mac & cheeze

Since Rachael was a tiny child one of her favorite dinners has been macaroni and cheese and broccoli. I tried every once in a while to make non-cheese versions, but Rachael always rejected them. Now that she's a vegan I decided to try again, with a variation on this recipe. I left out the onion, as Rachael doesn't like oniony macaroni, and added some cheezey flavors like nutritional yeast and miso. It was a success, and Rachael said I should put it on this blog for Annie's delectation.

Macaroni and Cheeze

1lb macaroni, cooked till al dente (I used brown rice macaroni)
2C frozen peas
a 5" length of French bread, cut into little cubes
1T olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
Sauce:
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
unsweetened soy milk
2/3C raw cashews
1/3C non-hydrogenated margarine, like Earth Balance
1/2C nutritional yeast
2T pale miso (I used chickpea)
2T tahini
2T lemon juice
1/2t mustard flour
1/2t salt
freshly grated nutmeg and black pepper, to taste

Cook the potatoes and carrots till tender. I did it in my pressure cooker, with 1/2C water for 3 minutes at high pressure; with a conventional pan, try 1C water for 10 minutes. When it's done, add the vegetables and their cooking water, and enough soy milk to make 1-1/2C liquid total, to your blender. Put in the remaining sauce ingredients and blend till very smooth.

Mix the macaroni, peas and sauce together in a big bowl, then put in a greased casserole. Toss the bread crumbs with the olive oil and garlic, then scatter over the macaroni. Bake at 375°F for about 20 minutes, till it's bubbly and the top is nicely browned.