I have a couple of confessions to make before I share this next vegan recipe with you. Having these out of the way at the very start is probably a good idea, but I let you be the judge of that.

1. I’ve never eaten Mac ‘n’ Cheese in my life. Like in, well, ever. I wonder that that says about me as a person. Now, that I gave up on cheese more than 3 years ago, the idea of having Mac ‘n’ Cheese shouldn’t be appealing any more, right? Strangely though, it is very appealing to me right now. I mean, there is a hype around this dish for a reason I assume. 
2. I still crave the taste of cheese. There it is. I said it. That insight puzzles me even more than the previous one! I mean, I have never been a big fan of cheese. The only save options I’ve ever considered in over 30 years before turing plant-based were gouda, “butter cheese”, mild camembert, and eventally with some bravery gruyere. Everything else I just snubbed – at best.
3. I still have some pumpkins from the not so recent any more Halloween season sitting on my window sill. Am I the only one? They seem to last forever, so I tend to dismiss the ‘urgency’ to actually chop them up and prepare a nice dish with them.

Let’s change that – Pumpkins, here I come

Maybe it’s purely for the reason that I still have left over pumpkins that I settled for . Or it was the fact that using processed vegan cheese didn’t feel revolutionary enough for me (nor would I want to endorse processed foods!). Maybe I wouldn’t find a cauliflour-cheese-base that paletable. Or a potato-carrot ‘cheese-base’. 
Most likely, it’s a combination of all the above. There are endless alternatives these days to ‘veganize’ pretty much any dish. 

So much more than Halloween decoration

The natural colour of a whole-food normally gives it away already. The richer and deeper the colour, the more nutritious they are. Therefore : Eat the rainbow!

Pumkins are one of the best-known sources of beta-carotene, which gives them such a vibrant orange colour. Beta-carotene is a powerful antioxidant, which our body converts into Vitamin A when we ingest it. This Vitamin A is essential to prevent degenerative damage to the eyes as we probably all know from our parents, who always told us to eat our carrots. That’s not all though that beta-carotene has on offer. There are certain types of cancer that may be reduced by regular beta-carotene intake.
Additionally, the fiber, potassium, and vitamin C content in pumpkin all support heart health. What’s good for our heart, is almost certainly linked to healthy blood pressure levels too. So that’s two benefits  in one! 

Maybe by now you’ll understand why my whole-food ‘veg-love’ runs deep. It’s so insanely healthy and protects us from almost all Western diet inflicted ailments. Having the prospect of living healthier and fitter? I’ll get me some of that!

If you want this too – 🙂 *

Don’t even bother with pumpkin puree from a tin as the recipe offers as an alternative. It’s not. Use your Halloween decoration to make a healthy comfort meal. Now that’s upcycling, not even recycling 🙂

Again, that’s two benefits  in one! Enjoy!!