1 Make sure to press your tofu for the "beef" crumbles first. If you need more information on pressing tofu, check out my TOFU COOKING GUIDE.
2 Once you have pressed your tofu, in a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the vegetable broth, the olive oil, the soy sauce or tamari, the liquid smoke, the garlic and the paprika.
3 Then, crumble the block of tofu into small pieces and put them in the bowl with the liquid marinade.
4 Toss to coat all of the tofu, then let the tofu sit to marinate for at least an hour, but you can marinate it longer.
5 When the tofu is ready, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
6 Remove the tofu from the bowl, and spread it out evenly on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, toss the tofu crumbles and make another 10-15 minutes or until they are brown and firm.
7 While the tofu is baking, cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain when it's done.
8 Then make the sauce, drain the soaked cashews, then add them to a blender, then add the tofu, the non-dairy milk, the nutritional yeast, the lemon juice and all the spices to the blender as well.
9 Blend on high scraping down the sides as needed until the sauce is super smooth. If you are having a hard to getting it smooth, add a splash more non-dairy milk.
10 Once you have drained the macaroni, and the tofu crumbles are done, add the cheesy ranch sauce to the pot, and heat on medium low.
11 Then add the macaroni back to the pot, toss to combine. Then add the tofu "beef" crumbles to the pot. Toss to combine. Taste, and adjust seasoning, it may need more salt and pepper.
12 Serve with fresh herbs if desired.
