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Super Creamy Macaroni and Cheese





This is another lighter version of a popular dish, macaroni and cheese.  It's adapted from Weight Watcher's again where 1 cup of this dish will provide 6 points.  I made this dish for our latest visitors who were here from Minnesota for three days.  Bruce's nephew, his wife and three kids were here taking in our local sights after visiting the San Juan Islands and the Olympic Peninsula.  
We had so much fun with them here and especially with their children.  Children bring a whole new dimension into the household and I loved it.   We babysat on Saturday night while mom and dad went to Depeche Mode concert.  Babysitting meant popcorn and movies...


During their visit, we had lots of ping pong tournaments


 family dinners
sightseeing


visiting Farmer's Markets
spending time at playgrounds
riding the water taxi
and the monorail


and just enjoying this marvelous time of year.
I tried to plan menus according to the season and, of course, trying to appeal to small children...the biggest challenge of all, as most of us know.  But it really wasn't too hard, I just made sure I had a lot of variety.  My favorite meal was Sunday night when Bruce barbecued his most delicious baby back ribs and I made my roasted winter vegetables with a fresh salad.  I also made pumpkin pie filling for dessert, without the crust because we had two people here who avoid gluten but who needs the crust when you can still enjoy it with a dollop of whipped cream.  Yummy.  I also made my gluten free white chocolate coconut macadamia nut cookies which are always popular with everyone.  I bought a Trader Joe's mix of gluten free pumpkin bread which was basically gone after the first day and also bought a loaf of Great Harvest gluten free white bread which is very hardy and delicious for toast.  It's pretty easy to do gluten free these days.  When we went to our local Farmer's Market on Sunday, I bought gluten free cinnamon rolls for the next morning which also passed the taste test.  I made a couple of casseroles that we ate the first night and for lunches.  The most popular one is the quinoa fiesta enchilada bake that you can serve with avocados and tortilla chips/salsa.  It was eaten pretty fast, too, but I also made one of my favorites, shepherds pie.  I made two pans of this and Bruce and I just finished the last of it tonight for dinner.  I think it tastes better each day it is leftover.  Last night, Bruce barbecued Cornish game hens which really hit the spot after we spent five hours in town sightseeing and the weather has been gorgeous here again so let's barbecue!  Our visitors did go to the Museum of Flight on Sunday and enjoyed that but the weather has just gotten better since then.  
I really loved this macaroni and cheese recipe so wanted to post it because I will want to make it again.  It's made with carrots and cauliflower so you don't need to use as much cheese.  The carrots make it look very orange (like Kraft's which I've NEVER bought in my life) so it looks very cheesy but the vegetables make it taste sweet and flavorful.  I have always used whole wheat pasta in macaroni and cheese so I did in this one, too.   I love this recipe.

 1 tsp. salted butter
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 head large uncooked cauliflower, (2 lbs)
4 medium uncooked carrots, thinly sliced
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
1/4 cup low fat cream cheese spread
1-1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese
1-1/2 oz Gruyère cheese, shredded (1/4 cup)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce
8 oz uncooked macaroni
cooking spray


1.  Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring a large saucepot of salted water to a boil.

2.  Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat; add panko and cook, stirring occasionally, until toasted, 4 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and let cool; stir in Pecorino and set aside.


 3.  Cut 3 cups small florets from cauliflower; set aside. Cut remaining cauliflower (including stem) into 2-inch pieces. Add cauliflower pieces and carrots to boiling water; cook until very tender, 10–12 minutes.

4.  Meanwhile, combine broth, cream cheese, mustard, 1/4 c shredded Mexican cheese, Gruyere cheese, salt and pepper sauce in a large blender. With a large slotted spoon, transfer cooked vegetables to blender; puree into a creamy sauce.


5.  Add pasta to same pot of boiling water; cook half the time of package directions, adding reserved cauliflower florets during last minute of cooking. Drain pasta and cauliflower; return to pot and stir in pureed sauce.


6.  Coat a 2 1/2-quart shallow baking dish with cooking spray; spoon pasta mixture into prepared pan in an even layer. Sprinkle dish with remaining 1/4 cup shredded Mexican cheese and reserved crumb mixture; bake until golden on top, 25–30 minutes.


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