Mac n' 'cheese' with crumb topping, grilled tempeh and peas

This was a meal I made a week or so ago; it was the first big meal I ate after being sick and I was craving some of my favorite food ever as a kid: Man n' Cheese. Now, now, now, this really doesn't taste like 'cheese'. Don't expect that. But, also, give yourself a chance to enjoy it for what it is, a really yummy, savory, garlicy, tangy, thick, yellow sauce. And, as you start to move away from processed food your taste buds WILL change. It's true! Don't sell your body short. We were meant to consume the most natural foods out there and the more you do it, the more your body will start to crave those natural foods. Any of you who know me at all, may know that I gave up eating Reese's Peanut Butter cups. This was a full on addiction of mine, but these days they literally taste gross to me, so fake sugary it hurts my teeth. I didn't decide to "give up" Reese's Cups (although watching this video on animal testing, aided in making it easier to turn them down); I just started craving other treats. Like cookies from Alternative Baking Company. They are so good: vegan, no animal testing, environmentally friendly and made in Berkley, CA. Okay, on to the actual recipe. All I'm saying, is give the alternative a chance. You may just be surprised .

Tempeh(1 package, 8 -10oz):

Slice a into 4 slices and blanch in boiling water for 8-10 minutes. This gets rid of the bitterness.

Then soak in a plastic bag in a bowl with 2 tbl soy sauce, 1 tbl water, 2 tsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp sesame oil. (or really whatever you want) Marinate for 30 minutes to an hour, flipping occasionally.

Cheesy Sauce: (there are a million of these recipes out there, I followed one from "How it all Vegan", by Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer)

1 tbsp olive oil (compared to the fat in reg Mac n' Cheese?... I can't even...)

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tbs flour

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 1/4 cup water

3/4 c. nutritional yeast (look at a health food store, in the bulk section, hopefully refrigerated. This contains vitamin b12 that needs to be refrigerated and kept out of sunlight)

2 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 lemon squeezed

red pepper flakes

pepper

10 oz small macaroni

1-2 pieces whole what bread

2 tbl panko crumbs (only if you have 'em)

1-2 tsp sesame oil

gomashio (see below)

Preheat oven 400 degrees

Prepare noodles. This time we went with straight up white noodles, a treat around here. Usually I use rice noodles (not like the asian rice ones, but typical noodles, just made from rice) or whole wheat.

In small saucepan, heat olive oil over medium low, add garlic, simmer until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add the water, flour, salt, nutritional yeast and whisk together. Stir over medium until sauce becomes thick, then stir in mustard and lemon juice. Taste and add pepper, and red pepper flakes (if you want).

Tear bread into pieces, add panko crumbs, if using, and pulse in a food processor. Add the sesame oil and pulse again, so the crumbs stick together a little.

Mix the noodles with cheesy sauce and pour into a lightly oiled casserol dish, cover with crumb topping and gomachio. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Broil if you desire.

Heat a frying pan over medium high, add a little oil and fry the tempeh for 3-5 minutes on each side. Let it get brown! Then, I slice it diagonally.

Prepare frozen peas.

Enjoy!

ps. I hardly follow a recipe for the cheezy sauce these days, and it turns out different, but good everytime. Feel free to google other recipes and compare!

Gomashio (deceivingly good and easy)

1/2 c. toasted sesame seeds (I bake at 350 in the toaster oven, in an over proof dish or tray for 5-8 minutes or until they are golden)

1/2 tsp salt

Blend in food processor. Well done.