I've been dying to try one of the many mac & "cheese" recipes floating around and happily, my first attempt turned out pretty good. I followed a basic recipe from a little book that I found at Goodwill last week; The Compassionate Cook by PETA & Ingrid Newkirk. I love extra veggies in my mac & cheese though so I added tomatoes, chard, and garlic. Then it didn't seem cheesy enough so I whipped up a batch of smoky cheese dip and added that along with some canned chipotle peppers and fresh bread crumbs on top. I thought this recipe tasted even better the next day. The night I made it I thought the nutritional yeast flavor was a little on the strong side but by the next day it had mellowed out completely.
Cheezy Macaroni Casserole
adapted from a recipe in The Compassionate Cook
serves 4 as a main course, 6 as a side dish
Ingredients:
for the basic casserole:
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/3 cup flour (I used spelt flour)
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons tamari soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 4-oz can tomato sauce
1 generous teaspoon chipotles in adobo sauce (optional but tasty) *
2 cups elbow macaroni, cooked according to package directions
other stuff:
1 batch smoky cheese dip
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I just whirled 1 slice of whole grain bread with a pinch of salt, garlic, and black pepper in my food processor)
for the vegetable additions:
3 or more leaves of swiss chard, washed and chopped (stems and leaves separated)
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt/pepper (optional)
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 and oil a 2 quart baking dish.
Combine the yeast and the flour in a medium saucepan. Place the mixture over low heat, stirring until lightly toasted. Add the broth and water, stirring to make a thick batter. A whisk is a good tool to use here. Add the remaining basic casserole ingredients except the macaroni, and stir well. Leave this pan barely simmering on the lowest setting while you prepare the greens.
Heat the 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. When this gets hot toss in your chard stems and saute for about 5 minutes. Then add your chard leaves and garlic, sauteing just until the leaves begin to wilt. You can season the greens with a little bit of salt and pepper if you want.
Into your baking dish goes the cooked macaroni, the yeast mixture, the tomatoes, the chard, and the smoky cheese dip. Combine gently (so as not to break up the pasta). Sprinkle your bread crumbs on top in an even layer. Now cover with foil and pop into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes covered and then uncover and bake for another 20 minutes.
*I usually blend the whole can of chiles and vinegar into a puree when I first open it and then I store it in the fridge. This makes it so easy to measure out for recipes later.
I imagine that this would be tasty with all sorts of additional veggies. I plan on trying it with different greens (kale, spinach, or collards would work great) and different veggies (such as broccoli, green beans, onions, and/or bell peppers). I also thought it would be fun to add sliced hot dogs or soysages, but I honestly haven't found a brand that I like. I guess that's not true, I like soyrizo and that might be good in it.
Cheezy Macaroni Casserole
adapted from a recipe in The Compassionate Cook
serves 4 as a main course, 6 as a side dish
Ingredients:
for the basic casserole:
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/3 cup flour (I used spelt flour)
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons tamari soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 4-oz can tomato sauce
1 generous teaspoon chipotles in adobo sauce (optional but tasty) *
2 cups elbow macaroni, cooked according to package directions
other stuff:
1 batch smoky cheese dip
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I just whirled 1 slice of whole grain bread with a pinch of salt, garlic, and black pepper in my food processor)
for the vegetable additions:
3 or more leaves of swiss chard, washed and chopped (stems and leaves separated)
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt/pepper (optional)
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 and oil a 2 quart baking dish.
Combine the yeast and the flour in a medium saucepan. Place the mixture over low heat, stirring until lightly toasted. Add the broth and water, stirring to make a thick batter. A whisk is a good tool to use here. Add the remaining basic casserole ingredients except the macaroni, and stir well. Leave this pan barely simmering on the lowest setting while you prepare the greens.
Heat the 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. When this gets hot toss in your chard stems and saute for about 5 minutes. Then add your chard leaves and garlic, sauteing just until the leaves begin to wilt. You can season the greens with a little bit of salt and pepper if you want.
Into your baking dish goes the cooked macaroni, the yeast mixture, the tomatoes, the chard, and the smoky cheese dip. Combine gently (so as not to break up the pasta). Sprinkle your bread crumbs on top in an even layer. Now cover with foil and pop into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes covered and then uncover and bake for another 20 minutes.
*I usually blend the whole can of chiles and vinegar into a puree when I first open it and then I store it in the fridge. This makes it so easy to measure out for recipes later.
I imagine that this would be tasty with all sorts of additional veggies. I plan on trying it with different greens (kale, spinach, or collards would work great) and different veggies (such as broccoli, green beans, onions, and/or bell peppers). I also thought it would be fun to add sliced hot dogs or soysages, but I honestly haven't found a brand that I like. I guess that's not true, I like soyrizo and that might be good in it.
The picture doesn't really do it justice but you will have to just trust me until the next time I make it and take a better picture.
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3/6/09: I have just heard from my little brothers that the pic of the mac & cheese looks like "barf" so I promise to make it again soon and take a better, less "barf-like" picture. I assure you it tastes waaayyy better than it looks. : )
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