plant-based meals, they often feel they have to give up a lot of flavor memories.  For a lot of people, this is what leads to giving up and returning to animal products- they want those familiar flavors.

This is a short list, of course, but here are some vegan versions of creamy cheese to top your pasta with for decadence without the animals.  If you try them, let me know how it goes in the comments!  If you want advice trying to find vegan versions of something you love, come join the conversation in the Facebook group How Can I Make This Vegan?

A lot of people say that giving up meat is okay, but what about cheese?  How does one live without cheese?  Well, it's a habit like anything else.  My personal advice it to ditch cheese first, before cutting out other animal products, because once you are over cheese the rest is gravy (I love vegan gravy).  Honestly, though, it's hard to give up animal milk cheese, and the science to prove it is now coming out that cheese has actually addictive components.  So it's not your imagination if you feel like you really are addicted to cheese!

Try these vegan recipes for a new way to find that same comfort!

Tapioca based cheese (the popular vegan cheese, Daiya, is tapioca based as well) Mozzarella Aquafaba Cheese by Avocado and Ales
​I was inspired by this recipe for the cheese in the video above.  I've been playing around with varying amounts of cashews, tapioca, water, and coconut oil with different seasonings for my perfect melty cheese, but this recipe is a great one if you don't want to experiment too much.  Great with pasta or on pizza.

Carrot and Potato Cheese like this recipe from Simple Vegan 
For a while, all the vegan world was abuzz about the magic goodness that happens when you combine cooked carrots and potatoes.  The potato starch gives this lovely gooey and creamy texture.  Try playing around with the spices to your liking, or just search Carrot Potato Cheese for other recipes.  I haven't hit a dud trying out these recipes yet!  The bonus is that they are very food allergy friendly because it's nut free (although some do call for cashews, so if you aren't nut free that's a fun addition).  But, it's nice because it's gluten-free, soy-free, and I've read in many forums that making it oil free still turns out pretty great too.  

Tofu-Based Sauce like this one from Veg Web called The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese in the Entire World.  
Honestly, this one is really good and probably my favorite.  I first had it at a vegan potluck when I first started finding my vegan community and I was blown away.  It's kind of salty and not the healthiest, but it's mac and cheese, so come on... 

The Pasta
With a little label reading, it's not hard to find vegan pasta.  Most really good pasta is just semolina flour and water.  If you are looking for healthier options, try spiralized veggies like zucchini and summer squash or roasted cauliflower cut in small florets and roasted.  These sauces are also great with broccoli on a baked potato.  Now I'm getting hungry.

If these weren't enough to get you started, here's another list of vegan mac and cheese recipes to try out!

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