Mac & Cheese with Gluten Free Options

Most vegans have a version of Macaroni & Cheese that they like to make.  There are so many different recipes to make a vegan version, you could have a new mac & cheese every night of the week.

When I first started to eat vegan, there weren't all the hip cookbooks now available.  Luckily there was one which I found to have lots of flavor.  The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook helped me appreciate a vegan diet and all the possibilities with my new diet.  There are some great recipes for baked goods, what to do with nutritional yeast and make it taste wonderful and even how to make your own tempeh and soymilk.  The recipe for Macaroni and "Cheese" Casserole showed me a new love for this old time favorite dish.

For most of my vegan life, I have made the cheese sauce for the noodles and baked it as directed in the original recipe.  Recently I started just mixing the sauce with the noodles and have found this to be a creamier version I am really enjoying.  There is also less fat used in my version of the recipe which I will share with you today.  I am no longer on my gluten free diet, but luckily last month I was so I have gluten free options  to share as well.  Now this dish can be enjoyed by even more people!

Mac & Cheese

1/3 cup Soy Margarine

1/2 cup Unbleached White Flour*

3 cups Water

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Garlic Granules

2 Tb Braggs

2 Tb Oil

1 cup Nutritional Yeast

16 oz. Pasta*

*For gluten free options use 1/3 cup White Bean Flour instead of the unbleached white flour and rice, quinoa or corn pasta instead of wheat pasta.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain and set aside.

In a medium pan, bring the water to a boil.  In the mean time, melt the soy margarine on medium heat.  When melted, add the flour and blend with a whisk to make a roux and allow to cook until smooth and bubbly.  Add the boiling water (carefully) along with the salt, garlic granules and braggs.  Continue to heat until the sauce starts to thicken.  When it reaches a good consistency, add the oil and nutritional yeast and whisk until fully incorporated.  Add the cooked pasta to the cheesy sauce.  Serve right away or add your own twist and then serve.

Other options:  Some people like adding a pinch of tumeric for a more orange color.  You can also add chipolte tabasco sauce for a unique flavor, add hickory smoke, add tomatoes or other vegetables, add tempeh, tofu or setain to the dish, use flavor themes such as a mexican twist and even use different types of pasta shapes.  Be creative!