Mac and Cheese. Please!

So my husband and I were standing in the pasta aisle, actually buying regular old noodles for ourselves ... Not the rice kind, just cheap semolina wheat stuff.  We don't do it very often, but there you go. 

Now, our son hasn't really been down this aisle before, for obvious reasons... but he does eat rice noodles a lot and loves them: with pasta sauce, with olive oil and basil, or chopped up hot dogs, what have you.  And if you've ever read this blog before, you know he loves cheese too.  Not the dairy kind, but rather its simulacrum, Daiya (which is primarily tapioca starch... darned yummy tapioca starch!). 

So back to the pasta aisle.  We are deciding on farfalle vs. campanelle... and suddenly our son walks up to us with a box of good old mac and cheese.  Somehow he knows what this is.  I don't know how, or maybe he's psychic, but he says PASTA and CHEESE!  and continues to grab several boxes, taking them back to the cool car-shaped toy the supermarket has kindly strapped to the front of our shopping cart.  He loads them on the seat, then hops in.  He's ready to go. 



This completely slays me.   On so many levels. 

First, it's pretty funny to see a two-year-old with such determination and whimsy grabbing boxes of macaroni and cheese with the intent to abscond with them in a shopping cart  "car".

Second, it's heartbreaking because I want so badly to share with him the simple pleasure of boxed macaroni and cheese -- the stuff childhood is made of.  

Why can't it be this easy? Why can't I just say OK, looks like you want to try this new thing - let's get it!

Why can't I just buy him a damn box of macaroni and cheese?

Well, I can't.    But I can try to get a little bit of of that joy on his plate. I need to respond to his requests for new foods by getting creative. And maybe this is a good thing -- he is telling me what he wants and I don't have to make it up out of thin air any more! 

 
So what follows is my attempt at Macaroni and Cheese:

1/2 cup rice milk (trust me, don't use the vanilla kind)

1 cup cheddar-style Daiya cheese

1 cup cooked rice noodles, macaroni style of your choice. 
   (we had curly elbows already made)

1. Put cheese and rice milk into a microwave safe bowl. 
2. Microwave on high for 30 seconds at a time.  Each time, bring it out and stir a little, checking for when the cheese is thoroughly melted into the milk. Stir until the cheese is melted and get a creamy consistency overall. 
3. Add the pre-cooked noodles.  e voila!
   

   

   Add shredded cheese and start stirring. 

   

   

   Not quite ready.  Keep stirring!



I can't say they're perfect.  But it's pretty close...  you might adjust the amount of cheese, add some spices (there was already basil on our leftover pasta, for example) salt or pepper to your taste. 

Was it worth trying?  Heck yeah.  The last thing I want to do is squelch my son's desire to explore ~ climbing, running, new foods, life.   Maybe it was just me trying to make myself feel like it's possible (just maybe) for him to be as spontaneous with food as he is everything else. 

Superfast Chili

Whoa partner -- Chili, fast?  You’re kidding, you say.   Why, no… I’m not!

I work from home, one of those telecommuters.  I don’t have a quick lunch spot a block away that I can just hop over and buy an allergen-free meal for little guy.  Most of my lunch hour is spent just hugging him, rolling around on the living room carpet, and getting an overview of what happened so far that day.  I know I am more than lucky to have all this.  Blessed.

At the same time, all this rolling around during lunchtime means I don’t have a lot of time during lunch to actually cook lunch.  This recipe, though, is superfast.  It also tastes like it took you a whole afternoon.   

Basic Superfast Turkey-Bean Chili

Olive oil for sautéing (~1 tablespoon)
1 cup chopped onions *
1 pound ground turkey  
1 can Red Kidney, Pinto or Black Beans
1 teaspoon smoked Paprika
      (if it’s not smoked, what’s the point?  Smoked paprika makes all the difference ~ rich, delicious)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried basil, parsley, and/or cilantro

In a large frying pan, heat olive oil and sautee onions until translucent, about 3 – 5 minutes.  Add ground turkey and brown.  While browning, add the spices.  Once browned, add the can of beans with the juices.  (If worried about salt here, rinse the beans and add about 1/3 cup water – but I find the can’s juices add to the overall flavor)

That’s it!  Put in bowls and eat.  

In the pictures here, I’ve also added a couple cups of rice pasta elbows to fill out the meal.  Stir in and you’ve got a great lunch or dinner!

* I love love love frozen chopped onions that I buy for $1 a bag at the supermarket.  A great timesaver.  The onions don’t brown as nicely as they release a lot of water, but if that’s not a concern in a recipe, it’s a great deal.  On the other hand, we joined a CSA share this year and the onions from the farm are worth their weight in gold: crisp, rich, caramelized flavor.   Each has their place ~ it’s up to you!

Transformer Food

This is just a starting point, though.  You can adjust spices, add stuff, and make it change identities constantly.  It’s like the James Bond of chili. 

For example:

-          If you use garbanzo beans, add a little cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and some raisins … you’ve got Moroccan!

-          Add a little cardamom and curry powder, and you’ve got an Indian dish.  

-          Take out the beans, amp up the basil, add gluten / allergy free pasta sauce and you’ve got a lazy lasagna!

-          Sautee cubes of eggplant with the onions, add the Moroccan spices above plus a little oregano, keep the beans and serve with warmed flatbread (like corn tortillas), you’ve got a middle eastern dish!  (I’ll soon post my hummus recipe to add as a condiment)