And back to Real Food Daily

This book is just so awesome!

I made the Quick Soba Noodle Surprise a few days ago - well not exactly by the book. I made the Gingered Tofu as directed except didn't have fresh ginger so used 1 teaspoon dried. That came out wonderful - even my daughter that doesn't like tofu loved it. I made the Peanut-Sesame Dressing but without the ginger, cilantro (didn't have any), and red pepper flakes (my kids won't eat spicy food). Instead of doing the raw shredded veggies though, I stir-fried asparagus, broccoli, carrots, and snap peas. THen tossed that all with linquine (didn't have soba noodles). So - okay - it's not too close to the original recipe but boy was it delicious. It was great hot for supper and cold for lunch the next day - my daughter even took it in her lunch box. The only thing I would do differently is use a little less rice vinegar in the dressing. I don't really like things very vinegary. I'd probably use 3 to 4 tablespoons rather than 1/3 cup. Also, I sprinkled a little Thai Chili Sauce over my noodles at the table - YUM!

Tonight I made the Baked Spelt Macaroni with Cashew Cheddar Cheese. It was really good - my husband did not know it was vegan until I told him. However, again I made a few variations. I made a half batch of Cashew Cheddar Cheese. I was supposed to use 1/2 cup of agar flakes or 1 ounce (for the 1/2 batch). Well, I had about only had 1/2 ounce or 1/4 cup flakes on hand and it's kind of expensive and I thought 1/2 cup was kind of a lot so I made it with just the 1/4 cup. Well, I could have used less. I think the higher amount is if you want a firm cheese like really cheddar cheese - not like a cheese sauce. Next time I would probably use just 3 tablespoons. Another thing is - the directions said to cover and simmer the soymilk/agar mixture over med-low heat. Well, every time I did that, it boiled over even at the very lowest heat (and believe me it was no fun scraping that off the stove after). I recommend not covering it. Also, after I mixed the noodles and cheese sauce together, I did not bake for 20 minutes as everything was already hot. I just topped with the bread crumb mixture (so yummy) and baked 10-15 mins. until browned. Oh - also, I used a full pound of penne noodles and there was plenty of sauce for that amount.

***Update on Mac and Cheese: It does NOT reheat well. I served leftovers for dinner the next day and nobody ate more than a few bites. If I make this again, I would just make a half batch - enough for one meal.