Vegan Mac & CHeese

There are so many different ways to make macaroni and cheese. I typically don't like starting off with a roux (which is a flour and butter mixture that acts as a thickener) but in this case, since the recipe is vegan and it'll need all the thickness it can get. Also, if you don't eat gluten, you could easily use brown rice pasta and then arrowroot or cornstarch in the roux instead of flour. (I used arrowroot starch but I feel like most people don't have that at home so flour is fine.)

For the butter, I used Melt Organic Butter but Miyoko's organic vegan butter is really good too. The brand of cheddar cheese will make a big difference for sure. I would recommend Daiya Foods or Follow Your Heart. I'm sure any dairy-free milk would work but I really like rice milk because it has the least flavor and is super neutral. 

The sauce in this recipe is enough to feed four people decent-sized portions and pairs with an entire box of pasta (around 1 lb.) When I make this recipe, I make a half box of pasta with it (enough for two) an then I save half of the sauce in the fridge so that I can make it again in a few days without all hassle. To reheat it - just pour the cheese on top of cooked pasta in a pot on the stove and let it re-melt. Adding a little splash of rice milk can help the sauce loosen up a little better.

What you need:

• 3 tbsp flour (or arrowroot or corn starch for GF version)
• 3 tbsp vegan butter
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups rice milk
• 2 cups grated vegan cheddar cheese (Daiya or Follow Your Heart)
• 1/2 box of pasta (brown rice pasta for GF version)

What to do:

1. Melt the vegan butter in a large skillet on medium heat and whisk in either the flour or starch depending on what your gluten preference is.
2. Once it's combined into a paste (roux), season it with the garlic powder and salt.
3. Slowly pour in half of the rice milk and whisk until the sauce starts to bubble. Slowly add in the other half and whisk again until it bubbles again.
4. It's ready for the cheese! Fake cheese takes longer to melt into the sauce so give it some time while stirring. Also, depending on what brand of cheese you used, you might want to add a little more salt so I would taste test it.
   
5. Once all the cheese is melted,  let the cheese sauce simmer on low until the pasta is ready.
6. Add the cheese to the cooked pasta in a mixing bowl and combine before serving. (Any leftover cheese can be saved in the fridge for up to a week!)