Creamy Ranch Soy Mac & Cheese

Hubs and I both enjoy our usual mac & cheese recipe, but when I saw this one on Taste of Home, I figured it was worth a try (with just a few tweaks, of course).

Soy sour cream is a fabulous addition and helped this mac & cheese be much creamier than usual – the ranch mix also helped cut some of the ‘twang’ often associated with soy cheeses.

I added some cubed turkey kielbasa to the finished dish…it was delish!

INGREDIENTS
1 package (16 ounces) Small pasta shapes
1C. Unsweetened soy milk
1/4C. Butter or vegan margarine, cubed
1 envelope Ranch salad dressing mix (many of these mixes contain dairy, so if you are dairy-free, look for the Lipton brand kosher packets – they are dairy free!)
1t. Garlic salt
1t. Black pepper
1t. Lemon-pepper seasoning
2C. shredded Soy cheese of choice
1C. Soy sour cream
1/3C. Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
Cook macaroni according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, combine the milk, butter, dressing mix, seasonings and heat through.

Stir in cheese and when melted, stir in sour cream.

Drain macaroni and stir into cheese sauce.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “Very creamy, but also incredibly dense.  A little goes a long way.”

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Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

I knew this recipe would be a winner as soon as I heard the name!  What’s not to love about pasta, chicken and cheese?  And, it was very easy to convert to be dairy-free.

This recipe isn’t perfect for a busy weeknight, and does dirty quite a few dishes…but it is SO worth it!  The heat from the hot sauce was just right for me.  H added a little more Frank’s on top of his.

I found the recipe on Noble Pig.  It is originally from Food Network Magazine.  My dairy-free edits are in italics below.

My apologies for the photo – this just isn’t a photogenic dish – I promise it tastes much better than it looks!

INGREDIENTS
7T. Unsalted butter (margarine), plus more for the dish
1lb. Macaroni
1 Small onion, finely chopped
2 Stalks celery, finely chopped
3C. Shredded Chicken
2 Cloves garlic, minced
3/4C. Frank’s Buffalo Wing Sauce, divided
2T. All-purpose flour
2t. Dry mustard
2-1/2C. Half-and-half (original flavor soy milk)
1lb. Extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded  (soy cheddar cheese)
8oz. Pepper jack cheese, shredded  (soy jack cheese blend)
2/3C. Sour cream  (soy sour cream)
1C. Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/2C. Crumbled blue cheese (did not use)
2T. Chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cook 1lb. of chicken breasts for 2o minutes.  When done, lower heat to 350 and shread chicken with two forks.

Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish (my baking dish was dirty, so I used my dutch oven – worked like a charm).  Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to package directions.  Drain.

Meanwhile, melt 3T. butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the chicken and garlic and cook 2 minutes, then add 1/2C. hot sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 more minute.

Melt 2T. butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in the flour and mustard with a wooden spoon until smooth.  Whisk in the half-and-half, then add the remaining 1/4C. hot sauce and stir until thick, about 2 minutes.  Whisk in the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, then whisk in the sour cream until smooth.

Spread half of the macaroni in the prepared baking dish, then top with the chicken mixture and the remaining macaroni.  Pour the cheese sauce evenly on top.

Put the remaining 2T. butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave until melted.  Stir in the panko, blue cheese and parsley.  Sprinkle over the macaroni.  Bake until bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes.  Let rest 10 minutes before serving.  Drizzle with some wing sauce for color.

Garnish with even more wing sauce, blue cheese and sour cream if you like!

Husband Rating – 4.5 out of 5 – I could have done without the celery, but I loved this dish!

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Cajun Chicken ‘Alfredo’

I have seen this recipe pop up in my Google Reader multiple times in the last few weeks and took that as a sign that I needed to make it soon.  I thought it would be the perfect meal to celebrate ‘Fat Tuesday’.

Even though I modified the recipe to include soy ingredients instead of dairy, this was still wonderfully rich and delicious!  My changes are in italics.  Original recipe – Guy Fieri.

INGREDIENTS
4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1C. Blackening spice (I didn’t use nearly this much – maybe 1/4C. total)
2T. Olive oil
3T. Garlic, pressed
1C. Chopped marinated sun-dried tomatoes (I only used 1/2C.)
1/4C. White wine
3C. Heavy cream (I used original flavor soy milk)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan (I used soy Parm.)
4T. Dairy-free sour cream (The original recipe did not call for sour cream, but I added it to our dairy-free version to add extra creaminess)
1t. Sea salt
1t. Freshly ground black pepper
1lb. Cooked fettuccine
1/2C. Sliced scallions

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Dredge the chicken breasts in the blackening spice (I liberally dusted the chicken instead of dredging) and place in a cast iron skillet over very high heat.  Blacken both sides of the chicken and place in the oven for 10 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 160 degrees on a meat thermometer.  Set aside.

