Dairy Free Mac n Cheese- Take 1

I'm experimenting with different techniques & alternative cheeses for macaroni and cheese, so here is Take 1.  There are so many different recipes for mac 'n cheese out there and everyone likes it a little different.  Let me start by saying that my personal preference will affect my opinion of each recipe that we try.  I will try to list the pros and cons of each one as unbiased as possible to help you find the best one for your family!  My personal favorite (and my hopeful goal of finding a dairy free alternative) is good ole, southern style, baked mac n cheese...... golden brown bits of cheese on the top and smooth under the crust.

This particular recipe I would personally rate a 7.  The kids had no issues and gobbled up every bite on their plates!  You will see at the very bottom an adaptation that raises it to an 8/9 for me though.

PROS
Easy recipe (no roux required)
Fast
Smooth texture

CONS
No 'crust' on top
Lacked richness
Lacked color (slight adjustment to recipe helped)

I have recently found that the Go Veggie brand is making a Vegan version of shreds and cream cheese which is dairy free!  Their regular green packages do contain dairy!  I was able to get these at our Commissary in the produce section at only $2.50 for the shreds and $2.65 for the cream cheese!  Hence the reason I tried this recipe, I have NEVER found dairy free alternatives so cheap!  I first tried the shreds for lunch on a mini pizza and I have never seen DF cheese melt this well and taste this close to real cheese.

Here are the ingredients:  Noodles, almond milk (unsweetened), shreds, cream cheese, earth balance, salt, pepper, ground mustard, & turmeric (not pictured)  

 The sauce is so quick that you can start the sauce and the noodles at the same time.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and get started!  I didn't picture the noodles, just follow package directions.  For the sauce put 2 cups of almond milk, 1/2 container of cream cheese, 1 TB of earth balance, and all of the shreds (minus 1-2 handfuls for the top).  Wisk until smooth, bring to a bubble, and reduce heat.  Taste the sauce and season accordingly with salt and pepper & 1 tsp of ground mustard.  At this point the sauce was quite white.  The kids enjoy the more yellowish mac 'n cheese, so I added a dash of turmeric. **Don't forget as with any sauce, add a spoon or two of the pasta liquid to your sauce.

 Drain noodles, combine with sauce into a casserole, and top with remaining cheese. 

 Here we go after 25-30 minutes in the oven.

 The following day I wanted to heat some up for lunch and I added a bag of California blend veggies (steamed in the microwave)  This boosted the mac n cheese to a new level!  For me personally there just seemed to be something missing, maybe I was just seeking the richness that I grew up with when it came to mac 'n cheese.  The veggies seemed to take away that it was JUST mac 'n cheese and transformed the dish.  If/when I use this particular recipe again, I will add the steamed veggies before I bake the dish!  Hope this helps you!  Leave me comments or questions!