Day 304- I Hab A Colb, and Mac And Cheese

It's been creeping up on me. In fact, it might even be ninja flu.

'Cause it's, you know, like stealthy and stuff.

Anyway, My eyes are icky, my throat is all swelled (my tonsils are always in on this stuff, serious party-crashers, those guys...), my nobe is stuffed, and I just feel generally icky. I even hab a fever, almost. It is very of ick.

Now, I know, someone out there is wondering "What do vegetarians eat when they're sick- they can't have chicken soup...?"

I never was a big chicken soup eater, actually. Tomato soup is more my thing, and the Campbell's stuff is even vegan, unless you add milk. But I don't really bother with soup, even now. Mostly I sit in bed whining to myself. Sometimes I'll even call Mom and Whine at her. I think I might have done that once or twice from New Zealand....

Quick tip for anyone who ever finds them-self on the receiving end of that call. the correct response to "the tomato soup and ice cream and mac and cheese all taste funny, and they don't have american cheese, and I feel icky," is not "And what am I supposed to do about that from here?"

Try "take some benadryl and get a nap," then wait until they've done it, hope the drugs cloud their memory, and tell them you'll send all that tasty from-home food out with the mailman in the morning. Of course, then you might actually have to send it, but meh...

Anyway, *this* (feverish) vegetarian like mac and cheese, tomato soup, and grilled cheese sammiches cut into boats (with sails- 3 sammiches makes four boats with sails). But they have to be the right ones, and other than the soup, there are no really good vegan options. Heck sometimes there aren't even veggie options...

So yesterday, sick and fevery (kinda) I made some pasty instant mashed potatoes and a batch of tasty vegan mac and cheese. Not as good at the radioactive orange stuff of the last couple months, but close enough.

Mac and Cheese (vegan)

• 1/2C raw cashews
• 1/4 to1/2 C soy milk
• 1T oil
• dash garlic powder
• dash cajun seasoning
• squirt (small) spicy brown mustard
• pinch (big-ish) nutritional yeast
• Salt to taste

Dump all that stuff into a blender or the bowl for a hand blender, and blend until smooth. It'll be a bit thick, probably. If you're doing baked mac and cheese, add more liquid. Mix into cooked pasta and serve.

Optional- add 1/8C chopped onion.

Not the best, but quite tasty. Could probably make it less nutty (and less expensive) by using water instead of soy milk.

Ooh, and last I checked, the Manischewitz brand matzo ball soup (in the jar) is veggie (with eggs) but check labels. I used that stuff to feed myself through pneumonia once (don't recommend the pneumonia).