Mac & Cheese like my mom use to make

As a child, macaroni and cheese was my favorite. I really didn’t if it came from a box, or served at school, or a microwave dinner. However, the few times my mom made it from scratch were a special treat. I remember her heating the milk and adding the butter and melting in the cheese and the decadent flavor it created. The prepared vegan cheeses on the market were not designed for this type of creation, but then Daiya brand vegan cheese showed up.

Daiya cheese has been impressing vegans since its arrival. It has a head up in the vegan cheese world since it actually melts and has some stretchiness. It is not my favorite for every application, but it is opening up the possibilities. I decided it would be a good candidate for the old fashioned mac and cheese my mom use to make. It has a pretty strong flavor, however, so I knew I didn’t want to rely on it all by itself, or the flavor would be too overwhelming. This is where the old stand by nutritional yeast comes in to equalize the flavors and the results were great!

“Old Fashioned” Macaroni and Cheese

8 oz. Pasta
¼ cup Earth Balance Margarine
2 cups Almond Milk (plain, unsweetened)
2 Tb Corn Starch
½ - ¾ Salt
½ tsp Black Pepper
½ tsp Garlic Granules
1 cup Daiya Cheese
1/3 cup Nutritional Yeast

Bread Crumbs (optional):

2 cups cubed sourdough bread
1 Tb Olive Oil
2 Tb fresh Sage, chopped
¼ tsp Garlic Granules

Bread Crumbs: Place the oil, sage and garlic in a bowl and stir together. Add the cubed bread and stir to incorporate into the bread until it seems equally distributed. Set aside.

Macaroni and Cheese: Cook and drain the pasta according to directions; set aside. In a large cooking pot, melt the margarine and then add the almond milk and cornstarch and whisk together. Heat the sauce on medium heat until thick, whisking occasionally. Remove from heat and add the Daiya cheese, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper and garlic granules. Whisk until all the ingredients are incorporated and the Daiya cheese has melted into the sauce. Add the pasta to the sauce and stir to cover it; then place in a 9-inch square baking pan. Spread the bread crumbs on top to cover evenly. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes. Serve with your favorite veggies such as asparagus like I did.

*For a soy-free version, just use the soy-free version margarine from Earth Balance (or another brand if you can find one).

Artichokes & Beans

I am trying to cut down on my soy intake.  I have a long love affair with soy ever since going vegan, but too much any anything can be a bad thing.  I think if there is one thing I was told I couldn't eat, soy would have the biggest impact on my food choices.  Luckily, I am just cutting down, not giving it up.  

Almond milk is my favorite milk alternative and there are so many great coconut based vegan ice cream treats will be easy.  However, less soy options for my proteins will be an issue, especially since me and beans are not the best of friends.  Due to this, I am trying to re-develop my relationship with beans and decided to start off with a creamy sauce for pasta.  So far, the new relationship is going well.  

Artichoke & White Bean Sauce 

1 - 15 oz can Great Northern Beans*

1 - 14 oz can Artichoke Hearts, drained**

1 Tb Lemon Juice

2 Tb Olive Oil

1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast

1/2 tsp Garlic Granules

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Put all ingredients in a food processor or blender.  Blend until smooth.  If you want a thinner sauce, add some water to desired consistency.

* Cannellini Beans or another white bean will also work great.

** I have found the canned artichoke hearts in water from Trader Joes are good quality and affordable.

I mixed the sauce with 12 ounces of prepared pasta and cooked up a variety of vegetables (zucchini, mushrooms, garlic and spinach) to go on top.  I really enjoyed the combination and look forward to eating more of it this week for my lunch.  This recipe can also be used as a dip or spread.

Stroganoff

New year’s day I went to a great brunch at a friend’s house. I made some great pancakes and there was also grilled cheese, fruit and lots of other stuff I can’t remember since it was so long ago. My favorite was not very brunch like, but oh, so good. My friend Liz brought Stroganoff which was so rich and creamy and savory and I could not get enough of it. I demanded to know how she made the dish and wrote it down to try to recreate it at a later date.

When I visited my parents house, my mom asked me if I was going to make dinner. I decided it would be a good opportunity to make the stroganoff. When my nephew was informed that I would be making dinner, he was happy. He is a really picky eater and I know if he likes it, anyone will. He also seems to be a big fan of my vegan cooking which pleasantly surprises me. My niece helped me with dinner by making the salad to go with the main meal.

My nephew ate up all the food on his plate and even went for seconds. Everyone really enjoyed the dish and even I was really happy with the recreation. I am so glad I wrote down everything I did so now we can all recreate it. Thanks so much to Liz for this recipe and sharing the savory secret- fresh thyme!

Stroganoff

12 oz Pasta of choice

1 Tb Olive Oil

1 medium Red Onion, chopped

4 cloves Garlic, minced

12 oz Veggie Protein Crumbles (such as Light Life Smart Ground)

10 Mushrooms, sliced

2 Tb Fresh Thyme

3 Tb Lemon Juice

1 Tb Tamari

1 container Tofutti Sour Cream

½ tsp Black Pepper

½ cup Water

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

Sauté the chopped onion and garlic in the oil. Cook until the onion is tender. Add the veggie protein crumbles, mushrooms and fresh thyme and continue to cook an additional 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice, tamari, tofutti sour cream, black pepper and water. Cook for a few minutes to incorporate the flavors.

Add the cooked pasta and stir to combine. Serve warm with a nice refreshing salad. My salad had romaine lettuce, chopped jicama (a favorite!) and sliced red pepper with goddess dressing.