Kindly Póg Mo Thóin

I haven’t done any food blogging for a while, so I thought I’d share a couple of mac-and-faux-cheeze recipes that I’ve been trying out. First, Mac and Cheeze/Mac and Yease:

Recipe here. I added broccoli. It’s tasty. Oh, yes, it’s tasty. It doesn’t taste exactly like Mac ‘n’ Cheese of course, but it’s got that salty, cheesy, creamy kind of taste and texture to it, which is probably what you’re really looking for in a big bowl of comfort food. But it’s oily and heavy (what with all the margarine) and thus, not an everyday kind of dish. But for special occasions, I’d bust it out.

Next up: Mac Daddy.

Wow, that’s a good bit greener than I was expecting it to look in the photo.

Anyway, Mac Daddy is one of the recipes in Veganomicon, a wonderful new cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. This one only uses a little oil in the cheezy sauce, and adds crumbled tofu for body, creaminess and extra protein. I love this one, and have made it several times since I got the book. So much so that I’ve had to make myself stop so I can get some variety and try some other recipes. Today I’m going to try Cauliflower and Mushroom Potpie with Black Olive Crust. Except maybe with something other than cauliflower, since it’s not my favorite thing ever.

Recipe follows.

Mac Daddy

Preheat oven to 325.

• Double recipe Cheezy Sauce
• 3/4 pound elbow macaroni (I just use the whole 1-pound package, because what are you going to do with the extra quarter pound? And I use whole wheat)
• 1 pound extra-firm tofu
• 1 t. salt
• 1 T. olive oil
• 2 T. fresh lemon juice
• Optional veggies: broccoli for inside the dish, tomatoes for on top

Cheezy Sauce (don’t forget to double)

• 2 c. vegetable broth or water
• 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 T. olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Pinch of dried thyme, crumbled
• 1/4 t. salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 t. turmeric
• 3/4 c. nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 T. fresh lemon juice
• 1 t. prepared yellow mustard

Make the cheezy sauce:

Combine the broth and flour in a measuring cup and whisk with a fork until dissolved (a couple of lumps are okay).

Preheat a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Place the oil and garlic in the pan and gently cook for about 2 minutes, stirring often and being careful not to burn the garlic.

Add the thyme, salt and pepper, and cook for about 15 seconds. Add the broth, turmeric and nutritional yeast, and raise the heat to medium. Use a whisk to stir constantly. The mixture should start bubbling and thickening in about 3 minutes. If not, turn the heat a bit higher.

Once the mixture is bubbling and thickening, stir and cook for about 2 more minutes. Add the lemon juice and mustard. The mixture should resemble a thick, melty cheese. Taste for salt, turn off the heat, and cover the pan to keep it warm until ready to use. The top might thicken a bit while it sits, but you can just stir it and it will be fine.

Assemble the dish:

Cook pasta according to package directions. If using broccoli (and I use 2 heads), throw it into the pasta pot during the last two minutes of cooking. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.

Crumble the tofu into an 11×13 glass baking dish (I use my big ol’ Dutch oven). Mash until it looks like ricotta cheese, and add the salt, olive oil and lemon juice. Stir.

Add 1/2 c. of the Cheezy Sauce to the tofu mixture and stir. Add the macaroni and vegetables to the tofu, along with about 3 more cups of sauce, and stir well. Smooth down the top of the pasta mixture with a spoon and pour on the remaining Cheezy Sauce. I slice up some tomatoes and lay them on top at this point.

Bake for 30 minutes if using a lasagna pan; longer if you’re using a Dutch oven. Cool about 20 minutes before serving.