Creamy Broccoli and Red Pepper Macaroni

For the first recipe I made out of YumUniverse by Heather Crosby, I tried her Creamy Broccoli and Red Pepper Macaroni. I'm not a huge fan of gluten-free noodles, but her deliciously creamy cashew-based sauce was a hit with those noodles and with red peppers and broccoli -- they added the right amount of crunch in this delicious pasta dish. I added some hot sauce for some oomph! This is a great gluten-free potluck dish!

Creamy Broccoli and Red Pepper Macaroni
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups gluten-free macaroni noodles
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1 red bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, diced
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1-2 Tbsp water
• Sea salt, to taste
• Black pepper to taste

Ingredients for sauce

• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 cup cashews, soaked
• 1 clove garlic
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 2-3 drops liquid smoke

Instructions
Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add noddles and cook according to manufacturer's instructions.
Blend together all sauce ingredients until smooth and set aside. While noodles cook, place coconut oil in a skillet heated to medium and add diced red bell pepper. Stir often for 5-7 minutes. Add broccoli and water to skillet, stir, cover, and steam for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Return to the noodles. If they've finished cooking, drain and rinse and return them to the pot. Mix together cooked and rinsed noodles, veggies, and sauce over medium heat. Season with more salt and black pepper to taste if necessary.