Cruelty Free Mac & "Cheese"

Cheese is the reason I never took the next step from vegetarian to vegan.  I have tried a few times but my love of cheese always prevails.  I do however try to cut out dairy when I can.  This is the first time I attempted to make macaroni and cheese without using any dairy and I have to say it came out amazing!  Sure, it doesn't compare to regular mac & cheese, but for a dish that has absolutely NO cheese and NO dairy in it, i have to say it was delicious.  I'm glad i made this because it is going to become a regular in my kitchen.  The star of the dish is Nutritional Yeast.  I have been wanting to buy this for a while and picked up from Whole Foods a few months ago.  I have been sprinkling it on food here and there for added nutrition but my intentions were to use it for cheese substitutions.  I am very happy with the results and look forward to more recipes using this great vegan ingredient.  I sprinkled bread crumbs on top then baked the macaroni & cheese at the end but i think next time i might just skip that part.  It tasted delicious with the bread crumbs, but my personal preference is without.  The recipe for the "cheese" came from www.vegweb.com and I just threw it in the oven at the end.  Vegweb.com has sooooo many amazing vegan recipes and I reference their site often for ideas.  Have an open mind and try this healthy alternative! Hope you enjoy!



Ingredients:


1 box elbow macaroni ( i didn't have this on hand so i used penne)
1 1/2 tbsp breadcrumbs

For the sauce:

1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup unbleached flour
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon mustard powder
1 cup water
1 1/2 tbsp Vegan margarine or butter ( I used earth balance)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1.  Fill a pot with salted water, bring to a boil and add pasta.  Cook for approximately 8-9mins then drain

2.  Mix all of the dry ingredients then add the water whisking until smooth and the clumps are gone

3.  Put the mixture in a pot and heat on medium until thick (once the sauce has become thick, it is ready to use.  At this point, my pasta wasn't quite done and so my sauce became a little chunky just sitting there.  I added more water, very little at a time and stirred and the problem was solved, do this if the sauce gets chunky or if you want it slightly less thick.  Vegweb.com also provides this tip which was helpful: This is a very thick sauce as it is best suited for things like alfredo, macaroni and cheese, etc.  It shouldn't get as thick as mashed potatoes, though, so be careful.  You can add more water if you make it too thick, but it's supposed to be pretty thick.)

4.  When the pasta is ready and has been drained return to the pot and stir in the cheese sauce.  (you can serve the pasta at this point or continue to the next step)

5.  Put the pasta and cheese mixture into a baking dish and sprinkle the bread crumbs on top


6.  Bake at 350 for 10 mins or until the breadcrumbs have become slightly golden