"Beefy" Mac and Cheese Revised from Food Network Magazine

In my quest to make all things vegan, I thought I'd try this recipe from the October 2012 issue of Food Network Magazine called Beefy Mac and Cheese.

8 oz pasta medium (This makes a ton of pasta. Feel free to use 1/2 this amount.)

3 tbsp unsalted vegan butter

1 small onion chopped

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp chili powder

8 oz soy crumbles (I used Boca)

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup soy milk

2 1/2 cups Daiya Pepperjack cheese 

2 tbsp panko

1 cup frozen peas

Cook the pasta.  

In a pot that you can also transfer to the oven, cook the onions in 1 tbsp melted Origins "butter."  Once they soften add the tomato paste, chili powder and a little salt.  Stir and cook for about 2 minutes.  Add the soy crumbles and peas until heat through, stirring to break up the frozen bits. 

Meanwhile, in a sauce pan, melt the remaining 2 tbsp of butter and add the flour. Whisk to for about a minute and then add the soy milk. Whisk until the flour/butter mix has dissolved then add the cheese and stir until cheese has melted.  Add pasta and salt to taste.  Preheat the broiler. 

Add the cheesy pasta to the top of the beef mixture and sprinkle with bread crumbs mixed with cheese. (I forgot that part and just put on the panko. Oops.) Place the pot under the broiler until the breadcrumbs are golden. Warning! That happens fast. 

 Oh so creamy pasta, with a spicy finish. I loved this. So very hearty and filling. The only "complaint" was that the pasta amount was too much for me so next time I will only use half a box. 

Chipotle Beef Tostadas

I saw this recipe in the latest Food Network Magazine and immediately put it on the menu. Even though I forgot to put on the cheddar cheese that was in the original recipe, it was very good. I'm not convinced it even needed cheese. That might have detracted from the freshness of it. The lime juice in the slaw makes it special. And while the photo makes it look dry, I didn't find that it was. My grocery store didn't have tostadas so I just used corn tortilla chips. It's a bit on the spicy side and I only used a tea. of the chili powder. It's one of those heats that builds as you eat. But very tolerable and I'm a spicy lightweight.

Chipotle Beef Tostadas

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 large white onion, minced
• Kosher salt
• 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder
• 1 10-ounce can Mexican-style diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained
• 1 medium zucchini or yellow squash, diced
• 2 cups coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage
• Juice of 1 lime
• Freshly ground pepper
• 8 tostadas (flat crisp tortillas) or tortilla chips

Directions

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, half of the minced onion, 1 teaspoon salt and the chipotle chile powder; cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the meat is browned and the onion is tender, about 7 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, beans and zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is just tender, about 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss the coleslaw mix, lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl.

Divide the tostadas among plates and spoon the beef mixture on top. Top with the slaw and the remaining minced onion.

Addendum:
Leftovers are good in a whole wheat tortilla with a little monteray jack cheese! (minus the slaw)