I love you! And I love macaroni and cheese! thanks for this article. I can't wait to try it.

Does the cheese actually taste like...um...cheese? I'm curious, but scared of anything that isn't pork.

How to explain what it tastes like?....It is very savory, and sort of yeasty - in a good way.

It tastes like cheese in the way those powdered cheese packets taste more like an idea of cheese than say, a chunk of good-quality aged cheddar.

It _is_ like melted cheese in many ways - texture, mouthfeel, etc. But it is also it's own thing - still good, but different.

Con: It doesn't stretch and string like cheese.

Pro: Tastes good, and you don't feel comatose after eating it.

H, you are a tough sell...might not fly with you.

I don't know what to say, for people who are going to fixate on whether or not it tastes exactly like cheese, you might want to skip the $10 worht of agar flakes and pick up a hunk of the real deal. For people who are a bit more adventerous, and want to try out some new techniques and ways of using ingredients - certainly give it a go. It is a fun recipe and comes together pretty easily.

Hmm... as fun as it might be to post this, does ANYONE plan on making it? I have to confess that I always seek to make my food healthier, but this??? If you want Mac n' Cheese, make it! If you can't handle it, I think it's not bad to go without it. I'm going to make a delicious casserole of Fontina and Lobster mac n'cheese right now as a cleansing. Admit that it sounds much yummier...

I quite like nut cheeses myself but naming it after Cheddar is just taking the buiscuit. There are enough bad cowsmilk cheeses lording themselves as Cheddar without the blimmin' nuts getting in on the act too. Call me defensive, but I grew up quite near Cheddar and, despite all that agar-agar, the appropriated name of this dish just doesn't seem to gel with the original village from whence this namesake was taken.

As a Canadian, I wonder at your dislike of Canola oil. In Canada it is possible to buy organic, not genetically modified Canola oil.
Snopes has this to say "This light, tasteless oil's popularity is due to the structure of its fats. It is lower in saturated fat (about 6%) than any other oil. Compare this to the high saturated fat content of peanut oil (about 18%) and palm oil (at an incredibly high 79%). It also contains more cholesterol-balancing monounsaturated fat than any oil except olive oil and has the distinction of containing Omega-3 fatty acids, a polyunsaturated fat reputed to not only lower both cholesterol and triglycerides, but also to contribute to brain growth and development.
In other words, it's a healthy oil. One shouldn't feel afraid to use it.

Of course, it _is_ tasteless!

The healthy oil debate can be really confusing - even for me, and I've been thinking a lot about it. I took me a long time to really sort through things. I've actually made quite a lot of changes to my pantry over the past two years on this front.

Let me start by saying, I think it is up to each individual to really research the pros + cons of the different oils/fats that are available - I'm working on a much longer explanation of where I ended up on this topic and why, but it won't be ready for a while.

As I said on the discussion boards, I've come to the conclusion that I want all the fats/oils I use to be both organic AND unrefined. When choosing an oil/fat I also think about intended cooking temperature, and how that will impact the oil - but maybe we can get into that later.

In this case we are talking about canola oil - which shows up in stores refined the vast majority of the time. If you are interested in healthy oils - you have to limit yourself to unrefined products. Many of the beneficial qualities inherent to an oil are damaged (or stripped from the oil) in the refining process. Check out this flow chart if you are interested in seeing how some edible oils are processed: http://www.westonaprice.org/images/edibleoilflowchart.gif Chemicals, solvents, bleaching - no thanks.

Saturated fats: I would much rather use a natural, organic, fresh, unrefined oil rich in saturated fat than one that might be lower in saturated but has been processed via the method we saw above. While I avoid refined saturated fats, if you go back and look at traditional diets that are rich in natural sat. fats - for example, Pacific Islander's pre-1970 or so, you will notice that diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and thyroid problems were nearly non-existent. This is all prior to the invasion of processed Western foods.

Bottom line...If I can't explain to you in simple terms how an oil is produced, then I probably don't want to make it a cornerstone of my cooking.

It is a big topic. If you are interested in delving deeper, here are a few places to start:

Mary G. Enig, PhD: start here. Dr. Enig cuts through the crap and tells it like only a lipid biochemist can.
http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/index.html
The Great Con-ola: http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/conola.html

Rebecca Wood is a knowledgeable resource, author of The Splendid Grain and the New Whole Foods Encyclopedia. http://www.rwoods.com

There are also quite a lot of books out recently talking about beneficial fats like coconut oil - so look for those as well.

This is an interesting and complex debate! As a long-time resident of Los Angeles and somebody that works in Santa Monica, I've eaten lunch at RFD countless times. So I'm looking forward to seeing this book and how they make their dishes. Regardless of how strange or complicated they are! I guess we California types are weird to want to try to make mac & cheese with "fake" cheese, but variety is the spice of life!

I'll probably get hit by a car tomorrow, so I just go with whatever tastes good, and plenty of it. Anyone try out the delicious recipe for mac and cheese that graced the cover of Savior a few months back? With a good old cheddar, that recipe is bliss.

