Sunday Supper, Episode 2; Almost Vegan Mac 'n' Cheese

This week's Sunday Supper is a bit of a cheat. I had planned to make vegan club sandwiches and a creative side salad as a festive meal for Adam, who starts classes tomorrow at the Art Institute (yea!). But as the effects of spending a weekend in the blazing Florida sun sink in, I'm feeling in no mood to eat, let alone cook.

So, I'm cheating and posting a recipe for a delicious vegan mac 'n' cheese that I cooked for the first time last month. It's a recipe from Sublime, a Fort Lauderdale vegetarian restaurant that is supposed to be excellent. I found this in the print edition of the Sun Sentinel. It pays to read the newspaper, kids! I followed this pretty closely and it was sooo good. Creamy and amazing, with a pleasant consistency and flavor. Apologies for the lack of an accompanying photo.

Almost Vegan Mac 'n' Cheese

Ingredients
-Salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
-Water
-2 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
-1/2 cup (1 stick) vegan margarine (Got ours at Whole Foods)
-1/2 cup flour (I use Hodgson Mills half white/half wheat blend)
-1 quart plain unsweetened soy milk
-2 cups grated shredded rice cheese (From Whole Foods. Couldn't find shredded soy cheese.)
-1/2 cup organic, grass fed, shredded white cheddar (As a conciliatory gesture to Adam, whom I thought would like a hint of real cheese)
-2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, divided
-1 cup Italian seasoning panko crumbs
-Next time I make this, I will add 1 tsp. of dried dill weed

Directions:
Cook the macaroni according to directions. Drain and set aside. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a large, heavy saucepan melt the margarine over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the soy milk and continue whisking until the mixture begins to thicken. Stir in the cheese and mustard and keep stirring until it melts and is well blended (Stirring is an important part of this dish..). Season with salt and pepper, and maybe that dried dill. Remove it from the heat and mix it with the macaroni.

Transfer to a shallow 2-quart casserole or baking dish. In a small bowl, use a fork to mix the remaining mustard with the crumbs. Scatter evenly over the top of the casserole. Bake in the center of the oven 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

Tips:
This doesn't taste like regular mac 'n' cheese, so you're not going to be able to "fool" anyone. But it is less oily and heavy than the traditional dish, and should be able to win even a non-believer. The crunchy topping more than makes up for the missing cholesterol. This made enough for dinner, plus leftovers for two days and a portion to freeze. Serve with a salad or veggie side, and you're ready to go!