Vegan Baked Mac N' Cheese

I haven't updated for awhile - oops! I was pretty busy this summer with my internship at the Oregon Humane Society doing animal cruelty investigations work. It was a wonderful (albeit, sometimes sad) experience. I didn't even really cook or bake much this summer! But I'm back in Seattle now and ready to post some more recipes!

Anyway, now that fall is approaching, it's a great time for some yummy, warm comfort food. This is my adaptation of Chef Chloe's Mac 'N' Cheese that my friend Jenna sent to me. I was actually never a Mac N' Cheese person growing up (weird, right?). My dad would make it for me sometimes from the Kraft box and I HATED it. Now, I have to really be in the right mood for it, but this is one of the best vegan ones I've made at home (the best one I've had in a restaurant is at Hungry Tiger Too, in Portland!). Easily made gluten-free, too, if you want. 

(I don't pretend to be a food photographer - food looks much better in person, and tastes even better!)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. noodles of choice (elbow macaroni is best, use brown rice or other GF noodles if you want gluten-free)
• 1/4 cup vegan margarine (Earth Balance)
• 1/3 cup flour (or gluten-free flour)
• 3 cups soy, almond, or rice milk (plain, unsweetened - duh)
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/3 cup Daiya or Follow-Your-Heart Cheddar Cheese, grated (optional, Daiya would probably taste better in this, in my opinion!)
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, optional (make sure it's gluten-free bread, if that's what you're doing)
  

Bring water to a boil, add the noodles, and cook according to the package instructions. 

In a medium sized saucepan, whisk the margarine and flour together for several minutes over medium heat into a roux (paste). Add the milk, nutritional yeast, tomato paste, salt, and garlic powder to the roux and whisk together. Let it come to a boil as you whisk, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer and thicken up. Add more garlic powder or other spices to taste. 

This part is optional, but I like it baked- if you don't, you can serve it with the sauce now and enjoy:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour the cooked noodles into a large casserole dish and pour the "cheese" sauce mixture evenly over the noodles. Stir to coat the noodles with the sauce. Sprinkle the top of the casserole with a layer of Daiya or FYH (or stir it in with the noodles). Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the breadcrumbs get toasty and the cheese is melty. Enjoy!