vegan m-n-c baked casserole

vegan mac and cheeze, originally uploaded by neverfeltbetter.

so i ended up making the macaroni and cheeze recipe, as i always do, from the new farm vegetarian cookbook. ours is so old and used so often, we have literally duct-taped the spine and oil splattered pages fall out when we open it. it is a testament to how awesome a basic pantry-staple ingredient using bible of goodness this book is.

as i was preparing to boil the small package of GF elbow macaroni's, i thought it needed something else...some bulking up, in addition to the usual broccoli. then i thought i would try adding a cup of cooked rice to the cooked pasta, and a handful of TVP in the cheeze. not sure what to think of the pasta/rice combo, i turned it over to my official vegan taste-testers: the kids. lucy and lyric had seconds, thirds even and my visiting picky eater jasper ate a small portion. so, the verdict is it is truly a casserole, ma! and it was delicious.shawn came home late after job #2 and had some for dinner and lunch today. so my idea to stretch the pasta dish worked after all!

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macaroni and "cheese" baked casserole
recipe from the new farm vegetarian cookbook:

cook 3 1/2 cups elbow macaroni.

in a saucepan, melt 1/2 cup margarine over low heat. beat in 1/2 cup flour* with a wire whisk and continue to beat over a medium flame until the mixture (called a roux) is smooth and bubbly. whip in 3 1/2 cups boiling water, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, and a pinch of tumeric, beating well to dissolve the roux.

the sauce should cook until it thickens and bubbles. then whip in 1/4 oil and 1 cup nutritional yeast flakes.

mix part of the sauce with the noodles and put in casserole dish, and pour a generous amount of sauce on top. sprinkle top with paprika, and bake for 15 minutes in a 350 degree preheated oven. put in broiler for a few minutes until "cheese" sauce gets stretchy and crisp.

*i used GF flour as a replacement for regular and GF pasta. works perfectly well either way, GF or not. i flash boiled the broccoli at the very last few minutes of boiling the pasta, in the same pot, and i had the rice made and had it to the side to add to the pasta/cheeze mix in the casserole dish. i threw the handful of TVP in with the cheeze mixture as it got smooth and it worked out fine for me. i am all about as few pots and pans to wash during clean up.

enjoy and happy thursday!