Comfort Food

There's a nasty cold going around, and it finally caught me. At times like these, I crave some good ol' comfort food. Here are two – one old, one new.

When I was a child, one of my favorite meals was boxed macaroni-and-cheese – the kind flavored with an envelope of glowing orange powder. Now that I'm an aspiring vegan, I'm delighted to have discovered a worthy replacement: Mac & Chreese.

This product from Road's End Organics (www.chreese.com) is a delicious vegan version of that childhood favorite. It doesn't have that vivid, unnatural color - but you won't miss it. Mac & Chreese does have the same creamy, comforting texture, and a savory, familiar flavor.

My grown-up version of comfort food is green curry with tofu. Downtown Thai restaurant (www.downtownthai.com) in Winston-Salem makes a wonderful green curry. It’s spicy to start with; and with extra hot pepper added, it really does seem to work wonders as a tonic. But nearly any curry from any Thai restaurant will do the trick. Something about the combination of spices is magic.

Well, I'm going to go fix some Mac & Chreese now. Do you have a favorite vegetarian comfort food that you turn to when you’re under the weather? If so, I’d love to hear about it. Meanwhile, take care and stay well!