Macaroni Pie

Back in my pregan days, when I would discuss food with my Bajan friend, she would tell me all about the wonders of macaroni pie and how I have to try it. She would sing its praises, telling me how great it is, "It's just like macaroni and cheese, but better!" and I'd smile and nod and think "Better than macaroni and cheese?! Inconceivable!" Then I went vegan and never got to try her macaroni pie. Sadness abounded. But, thanks to Vegan in the Sun, all is not lost! Last night, I tested Tay's recipe for Bajan Vegan Macaroni Pie and it's so good, maybe I'll make it for my friend when I go to Barbados, instead of the other way around.

As you can see, it's a pretty standard seeming baked macaroni and cheese (it's darker than what you'd usually expect to see because I used whole wheat macaroni). What you can't see is the hot sauce and Bajan seasoning in there, kicking it up a notch and giving it just enough heat to keep me from eating the whole pan. Yup, even a big baby like me can eat this stuff.

There are multiple steps to making this (a tofu "cheddar", a roux and the pie itself), but it's uncomplicated and not too time consuming. The whole thing comes together in about 45 minutes, then has to bake for about an hour, so you may not want to make it on a weeknight if you get home late (I started working on it at 9:30 PM, which was a little silly), but it reheats really well, so there's no reason not to make it ahead for when you get home really late (I'm looking forward to having it this weekend with a giant pile of garlicy broccoli and some homemade ginger beer*).

PS: Did someone not tell my emblogginationness that VeganMoFo is over? I usually have trouble getting out a weekly post (sometimes even a monthly one) and here I am still posting every day! Bizarre!

* More on this next week.