plant based milks
I pulled out my big red book of magic, the Betty Crocker Spellbook (note animal sacrifice on cover – ugh!), and set out to adapt a couple of recipes that relied on cow’s milk and cheeses into decent vegan recipes.
First was good ol’ Mac & Cheese. I will be straight up in letting you know that the differences between the 3 milks that we tried were negligible in this test. They all pretty much cooked up the same way in the roux and it didn’t matter which of the vegan cheese products I added, they all separated a bit and really needed a topping of bread crumbs to absorb some of the greasiness that rose to the surface during baking.
It’s always nice to know we have a friendlier, vegan version of a rib sticking comfort food. We were quite pleased with the resulting recipe and, after putting my head together with Amy, have decided to call it…
Mac & Pleeze taste test (Rice, Coconut, Soy milks)
Mac & Pleaze
1 Cup uncooked elbow macaroni
2 Tablespoons of Earth Balance
2 Tablespoons Flour
1 C plant-based milk
2 Tablespoons white wine
1/3 Cup nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
a few dashes cayenne
1 Cup Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds or 10 slices of Galaxy Foods Rice Vegan American Flavor Slices
1/3 Cup bread crumbs
Cook the macaroni according to the directions on its box. Melt the Earth Balance and stir in flour. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth and bubbly. Slowly add your plant based milk of choice and white wine. Heat to boiling; stirring constantly. Boil and continue stirring for 1 minute while stirring in nutritional yeast, garlic, paprika and cayenne. Remove from heat. Continue stirring, gradually adding the vegan cheese until completely melted.
Place macaroni in ungreased 1 quart casserole. Stir cheese sauce into macaroni. Top with bread crumbs and bake uncovered 350° for 30 minutes. Serve hot.
Mac & Pleeze taste test (L-R Rice milk, Coconut milk, Soy Milk)
