Single-Serving Baked Macaroni and Cheese

You will never know that there is not an ounce of dairy in this comfort-food classic.

Dairy-Free Cheese Sauce

2/3 cup (160 mL) raw unsalted 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 1/2 garlic clove, minced 1 tsp (5 mL) sea salt 1 tsp (5 mL) white vinegar 1/4 tsp (2 mL) ground black pepper 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) ground nutmeg

Noodles

2 cups (500 mL) uncooked gluten-free or whole grain macaroni noodles

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

To prepare cheese sauce, in blender, combine raw cashews and grated carrot with boiling water. Carefully blend until smooth. Add remaining sauce ingredients and purée until completely creamy. Set aside.

To prepare noodles, bring large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain; do not rinse. Place hot pasta back in pot and stir in prepared cheese sauce.

Divide mixture evenly among 6 small ovenproof 250 mL glass Mason jars. Place uncovered jars on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, until bubbly. Cool slightly until you can comfortably use an oven mitt to fasten lids of jars.

Transfer to thermal lunch bag with a hot water bottle to keep warm, along with forks. Since there are no eggs or dairy, there is little risk of spoilage at this temperature during travel time.

Serves 6.

Each serving contains: 227 calories; 10 g protein; 7 g total fat (1 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 33 g total carbohydrates (1 g sugars, 5 g fibre); 469 mg sodium

source: "Picnic of Plenty", alive #384, October 2014