My favorite meal

Where oh where did I learn about this combination of foods so that I can give proper credit? Once upon a time, back when I was on social media, I happened to scroll across a post from a fellow vegan foodie about this magical combination, which I now present to you today:

Yes that’s right. Sauteed kale, mac n cheese, and diced and roasted sweet potato. For me, it is an epic comfort combination. And it’s quite easy too! Sweet potato- diced, throw into a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, throw on some spices (I did some chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper), throw in an oven at 400 degrees F and stir it around every 10 minutes (total roasting time is probably about 30-40 minutes). Kale, washed and trimmed, thrown into a skillet on medium low (if I’ve rinsed the kale before throwing it in, there is enough water for them to cook without burning) with a dash of a spice if you want (I did a lemon pepper seasoning). I cover the skillet and every few minutes lift the lid and stir everything around until it’s cooked down, and then let it sit on low heat until we’re ready to go. And then, the mac n cheese.

Macaroni and cheese. It’s one of the big hang-ups for folks when they try a vegan mac for the first time. Let me be clear- a vegan mac n cheese will likely never taste identical to one made with real cheese. But you know what it is? It is DIFFERENT, and if you clear away the misconception that it “should” taste like the dairy equivalent, you can grow to really enjoy this different version.

And luckily for us, there have been a great many recipe creators that have made up vegan versions of mac and cheese. Many of them have recipes for a rich cheese sauce made with potatoes and carrots (Oh She Glows Every Day comes to mind, mac and peas on p.177. The Bad Manners cookbooks also have a similar recipe).

Then there are other cookbooks that include a recipe for an instant mac n cheese powder, just like we get when we buy boxed (but minus all the crazy chemical additives!). That is what I used yesterday, out of the plantyou Scrappy Kitchen book (Instant Mac ‘N’ Cheez, p. 158). Miyoko Schinner’s Homemade Vegan Pantry cookbook also has a version. This Scrappy Kitchen version was sooo easy, and it is really good! And, we have enough left of the powder for another batch or two.

And also- and this may make me emotional- guess what happened? MY KIDS ATE IT.

My kids get very hung up on vegan vs. non-vegan versions of their favorite foods. Recently, we have been buying blocks of real cheese and our kids have been making the real deal here at home. They eat it for a couple days, but I think the richness of it stops them short from gobbling it all the way up. But I think that’s a process that needs to take place for kids to get on the wagon for eating more plant-based (at least that has been the case for MY kids). They need to have the freedom to try other things. Now meat- I really don’t want meat in my home. All my son wants to do is learn how to cook steak, but I just…can’t. So we may need to farm that lesson out.

Last night, I plated our meal and sat down and told them that it was vegan mac n cheese, but that it was more like buttered noodles with nutritional yeast on top, similar to how their dad dresses up popcorn. That’s all I said, and I casually moved on, and by jove, both kids accepted that.

I think this may also be related to the change we’ve made this year to pack the kids lunch from home rather than having them choose the ultra-processed offering at school. They are now accepting our dinner foods much more readily. My husband and I have both independently noticed this.

So, give this combination a try! Macaroni and cheese (real or vegan), sweet potato, and kale. Let me know what you think :)

From the plantyou Scrappy Kitchen book