Mac and Cheese
I know I'm not alone when I say I love mac and cheese, especially the bright orange faux cheese kind. Well, I used to love it. Now that I'm "grown up" the thought of eating all those unpronounceables dims the desire for it. I was raised in a pretty healthy household so boxed mac and cheese was rare. When we did get that fluorescent treat I thought it was so much fun to squeeze the silver packet of cheese sauce into hot macaroni and stir, stir, stir.
Now the question is, can you recreate those food memories with wholesome ingredients? Well, yes, yes you can. A night with my bro chillin at home was the perfect time to give it a go. The mission: A yummy, gooey and preferably orange macaroni dish that is cheese-y but way better for you because it doesn't contain heaps of cheese....or chemicals!
I found this Quick Mac and Cheese recipe and it gets it's color from sweet potato. Genius! You can see that among the ingredients is nutritional yeast. This is quite a common ingredient for use in cheese substitutes as it has a nutty, cheesy taste and adds a creamy texture. Plus, it's a source for B-complex vitamins and is a complete protein. You can see why vegans flip for this stuff. It's sold in canisters like this brand.
Or you can get it from a health food store bulk bin like I did.
I only had one orange sweet potato, the one on the left in the picture was white inside. My finished product wasn't super vibrant but it was a pleasant color and delicious.
This made a lot, much more than the suggested 8 oz in the recipe. I added broccoli too. We ate it with Trader Joe's brand Sausage-less Sausage which was quite tasty. I hadn't intended to bake the mac and cheese but ending up doing so as a matter of timing. Put it in the oven with panko breadcrumbs for 10 mins while cooking up the sausages.
A healthy (healthier) and yummy TV dinner! (watching Fargo)
Now the question is, can you recreate those food memories with wholesome ingredients? Well, yes, yes you can. A night with my bro chillin at home was the perfect time to give it a go. The mission: A yummy, gooey and preferably orange macaroni dish that is cheese-y but way better for you because it doesn't contain heaps of cheese....or chemicals!
I found this Quick Mac and Cheese recipe and it gets it's color from sweet potato. Genius! You can see that among the ingredients is nutritional yeast. This is quite a common ingredient for use in cheese substitutes as it has a nutty, cheesy taste and adds a creamy texture. Plus, it's a source for B-complex vitamins and is a complete protein. You can see why vegans flip for this stuff. It's sold in canisters like this brand.
Or you can get it from a health food store bulk bin like I did.
I only had one orange sweet potato, the one on the left in the picture was white inside. My finished product wasn't super vibrant but it was a pleasant color and delicious.
This made a lot, much more than the suggested 8 oz in the recipe. I added broccoli too. We ate it with Trader Joe's brand Sausage-less Sausage which was quite tasty. I hadn't intended to bake the mac and cheese but ending up doing so as a matter of timing. Put it in the oven with panko breadcrumbs for 10 mins while cooking up the sausages.
A healthy (healthier) and yummy TV dinner! (watching Fargo)
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| Photo was going for cozy and comforting but ended up phallic and blurry :) |
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Renneyney