Home made vegan mac and cheese
As regular readers will know I've been completely vegetarian for almost a year now and have since the beginning of 2011 been experimenting with vegan food, with one of my mid-year resolutions being to master the art of some vegan dishes.
This dish was crafted within my last few months in Dundee whilst I still had my own almost-vegan kitchen to my entire self. I had purchased some Cheezly soya cheese for a specific dish and needed to use it up so decided to veganise an all-time favourite. For me, my macaroni cheese has always been laced with extras such as onions, peas and in my meat-eating days snippets of bacon. I think the actual term is Macaroni Romano according to my Home Economic recipes but we'll be simple and call it Mac and Cheese+.
There are many ways to make mac and cheese, this is simply mine but mac and cheese is by no means the hardest dish to turn vegan. Good luck even if you don't take mine.
Ingredients
50g macaroni pasta
Oil to fry (I use olive)
1 small clove Garlic, chopped
Half an onion, finely chopped (How To Chop an Onion!)
15g flour, you may need more
Unsweetened soya milk, 125ml as a start, but you may have to add more - important that you use unsweetened, as soya is naturally sweet and this dish is savoury.
1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard to give the soya taste a kick
Soya cheese, grated (for measurements - how ever cheesy you want it to be! Try 50g as a start)
Canned peas/canned sweetcorn/whatever type of vegetable takes your fancy
N.B. The lack of measurements has a lot do with me not measuring my own food. I use my own eyes as judgement, unless I'm baking 'cause that can be a lesson in science. I know this can be hard for people who aren't as experienced in the kitchen but I've decided to provide a recipe 'cause my food pictures get the most attention!
Method
1. Put the pasta on to boil
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan - this can take a few minutes depending on your stove
3. Gently fry the garlic and onions, don't let them brown
4. Gently add in the flour, let it brown slightly and take off the heat immediately afterwards.
5. If it off the heat yet? Okay. Add the milk bit by bit. And stir consistently.
6. When you feel it's ready then return to the stove and bring it to the boil stirring consistently (milk can burn easily) and it should thicken
7. Once it has thickened take off the heat, and add the mustard
8. Add the drained pasta (which should have cooked by now!)
9. Mix in the grated cheese
10. Mix in the canned (or cooked) vegetables of your own choice.
I take no responsibility for how my experiments turn out in your own kitchen :P
