I’ve made many a vegan mac ‘n’ cheese over the years, even some great ones, but they are complicated affairs using many ingredients to achieve an acceptable flavor. Traditionally making home made macaroni and cheese is very simple, essential a bachamel sauce (milk gravy) with cheese added. After discovering Daiya cheese, I decided to try a traditonal recipie. It turned out wonderfully, perhaps even the best vegan mac I have ever had. For this batch I used cheddar flavor Daiya for the sauce and “Italian Blend” for the top. While the texture and melting of Daiya is excellent, the flavor is mild (although excellent), so in the future I may experiment with adding other vegan cheeses or other ingredients to give it a sharper flavor.

Daiya Mac ‘n’ Cheese

1 lb macaroni
1 Tbsp Earth Balance or other vegan butter
1 Tbsp flour
2 cups unsweetened soy milk
salt and pepper
2 cups Daiya shreds, plus 1/2 cup for the top
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp smoked paprika (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. Cook macaroni until it is just a little under done (should still be a little chewy) drain and set aside. In a large saucepan, melt Earth Balance over medium high heat. Stir in flour to make a roue. Stir in milk and whisk to incorporate and cook until mixture begins to thicken. Season with salt and pepper. Add 2 cups of Daiya and cook, stirring, until melted. Remove from heat and add macaroni, stirring to coat pasta well. Pour into a 2 quart baking dish and top with remaining 1/2 cup Daiya cheese. Toss bread crumbs with olive oil and paprika and spread evenly over the macaroni. Bake for about 30 min until bread crumbs are nicely browned. Remove from oven and let cool for about five min before serving.

Vegan mozzarella sticks

8 oz block Daiya “Italian Style” cheese
1 cup four
1 cup soy milk, plus more as needed

1 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper

Oil for frying

To Prepare

Mix four and soy milk in a wide shallow container, such as a pie plate. Thin with additional soy milk or water until the consistency of heavy cream. On a separate plate, mix bread crumbs with Italian seasoning and season with salt and pepper.

Cut Daiya into sticks about 1/2″x1/2″x3″. Dip each stick into the batter then roll in breadcrumbs. Repeat, giving each stick a second coat of batter and crumbs to build a thick crust. Place finished sticks on a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze breaded sticks for at least two hours.

To Fry

Heat oil in a fryer or heavy pot to 375° and fry frozen sticks for about two min until crust is brown and cheese is soft. Fry sticks in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the pan and allow oil to return to 375° between batches. Drain on paper towels and serve with marinara sauce for dipping.