Vegan Summer Vegetable Mac and Cheese with Bolthouse Farms® Plant Protein Milk

This post is sponsored by Bolthouse Farms®, however, I am sharing my own thoughts. All opinions are my own.

I have been craving some mac and cheese like it’s nobody’s business! I know that’s a little strange since it has been nothing but hot and humid here for the past few weeks, but a girl wants what she wants and that’s some mac and cheese. So mac and cheese it was, and it was GOOD, so good in fact that I obviously had to share. Loaded with some of my favorite summer veggies, plant-based, and dairy-free, this recipe is sure to please the entire family. It’s packed with flavor and protein and is super easy and quick to whip up!

The star of this recipe is Bolthouse Farms Plant Protein Milk! Each serving contains 10 grams of pea protein and 50% more calcium than dairy milk per 8 oz. serving. It’s also non-GMO and doesn’t contain dairy, lactose, nuts, soy, carrageenan, or gluten. It comes in four variations – original, vanilla, chocolate, and unsweetened (which I used in this recipe) and can be found at your local grocer in the refrigerated area of the dairy department. Use their store locator here to find Bolthouse Farms Plant Protein milk near you!

So let’s get to it!

Here’s what you’ll need:
-7 oz pasta of your choosing (I used chickpea shells)
-1 zucchini, sliced in ¼” rounds and quartered
-Half a pint of cherry tomatoes
-1/2 cup Unsweetened Bolthouse Farms Plant Protein Milk
-1/4 cup nutritional yeast
-2 tsp Dijon mustard
-1 tsp lemon juice
-1/4 tsp sea salt
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1/8 tsp turmeric
-1/8 tsp chili powder (optional)
-2 cloves garlic, chopped
-2 tbsp avocado oil

Instructions:
1) Toss the zucchini and cherry tomatoes with the avocado oil and season with salt and pepper as desired before baking them in a preheated 425-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes
2) In the meantime, cook your pasta according to the instructions on the box.
3) Once cooked, strain the pasta, and use the warm pan to combine the Unsweetened Bolthouse Farms Plant Protein Milk, nutritional yeast, Dijon, garlic, lemon juice, turmeric, salt, pepper, and chili powder.
4) Pour the sauce over the pasta, and mix in the roasted veggies.
5) Serve, and enjoy!

Let me know what you think of this summery plant-based mac and cheese in the comments below and be sure to check out Bolthouse Farms full line of Plant Protein Milk!

Back to School Pipcorn Snack Mix

It's September which means it's that time of year again - back to school. Schedules are falling into place, lunches are being packed, and that back to school traffic is back in gear. So how can we beat the back to school blues? It's simple really, with this delicious Pipcorn snack mix.

Whether you're packing lunch for your kids or yourself or even just looking for a quick and easy throw together snack for an upcoming Labor Day weekend party, this mix is perfect. It has that sweet and salty combo which will have you eating by the handful. I'd honestly even eat it for dessert. 

It takes just minutes to mix together. Then all you have to do is pop it in the freezer for about an hour, and you're ready to go. It doesn't get much easier. You can even make it in a dorm room (I see you college students). So let's get started!

Here's what you'll need:

1) Two cups sea salt Pipcorn
2) 1/2 cup raw pistachio kernels, lightly chopped
3) 1/4 cup dark chocolate bing cherries, chopped (dark chocolate coated raisins work just as well)
4) 2 tbsp original Essentially Coconut coconut butter, melted

Instructions:

1) In a large bowl, combine the Pipcorn, pistachios, and dark chocolate cherries.
2) Evenly pour about half of the melted coconut butter over the top. Mix the ingredients using a spatula. Pour the rest of the coconut butter in, and mix again.
3) Cover the bowl with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and place in the freezer for about an hour until the coconut oil has solidified.
4) Using a spatula, scrape the mix off the sides of the bowl and de-clump any huge clumps of the mix. 
5) Place in a serving bowl, and enjoy!

If you aren't going to eat the mix immediately, you can store it in the fridge. If you're taking it on the go, it doesn't need to be refrigerated, as the coconut butter will stay solid as long as it isn't too hot out. If you're serving it at a party, I might suggest at least doubling the recipe because it will be gone pretty quickly, trust me!

Let me know how you use this snack mix and what you think in the comments below!