Kristina's Birthday Dinner

I am not one of those people who has a vast number of friends, but those I do have I'm very close to. I am lucky to have a small, closely knit group of amazing friends whom I love very dearly. I love to express my affection for my friends by cooking for them, and I especially like to cook big elaborate birthday dinners. In celebration of my dear friend Kristina's birthday, I made her "whatever she was craving". This is what she was craving:

1. Roasted Brussel Sprouts: Brussel sprouts lightly steamed, then tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper. The sprouts are then roasted at 400 degrees until they are crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and starting to caramelize.

2. Soytan Dream Cutlets from 1000 Vegan Recipes, dipped in soy milk, coated in panko, and pan fried. Topped with a quick mushroom and red wine sauce: Sautee 6 oz of chopped mushrooms w/ 2 shallots until both ingredients are tender. Add in 1/2 cup red wine, and cook until the wine reduces and mostly evaporates. Whisk in 2 cups good vegetable or vegan "beef" broth, and 1 tbsp cornstarch {dissolved in 2 tbsp cold water}. Whisk until sauce bubbles and thickens. Serve immediately.

3. "Cheeseburger" Macaroni: My favorite macaroni and "cheese" recipe {which I'm still perfecting, and will post soon}, mixed with vegan ground beef that was sauteed with a finely chopped onion. The mixture then gets poured into a 9x13" pan, covered with panko, and thrown under the broiler until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.

4. Vanilla Cheesecake w/ Cherry Topping: For dessert, she requested cheesecake with cherry topping. I used a recipe from 1000 Vegan Recipes called Not-So-Plain Vanilla Cheezcake. It was delicious.

"Cheeseburger" Macaroni

My friend Ms. Veganorama is an amazing cook. She's not really one of those cooks that follows recipes or pays meticulous attention to how much of what goes where, she just throws stuff together and makes creating amazing concoctions seem effortless. Occasionally she'll write down the ingredients and rough ideas of measurements for a recipe, and every "recipe" of hers I've tried has been positively amazing. This Cheeseburger Macaroni is no exception.

Cheeseburger Macaroni
Serves 6 - 8

1 lb dry macaroni
1 cup nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt (start with less if you are sensitive to salt)
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp paprika
pinch turmeric
1/2 cup margarine (you can cut down to 1/4 cup if you want)
big spoonful of Veganaise
1/2 cup flour (cut to 1/4 cup if you are cutting the margarine)
3 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup oil (optional)
2 TBSP soy sauce (if needed)
1 pkg prepared crumbles (e.g., Boca, Yves, etc.) OR 2 cups already rehydrated TVP* (see prep area)

PREP:
If using dried TVP crumbles you can prep it as a basic mix or more advanced mix.

Basic (kinda boring): Rehydrate 1 cup dry crumbles with about 7/8 cups boiling water.

Advanced (tastes better): Saute some garlic in olive oil, put 1 cup dry TVP crumbles with 1 cup water, dash of soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, basil, oregano, black pepper, mix it up, cover and put on low for a few mins until it is rehydrated.


1. Cook the macaroni until done, drain and set aside.

2. In a bowl, mix the yeast, salt, garlic powder, basil, paprika and turmeric and set aside. If you have unsalted bouillon powder, throw a dash in there too. If you have salted bouillon powder, you can add that and just cut the salt and season with salt later.

3. In a large pot, melt the margarine with the Vegenaise on medium-low heat. When melted add in the flour, stir well and let cook for a few minutes.

4. Gradually whisk in the boiling water a little at a time until smooth on medium heat.

5. Gradually whisk in the yeast mixture a little at a time until smooth and add in the oil and soy sauce if it is not salty enough for your tastes. Let cook until nice and bubbly. Taste and add more seasonings accordingly.

6. Stir in prepared TVP until well mixed and then mix in the noodles.

7. Now you can eat as it OR you can pour into a "buttered" casserole dish, top with bread crumbs and bake for 15 minutes at 350 F.