I’m sure those of you who follow this blog have already realized that I am on a serious “cheese” binge. Someone help me! Last night, while still drooling over my Eggplant Parmigiana, I decided that I must have Macaroni and Cheese or I would die. Sadly, dying would be long and painful so I decided to make Mac and Cheese. It was still pretty painful because my kitten decided to use my body as his own personal climbing post, while my friend watched and laughed on Skype. Anyway, here is the result of my blood, sweat, and tears (literally):
Mac and Cheeseless
16 oz Macaroni (or any other pasta if you want to be a rebel)
Sauce
1/4 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
2 tbs vegetable oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1.5 cups soy milk
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2/3 cup Daiya Cheese (Mozzarella or Cheddar shreds or both!)
2 tbs Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese
turmeric, salt, black pepper, and oregano to taste
1/2 cup bread crumbs (optional but highly recommended!)
Start off strong and fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. Sprinkle in a bit of salt and a tiny bit of vegetable oil so the noodles don’t stick to each other. They’re needy little buggers. Once it’s boiling, add the entire package of macaroni. Follow the cooking directions. Once it has finished cooking drain and set aside.
Start the sauce while the macaroni is cooking. First, chop the onion and garlic. Add 2 tbs vegetable oil to a medium saucepan and saute the garlic and onion on low-medium heat.
Once the onion starts turning transparent, add the flour and mix well. Quickly add the soy milk and, again, mix well. Increase the temperature to high, and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir it frequently so the milk doesn’t burn! Add the nutritional yeast and keep stirring. Think of this as your arm work out for the day.
Snap a shaky picture of your kitten attacker while you’re at it. I thought my husband would want to know which cat did it if he came home and found me lying on the floor covered in scratches and fake cheese. Explanations are necessary for that kind of thing, I think.
Next, add your Daiya cheese and the Tofutti Cream Cheese. Stir it and watch it melt with pride. Mix in the turmeric, salt, black pepper, and oregano while you’re at it! The turmeric give the sauce an awesome neon glow which reminds me of Kraft Dinner (a Canadian Delicacy!)
Once you feel it is mixed and all of your fake cheese has melted, add the sauce to the macaroni.
I’m sure you could stop here, but why would you want to? Once it is completely mixed, transfer the Mac n Cheeseless to a (sprayed!) casserole dish. Spread it evenly and sprinkle some Daiya Cheese and breadcrumbs on top. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes (until the breadcrumbs turn golden brown and the cheese on top is melted).
It is a convenient little guy, and will let you cut him into pieces (I couldn’t resist, sorry!) kind of like lasagna. This one’s quick, easy, and a definite cure for a cheese craving.
enjoy x
