Meatless Monday – Mac & Cheese

Recently I was asked about a vegan cheese option that is “good” – meaning it melted, baked, and basically acted and tasted like cheese. I’m happy to say I found one called Daiya.

I actually first experienced this “cheese” option at Amici’s on their vegan soy pizza (thank you, thank you Amici’s for being a local lunch place with a vegan option!)

They use Daiya on their vegan pizza. It’s delicious! AND lucky enough they sell it here at my local Whole Foods market. (If you’d like to read more about Daiya click here for their site – they also list where you can their product on their site).

This week’s Meatless Monday recipe uses this fabulous Daiya “cheese”. The recipe is actually from the Daiya site. Three cheers for Macaroni & Cheese!
(As usual there was one ingredient I didn’t have handy – Paprika. So, I left it out. It turned out delicious anyways.)

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

There’s nothing quite as nice as homemade Macaroni and Cheese – it’s one of those great comforts in life. Try this delicious gluten and dairy free recipe by Daiya fan Dawn Grey in Lawrence, KS.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces gluten-free or regular pasta, any shape
• 3 cups Daiya style Shreds
• 3 tablespoons vegan butter
• 2 cups unsweetened (soy / rice) milk product
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ cup gluten-free bread crumbs
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ cup vegan parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain thoroughly when done.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Prepare the cheese sauce while oven is warming.
4. In a small pot melt the butter.
   
5. When melted, add the pepper and nutritional yeast.
   
6. Stir in the milk or crème product.
   
7. Add the cheddar, and cook over low/medium heat for about 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
8. Stir in the macaroni and mix together. Transfer to an 8×8 casserole dish.
   (as you can see, I just mixed the cheese and macaroni right in the casserole dish)
   
9. Stir in the macaroni and mix together. Transfer to an 8×8 casserole dish. (as you can see, I just mixed the cheese and macaroni right in the casserole dish)
   
10. Top with bread crumbs and paprika (again I had no paprika).
11. Bake for 15 minutes, uncovered, or until the cheese is bubbling and top is starting to brown.
12. Remove from oven and top with the parmesan (optional) just before serving – see Daiya Italian blend below.

    

13. Eat and enjoy!

I was lucky enough to have a taste-tester to try this recipe after it cooled enough to be consumed. Mimi was here and she is definitely not a vegan or vegetarian, but fortunately she is willing to try anything. Yes, sometimes it takes a little bribe, but this time it did not.

Here, she takes her first bite:

and the verdict is:

Trust me on this, Mimi is not one to say she likes something if she doesn’t. It’s just not going to happen. You will come to see this soon when she starts writing her guest posts on this blog.

Hope you like this recipe and remember even if you don’t go totally vegan, this recipe is definitely meatless and a good option for a meatless day – especially if you have children to feed.

FYI, Daiya and Amici do not know who I am and have not paid me or encouraged me in any way to write this post. I’m just simply sharing what I love.

Enjoy

~Lita