Crock-Pot (Slow Cooker) Vegan Macaroni and Cheeze

Have I mentioned I love my crock-pot?

I have an older model Rival of smallish capacity that I got 20+ years ago as a wedding gift.

I've always used it for beans and soup, but in the last few years, as our schedules have gotten crazier and my kids' appetites bigger, I've been explored several new (and most of them delicious) recipes that have become family favorites.
This only takes about 5 hours so I don't do it on days when I'm gone ALL day, but it's still worth it to come home from an afternoon of shopping and have creamy mac-n-cheese almost ready. Results can vary depending on what sort of slow-cooker/crock pot you have, it pays to try this once while you ARE home to see how it turns out.

Crock-Pot Mac-N-Cheeze

Turn crockpot on high. Blend the following ingredients in the blender for 2 minutes until smooth:

1/2 cup very hot water
1/2 cup raw cashews

Add the following and blend another minute:

1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup quick oats
1 very small jar pimentos (about a Tbsp or two?)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 teaspoon Umeboshi vinegar
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. Earth Balance or other margarine

Pour into crockpot. Rinse blender with 2 1/2 cups water and add to cooker.
Cook aprox 5 hours on low or 2 1/2 hours on high until sauce starts to boil in a few places around the edges. (If it isn't boiling on "low" after that time, turn to high.)

If not already on high, turn heat to high and quickly add:
1 1/2 cup uncooked macaroni, and 1/2 cup shredded vegan cheeze, and stir.
Do this and re-cover as quickly as possible so it retains the heat.
Cook on high for 40 more minutes (perfect time for while you make the rest of supper).

Uncover, stir again and let sit for 10 minutes or so for sauce to thicken. (At this point sometimes if I want to "fuss" I'll put the crockery part of the cooker in the oven and melt some vegan cheese over top. Or put cracker crumbs on top if that's your thing.)

Vegan 'Cheese' Sauce (Don't knock it 'till you try it)

Vegan cheese that tastes "cheesy"... is there such a thing?
Well, in a word, NO!
However, if you're desperate - or curious like we were, there IS this stuff. It's a sauce sorta-thing made with nutritional yeast and stuff. It IS sorta "cheesy" and sorta not. I'm really struggling with the whole cheese thing right now, so it's a tough sell for me, but it's still good and definitely worth a try. My kids'll eat it on crackers or chips, rice or pasta, though they still like good ol' Kraft too, so, I'm continuing to experiment with it...
I can verify that it's actually pretty good (it grows on you, give it a chance!) in mac-n-cheese or cheezy broccoli rice (pictures and recipes follow).

'Cheeze' Whiz

1 (15.5oz or about 1 1/2 cups) can Great Northern Beans or Navy Beans rinsed well and drained

1/2 cup pimiento pieces, drained
6 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2-3 tablespoon tahini
1/2 teaspoon onion granules
1/2 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard (use the plain old American hot dog mustard)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:
Place all the ingredients in a blender and process until completely smooth. Transfer to a storage container (preferably glass) and chill thoroughly before serving.
Great on crackers and sandwiches, or in almost any recipe that calls for cheddar cheese. Spread it on buns and serve with vegetarian burgers or add a few spoonfuls to soups or sauces to turn them into cheezy delights.

1.) For Mac-n-'Cheeze':
Simply mix the above recipe with some cooked, hot pasta - any shape or variety.

Place in a casserole dish and bake until bubbly and crispy on the edges.
I use whole wheat pasta and add peas, though the girls prefer "no veggies please" in their mac-n-cheeze.

2.) For Cheezy Broccoli Rice:

Mix above sauce with desired amount of cooked rice and some barely cooked broccoli flowers.

(I use white rice for this, for some reason the brown rice always gets very weirdly textured and 'gummy'...)

Bake until heated through. Top with vegan cheese shreds if you want, I usually add a bit of chopped red pepper for color. Yum, my kids LOVE this...