Kid-approved Vegan Mac and Cheese

I've made a lot of non-dairy 'cheesy' dishes and while my husband and I usually enjoy them, this is the first time my kids have given a non-dairy cheese the thumbs up. Even better, this dish doesn't have any processed fake cheese in it. As long as you consider soy milk and whole wheat pasta whole foods (I do), then this is a whole foods meal.

Ingredients:

2/3 cups raw cashews
2 cups unsweetened plain soy milk
1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 medium onion, minced
2 TBSP all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground coriander (or to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound whole wheat elbow macaroni, cooked according to package directions
4 roma tomatoes, sliced

Use a food processor to process the cashews into a paste. Add the soy milk and process until blended, set aside. In a large saucepan, sautee the onion in the olive oil until lightly browned. Add flour and coriander to pan and stir a few times with a whisk to combine, then add the cashew-soymilk mixture and bring to a near boil, whisking continually, until the mixture thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste. In a large oven-safe baking dish combine the milk mixture and the pasta, stir to combine, and top with a layer of the sliced tomatoes. Bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until tomatoes begin to brown. Serve and enjoy!

Makes 8 servings.
Per serving: 345 calories; 9g fat; 1.5g saturated fat; 0g trans fat; 0g cholesterol; 3g dietary fiber; 12g protein; 10% vitamin A RDA; 14% vitamin C RDA; 18% iron RDA