Heidi, it would be really helpful to get a post someday on your food philosophy and such. I always like reading your recipes, but it's more for the "Oh, weird!" factor than for actual cooking (this is especially true of the recent recipes, with the nut cheeses and cashew milk and spelt flours...). I feel like if I knew more about why you cook the way you do, I would better understand your recipes and might be more willing to try some of them. If this is already on the site somewhere, could you post a link?

Pixie - Here's the short answer. I've really gravitated towards cooking with more "whole" ingredients - not just talking about fruits and vegetables, but also pantry items as well - the ones lots of people don't really think much about - flours, sweeteners, fats/oils, different grains, etc. They pack many more nutrients and often have better flavor than their processed counterparts, they help protect you from disease, are often sustainably produced, and there is a whole palette of them that I am really enjoying exploring.

I also like to try out different cooking techniques in this journal, and then go on to use those techniques in new ways in my day to day cooking. So, part of my motivation for maintaining this site over time, is to broaden and expand my knowledge and skill set. I think of this site as sketchbook for myself, in the way someone else might write poetry, or draw sketches, or play music. It just happens to be public.

If some of the ingredients are a little out-there for you - you can typically substitute a more common flour of your preference. A lot of the ingredients in the recipes I choose are available at stores like Whole Foods, and there are quite a lot of supermarkets that now have a section stocked with natural/organic ingredients...

I think a alot of people are trying to incorporate more whole grains, whole foods, etc. into their diets. I hope the site will help give them encouragement, ideas, and inspiration as well. -h

Heidi,
I feel like I need to come to your defense!
It was a year ago that I began to really watch what foods and ingredients I put in my body. As a first step, I completely cut out foods that contained high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils. A year later I feel the healthiest I have ever before. Now I am ready to move even further. Eating more whole grains and limiting the amount of white flour I use in baking. I use your website as a learning tool, and though I admit I haven't cooked anything from it yet, I have still copied and jotted down many recipes and ingredients that I would like to try. I really appreciate your additional "Heidi Notes" to the articles because it gives me an even closer perspective of what I should be thinking about or looking for in the recipe. I also appreciate the substitutions you offer for hard to find ingredients. In the case of the Macaroni and Cheese: I used to live off of Kraft M&C out of the box. Now I haven't had it in about 2 years because I realized the ingredients it contained were just way to bad to justify. I have tried a few organic brands that I really like, but they still have the "slow and dumb" after-affect. (I can never just eat one helping). But I love M&C and I think instead of completely cutting it out, it would be better to try and find a recipe that uses more "whole" ingredients. Is it going to taste like my M&C that I so dearly loved as a child? No, but it opens up a new way to taste and enjoy the food, plus, it still contains those comforts that we all enjoy and love. I have never heard of agar before, but it is now on my radar to look into. I am going to make this recipe this week, but use an orgainic cheddar instead, but thank you for introducing me to another ingredient that I wouldn't have otherwise known about. And who knows, one day I will feel creative and want try it!
Heidi, I really enjoy your writing style and I don't think you need to use a post to explain your food philosophy - it is all over your website and in every recipe and paragraph you write! Thank you for such an incredible and refreshing website that has really inspired me as I continue to grow into the "whole" way of living.

Heidi,

I just wanted to say that I concur w/ Raquel.

As the saying goes... 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained.'

Thank you for taking us on your adventures.

Thanks! That's really helpful. I had figured that you were going for more whole grains, etc., but it's useful to see it spelled out. I find that I'm more inspired to try your recipes when I have a clearer sense of why you're going to the pains that you are to avoid certain ingredients. I'd love to get more information on the philosophy behind certain recipes, or why you use certain substitutes and not others.

just as a random side, I believe you can buy agar much much cheaper at asian markets like 99 Ranch. On the downside, you may have trouble finding it if you don't know what you're looking for or aren't familiar with the stores.

Hahaha! Misspixie said "spelt out". Hahahaha! It's, uh, funny, because you see, it's a spelt recipe, and she said "spelled"...ha...uh....i need to go find some agar.

Heidi,

I have made lots of the recipes on your site now, and I love the variety and the attention you pay to each part of the process. (not to mention the recipes are always great!)

I've especially enjoyed your more recent foray into different health foods and substitutes. I think a lot of the time people look at these items as "replacements" for the foods they grew up on, and that's why they meet them with disappointment.

The whole foods and unrefined products that are now more readily available to cook with should be enjoyed for their own attributes, for their nutritional value, and for the variety they can bring to our kitchens!

Anyways, thanks for the inspiration, and for the community you provide here.

Jess

Thanks for the recipe Heidi! I have been meaning to try it and finally remembered to get some agar agar. I was vegan for about one year many years ago, so this brought back some fond memories. I liked it, but preferred it the next day reheated. It was perfect to counteract Thanksgiving gluttony!