Vegan Mac Daddy (Veganomicon)

Isa Chandra Mosckowitz and Terry Hope Romero are the queens of keen vegan cooking. Their mac & cheese recipe is a kid pleaser and a big dose of down home comfort for all ages. If you don't own Veganomicon, find a copy and you'll see why you should.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 8-12

Ingredients

• The Cheezy Sauce

• 4  cups vegetable broth
• 1⁄2 cup  all purpose flour
• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 6  garlic cloves, Minced
• 2  pinches dried thyme (crumbled in your fingers)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 3  pinches  freshly ground black pepper
• 1⁄4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 1⁄2 cups nutritional yeast flakes
• 2  tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2  teaspoons prepared yellow mustard

• The Mac

• 3⁄4 lb elbow macaroni or 3⁄4 lb  your favorite pasta
• 1  lb extra firm tofu
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 2  tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions. When the pasta is ready, drain and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the Cheezy Sauce.
4. Whisk the broth and flour in a measuring cup with a fork until dissolved.
5. Saute the oil and garlic in a saucepan over medium-low heat about 2 minutes, stirring often and being careful not to burn the garlic.
6. Add the thyme, salt, and pepper, and cook for about 15 seconds. Add the broth, turmeric, and nutritional yeast, raising the heat to medium. Use a whisk and stir constantly. The mixture will start bubbling and thickening in about 3 minutes; if it doesn’t, turn the heat on a bit higher.
7. Once the mixture starts bubbling and thickening, stir and cook for about 2 more minutes.
8. Add the lemon juice and mustard and stir well. The mixture should resemble a thick, melty cheese.
9. Taste for salt (you may need more), turn off the heat, and cover the pan to keep it warm.
10. Now that the sauce is ready, begin assembling:
11. Crumble the tofu into an 11x13 inch baking dish. Mash the tofu with your hands until it resembles ricotta cheese. Mix in the salt, olive oil, and lemon juice.
12. Add 1/2 cup Cheezy Sauce to the tofu and stir.
13. Add the pasta to the tofu, along with 3 more cups of sauce, and stir well.
14. Smooth the top of the pasta mixture and press it down with a spatula to level it.
15. Pour the remaining sauce over the pasta and smooth again.
16. Bake for 30 minutes; the top of the macaroni should be slightly browned.
17. Let sit for 20 minutes to cool and firm up.
18. ************.
19. For even more comfort food deliciousness, top it with toasted breadcrumbs before going into the oven.
20. Make it even more nutritious with the addition of 4 cups of your favorite greens, chopped small - Spinach is divine.
21. I try to use less fat when I cook. Reducing the oil with the tofu mixture to just a scant teaspoon was still perfectly delicious.