Macaroni and cheese with tofu

The end of the month is almost upon us, so I figured that I would choose one more recipe from the cookbook of the month. As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. I love mac and cheese (who doesn't??), but often the massive amounts of cheese aren't very friendly to the old digestive system. I figured this would be a good compromise.

Macaroni and cheese with tofu (adapted from "Moosewood Restaurant New Classics")

6 oz. small pasta (use brown rice pasta for gluten-free)

6 oz. silken tofu

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used muenster, but cheddar would be ideal)

2 Tbsp grated parmesan

1 tsp yellow mustard

1 garlic clove, minced

pinch of salt

freshly ground pepper

pinch of turmeric

pinch of nutmeg

3 Tbsp chopped onion

2 Tbsp minced parsley

Cook pasta according to package directions. While pasta cooks, combine tofu through nutmeg in a blender, and blend until smooth. Mix pasta, sauce, onion, and parsley in a large bowl. Pour into a lightly oiled 1 qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 min. Uncover and bake for an additional 5 min. Serves 3.

This was really good, but it's not your traditional mac and cheese - it's more of a pasta with light cheesy sauce. Plus, I suppose I can't call it mac and cheese since I didn't actually use macaroni :). I liked the bit of crunch that the onions provide - it was a nice contrast to the creamy sauce. Next time I'll definitely go out of my way to use cheddar for something a bit stronger, but the muenster was still good.

I was a big fan of Moosewood Restaurant New Classics before this month, and I'm an even bigger fan now. It has introduced me to some phenomenal recipes, particularly the sweet potato and black bean hash, spinach and ricotta gnocchi, and Indian skillet black-eyed peas. I enjoyed the mushroom and pecan burgers, roasted veggies over pasta, and bulgur with spinach and dill quite a bit, too. The jicama and orange salad would be fabulous with a few changes, and I'm glad that it reminded me of this crunchy veggie. And finally, this book inspired me to use caramelized onions to make one of my favorite pizzas. The recipes are fairly simple, but result in great vegetarian dishes. And even if you're a big meat eater, you probably wouldn't miss the meat in most of these dishes (or you could always throw some in if you want). There are a ton more recipes that I want to try from this book, but it's time for a new book for May. I have a feeling that one of my other Moosewood books may get a chance in the spotlight before too long, though!