November 10, 2007mac and cheese #1: ann gentry's real food daily mac and cheese
 without reservation, this is the best vegan mac and cheese that i've ever tried. i almost feel like stopping the whole shebang right here because i can't imagine anything topping this. if you're looking for a vegan mac and cheese that will resemble kraft or stouffer's, look elsewhere. there are recipes that do that—sort of—but this isn't it. creamy, nutty, mild, and rich, this mac and cheese tastes borderline gourmet, and i think it's because the cheese sauce itself tastes much closer to smoked gouda than to cheddar. matt and i weren't wild about the topping, but that's really my fault. i used dave's killer good seed bread because it's what i had, and while that bread is, well, killer for sandwiches and toast, a crusty french bread should really be utilized for breadcrumb toppings on baked pasta dishes. i take full blame here. otherwise, the taste was sensational, and it will take all of my willpower to freeze the leftovers instead of polishing them off in the next few days. next on the mac and cheese chopping block is the blossoming lotus "insert rasta hippie name here mac and cheese," which thankfully only makes two servings! i might need to halve all of these recipes from here on out to spare myself and matt.
posted by joanna @ 2:03 PM
17 Comments:
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ha! i'm always tempted to buy the blossoming lotus cookbook and then i remember the recipe titles. that shit makes me crazy!
-kim
I have this cookbook, but I haven't liked it yet. I hope this makes it worthwhile! I hope you're lying in bed getting a full body massage.
xo
kittee
Hey - great photo! It looks totally delicious. I have that cookbook and have been meaning to try out the recipe for a while now! I think once my boyfriend sees that post he'll have to do the cooking soon. :) Thanks for sharing.
joanna -- i'm excited to live vicariously through these mac and cheese trials. the best kind!
kim (mamakim?),
we were at blossing lotus yesterday and someone said something like "i'm giving my love to you through this sandwich" and i said at our table, "oh, that must be the title of one of their recipes in that cookbook!" totally.
i'm definitely curious how that one tastes, too! go jo!
love,
michelle
Is that bread recipe of Dave's online or in your new cookbook?
Thanks!
dave's killer bread is a bread company here in portland. it's kind of like crack. i vaguely recall a time when i bought another type of bread, but it's fuzzy.
What the hell is in it that it tastes like smoked gouda?
Joanna, that looks amazingly good! Did you wind up using the powdered agar for the recipe? How much did you wind up substituting for the flakes? I've gotta try this recipe.
joanna, you should always blog this often. you're hilarious.
isa - i don't know! it would have been more "smoky" had there been liquid smoke, but that's the closest cheese i can think of where it's creamy and nutty and a little tangy. it's nothing like cheddar -- she's out of her mind for calling it cashew cheddar.
julie - i used the whole packet of agar powder that michelle gave me, which was like. i don't know, 1/2 cup?
I've always been to scared to make vegan mac and yeast. Your project might make me change my mind, though, because that looks pretty good.
arg! i want to make this. i got excited, because i recalled that michelle gave me a little packet of agar powder, the recipe calls for like a CUP of flakes. but my little packet, is like a teaspoon of powder, not a 1/2 cup!!
f*ck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
xo
kittee
ok! guess what? i think that packet that michelle gave me might be the same as the one you're talking about. it's little, huh? but when you pour it just keeps going and going. so this is simmering right now, but i used a packet of powder and a 1oz packet of flakes...
xo
kittee
Looks like I will finally need to break down and make this recipe. The funny thing is, I don't remember mac & cheese ever being on the Real Food Daily menu. They should definitely add it...or maybe they don't want to spend that much money on agar either!
I really like that one! Great call! and choice! and being you! and stuff!
You might not believe I am saying this - but try that cheez with the chopped jalapeno option - and !! yes.
also, the recipe is online for those who don't have the book:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000685.html
fyi, it keeps and shreds (and also freezes) really well.
weird! heidi says in that entry that the recipe for the cheese makes enough cheese for 2 casseroles. it only made enough for 1 for me. hrmm. i didn't measure it out, just eyeballed it in the pot, but it was 2 1/2 cups MAX.