Mac & Trees – Appetite for Reduction

You might not guess it from reading this blog, but I actually try and eat pretty healthy most of the time. I’m all about whole foods, high fiber, low fat, all that fun stuff, so I tend to make dinner from Appetite for Reduction, the latest book from Isa Chandra Moskowitz, multiple times a week. It’s without a doubt the cookbook in my extensive collection that gets the most use, so it’s not hard to imagine that I make the AFR  Mac and Trees more than any other mac & cheese recipe. Usually on the nights when I’m just so exhausted from school or work that I can’t even fathom cooking I’ll pop into the market near my house, buy a head of broccoli and some whole wheat macaroni so that I can have a delicious and comforting dinner ready in under 30 minutes.

Mac and Trees is also really versatile. Since I make it so often I like to get a little crazy and experiment, so sometimes instead of broccoli I’ll use peas and carrots, or I’ll dump a bottle of hot sauce or some sliced up veggie dogs on top. Anything goes!

This recipe really takes me back to my first few months of being vegan. As much as I love cashew based cheese sauce recipes, the nooch-y sauces I made so often as a baby vegan will always have a special place in my heart and I love revisiting them from time to time. Unfortunately, a lot of  the recipes are also really high in fat. But not this recipe! It’s all the cozy flavors of the 1970’s cheese sauce without half a cup of oil or margarine.

Have you tried Mac and Trees? What do you think?