How to Make ‘OITNB’s’ Danielle Brook’s Vegan Mac n Cheese Recipe

There are already tons of reasons to love Orange is the New Black and Master of None star Danielle Brooks. She’s an extraordinary actress, a powerful presence, a passionate advocate for human rights, and as of August, publicly vegan. She oozes talent and compassion in everything that she does and is changing the face of veganism for the better. She says she went vegan because she loved food but felt that she was never taught how to eat well and how food is fuel.

Brooks visited The Chew a few days ago and requested that she and the team on the show made a vegan mac n cheese. This is what they came up with.

Danielle Brooke’s Vegan Mac n’ Cheese

Ingredients

Vegan cheese sauce:
2 cups raw cashews
1 1/4 cups almond milk
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 lemon (juiced)
4 cloves garlic (peeled)
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika
pinch of cayenne
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)

Vegan Macaroni:

1/2 box elbow macaroni (8-ounces)
Panko topping:
1/2 cup vegan Panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon olive oil

METHOD

1. For the Vegan Cheese Sauce: In a small bowl, add cashews and add warm water to bowl so that the cashews are completely submerged. Soak for 1-4 hours.
2. Remove cashews from bowl, rinse with water and drain.
3. In the carafe of a blender, add cashews, almond milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic, turmeric, paprika and cayenne. Blend on high until mixture becomes creamy and smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
4. For Panko Topping: In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and bread crumbs and stir to combine. Stirring constantly, continue to cook bread crumbs until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to bowl.
5. For the Macaroni: Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Add macaroni noodles to water and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Remove pot from heat, drain noodles and return to pot. Add cheese sauce to noodles and stir until fully combined. Cook until noodles and sauce are warmed through, about 3 minutes. Garnish with Panko topping, and serve.
6. Tip: Have left over vegan cheese sauce? Stir in some salsa for a spicy queso dip!

Recipe Credit: The Chew

Author: Jayson Flores | Facebook | Website | Instagram | Twitter