If I were on Iron Chef America, and the secret ingredients were spaghetti squash and jalapenos, I’d be making some impressive dish of mac ‘n cheese. 
Not only would it be mac ‘n cheese, it would be vegan (because that way it’s lower in fat and cholesterol, for a healthy family dish), it would be dairy free because it’s vegan, and it would be odd and delicious and completely healthy in every way.
Oh… oh wait! I was on Iron Chef… Blogger Iron Chef.
Tianna had a great idea for a Blogger Iron Chef challenge. She rounded up the bloggers of those summoned and accepted the challenge and chose the ingredients up for battle…
The secret ingredients: Spaghetti Squash and Jalapeno.
Spaghetti Squash ready for toppings
Spicy, zesty, delicious Jalapenos
I love me a good challenge so I accepted and got to cooking. And because I’m just so wild and crazy [in the life I call the kitchen], I threw in one more secret ingredient of my own…
Wild Mushrooms
I just can't get enough of these.
The contenders?
You be the judge.
An all-natural variation to the kid-friendly classic, Mac ‘n Cheese. Kids will love it, adult will savor and enjoy it. Made with no animal products, no dairy, and no gluten, this high nutrient powered meal will be a favorite in your house, too.
Spicy Jalapeno Vegan Mac ‘n Cheese
Recipe adapted from Chef Chloe’s recipe for Vegan Mac n’ Cheese. Serves 4 healthy and thriving family members.
- 1 medium spaghetti squash
- 2 cups broccoli florets, washed, rinsed, and chopped into large pieces
- 1 medium jalapeno, finely chopped, about 1 tsp
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 cup wild mushrooms, chopped into large pieces
- 1/3 cup spelt flour
- 3 cups almond milk, or other milk substitute
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp miso paste (optional, or soy sauce)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- dash Stevia powder
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Carefully cut spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise, scooping out seeds from the center. Discard. Place cut-side down on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the center of squash is tender when poked with fork.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat oil + 1/2 cup of water and add the mushrooms to the pan. Soften mushrooms for 5 minutes then add the flour, almond milk, nutritional yeast, tomato paste, salt, miso paste, and garlic and paprika powder to the saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add in chopped jalapenos to your liking, seeds add the spicy heat and are always optional. Reduce heat to low and let simmer until the sauce thickens, making sure to stir out any clumps of flour. Adjust seasoning to taste and stir in lemon juice, dash of Stevia, and broccoli florets.
Remove squash from oven, when done, scrapping out “noodle” flesh of squash into a large bowl. Toss “cheese” sauce and squash together. Serve immediately and enjoy.
Seconds and thirds welcomed.
Finish off the meal with a healthy dessert of vegan cupcakes with honey lemon (healthy!) frosting. After you see this recipe on Monday, you’ll never go back to another cupcake recipe again. I PROMISE you that.
So, what do you think? A dish worthy to compete for Blogger Iron Chef? Or would it be Blogger Cyber Chef? Either way, it was a fun challenge!
What would be your entry to Blogger Iron Chef with the secret ingredients being spaghetti squash and jalapenos?
*Ahem* I didn’t even need to be on Iron Chef to meet one of the famous chefs! Remember the Food & Wine Festival…? I love awesome times.
Hi everyone, I'm Lori and this is my blog What Runs Lori.
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