In Portland, as I’ve mentioned, I am fortunate to have the wide range of choices in food and drink.  One particular establishment, owned by dear friends of ours, is Food Fight.  This exclusively vegan convenience store is run by pure heart and soul.  Although I’m not vegan and I’m not particularly good at being vegetarian currently, I swear by many of the products that Food Fight carries.  Chad Miller and Emiko Badillo carefully manage their supplies of delicious vegan goodies ranging from the infamously delicious ham tube (a staple in weekend breakfasts, vegan mac and cheese casseroles, and my deliciously hammy peasant soup) to vegan sweets and candies (like vegan marshmallows!  Perfect for your holiday baked sweet potatoes!) to socially conscious toiletries and household products.  The store is just packed with goodness all the way around and is run completely with a DIY flair without the drawback of DIY pretension.  If you are a Portlander, make sure to stop in and visit.  If you’re an out-of-towner, check out their newly revamped website for good information and even better laughs.

Here is a quick recipe for a vegan mac and cheese casserole using ingredients that can be purchased at Food Fight:

Cheese Sauce:

6 TBS Vegan Margarine (I prefer Willow Run)

1/2 Cup all purpose flour

3/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast

3 Cups Water

1 Cup Soy Milk

Salt, Pepper, Cajun Spice (Tony Chachere’s is my choice), and hot sauce (tabasco, Thai…) added to taste

In a preheated medium-hot sauce pan melt the margarine and add the flour.  Stir until the combination starts to thicken and smells nutty (about 2 minutes or so).  This is the roux for the sauce.  Gradually add 2 cups of the water into the roux while whisking to make a thick, pasty sauce.  Turn down the heat to medium.  Add the nutritional yeast and whisk in until dissolved.  Turn the heat back up to medium-high and add a mixture of 1 cup of soy milk and 1 cup of water gradually while whisking.  Bring to a simmer to thicken completley.  Add the salt, pepper, cajun spices, and hot sauce to taste.  To mimic an actual cheesy taste, make sure it is salty.

Preheat your stove to 400 degrees.

Add this sauce to boiled macaroni in a baking pan (13×9 should do it).  Chop up about a cup and a half worth of ham tube (or any kind of ham-like meat subsititute) and stir in to the mac and cheese.  Melt another 4 TBS of margarine and combine with 1 cup of panko bread crumbs.  Sprinkle bread crumbs on top and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are browned and crispy.

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