In a saute pan over medium heat, add olive oil.  Add garlic and lightly caramelize.  Then add the sun-dried tomatoes and the sliced chicken (I waited and added the chicken in at the end to avoid over cooking).  Add white wine and heavy cream.  Increase the heat to a simmer, and reduce the cream sauce by half.

When the cream sauce is to desired consistency, stir in 1/2C. Parmesan, salt, pepper, and pasta (I also added another teaspoon or two of the blackening spice to bring the flavors together).

Nest the pasta on large rimmed plates, (add sliced chicken) pour sauce over pasta, and garnish with scallions and the remaining 1/4C. Parmesan.

Husband Rating – 4.5 out of 5 – “You can hardly taste the soy – this stuff is awesome!”

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Pasta Primavera with Shrimp in a Garlic Tomato ‘Cream’ Sauce

As I’m sure you’re all aware by now, my darling Husband can’t eat dairy.  Poor guy.

About two weeks ago we went out to dinner and I ordered this dish.  It was so good and I kept wishing I could just give him a forkfull to taste how wonderful it was!  So, I decided to try my best to re-create the dish using dairy free ingredients.  I must say, it was quite good!  The trick is to use the silken tofu instead of the regular kind…it purees up nicely and was super creamy.

Of course, you can just substitute heavy cream if you don’t have any dairy issues.

INGREDIENTS
3/4C. Silken Tofu
3/4C. Plain Soy Milk
4 Cloves Garlic
2C. Tomato Sauce (I used one that had basil already in it)
3C. Veggies of your choice (I used shallots, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash and broccoli)
3/4lb. Shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1T. Olive Oil
1lb. Pasta of your choice (I like farfalle)
Salt and Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a blender mix garlic, tofu and soy milk until very smooth – about 45 seconds.  Stir in tomato sauce and set aside.

Prepare pasta according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking chop all veggies into bite-size pieces and saute in olive oil until just cooked (do not overcook).

Add shrimp during the last 2 minutes of cooking.  Then, add half of the soy tomato mix and stir to warm completely.

Add the other half of the soy tomato mix to the drained pasta.  Then, add the pasta to the veggies and mix thoroughly.

Enjoy with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

Husband Rating – 3.5 out of 5 – “All these veggies scare me…but the sauce is good!”

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Fettuccine ‘Soyfredo’

Here is yet another adventure into ‘soy-land’.  I figure, the mac and cheese came out well, so why not try alfredo sauce?  Hubs found this recipe on Vegan Dad – which is a really fabulous blog, by the way.  This recipe was easy to follow (my modifications are in italics) and turned out quite well.  We’ll be making this again.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2C Margarine (I only used 1/4C)
2 1/2C plain soymilk
2 Cloves garlic, crushed
1 pkg. Extra firm silken tofu (did not use)
2T. White wine
2T. Onion powder
2t. Garlic powder
2t. Sea salt
1t. Pepper (I used 2t.)
1/4t. Nutmeg (did not use)
2T. Arrowroot powder (I used cornstarch instead)

DIRECTIONS:
Melt margarine in a deep skillet.  Add garlic and saute 2 minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients, except cornstarch.  (If using tofu, blend it with the milk in a blender before adding to the pan).

Heat over med-lo heat until just about bubbling.

Remove a few T. of the sauce and mix with cornstarch, then add back to the saucepan. Heat, but don’t boil.  Whisk smooth.

Serve over pasta with grilled chicken and steamed broccoli.  Top with dairy-free Parmesan cheese, if desired.

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Baked Soy Mac & Cheese

Those of you that know me, or are followers of this blog probably know that my darling husband can’t eat dairy.  Poor guy.  Lately he’s been missing Mac & Cheese like crazy.  So, I looked through a bunch of recipes online for a soy rendition and came up with this.  It’s a hodge-podge of a bunch of different recipes.  Overall, it was quite good.  The garlic powder on the top was perfect.  I’m sure I’ll be making this again.

INGREDIENTS:
1 1lb box small pasta (elbows, rotini, anything will work – I  used pipette)
3C Soy cheese (H likes the cheddar/jack/mozzarella blend found at Trader Joe’s)
1 3/4C Soy milk (Trader Joe’s unsweetened is best)
2 Egg Whites
1T Margarine
Breadcrumbs
Garlic Powder
S&P to taste
Soy Parmesan Cheese (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain well.

Return to pot and add cheese, milk, egg whites, salt and pepper.

Transfer to an oven safe baking dish.

Top with breadcrumbs, garlic powder and drizzle on melted margarine.  Top with Parmesan cheese, if using.

Bake in oven for 30-45 minutes, or until everything is melted and bubbly, and the breadcrumbs are nice and crispy.

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