Gluten and diary free!
I feel in love with "grown up" mac n cheese back when it use to be on the menu at TGI Fridays. I loved it so much back then I came up with my own version using velveta shells and cheese. Great, if you're into super processed food and eating empty calories. So recently, I decided to come up with a way to still enjoy my beloved "grown up" mac n cheese and not feel terrible afterwards!
First, it's called grown up because it is loaded with all sorts of delicious extras! Chicken, bacon, and veggies or whatever you want to try really! I am going to list out how I make my noodles, cheese sauce, and what I all add to it. But feel free to experiment with your own "grown up" extras. Venison steak could be really yummy for starters!
Recipe:
Cheese Sauce:
1.5-2cups of soaked cashews (soaked for at least 4 hours)
1/2-3/4 cup of full fat coconut milk
1/4 cup of Nutritional yeast
2-3 tbsps Lemon juice
2-3 tbsps of Spicy garlic or 3-4 garlic cloves or garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste.
Directions: add all the ingredients to your food processor and blend until smooth.
Noodles:
(you can also make it easy and buy your favorite gluten free noodles or spaghetti squash)
Ingredients
2 cups almond flour
2 cups tapioca starch
2 large eggs room temperature
4 tablespoon water * See notes
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, add your almond flour and tapioca starch and mix well. Form a well in the center and add the eggs and water. Slowly whisk together, until a smooth dough remains. If needed, add more water.
Lightly flour a kitchen surface with tapioca flour. Transfer the ball of dough onto it and gently knead it several times. If needed, add more tapioca flour. Cover the dough in a damp towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, roll out the dough until a thin layer. Using a pizza cutter, slice thin strips of noodles from it.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the pasta into it and let it boil for around a minute. Remove from the heat and drain the pasta in a colander. Distribute the pasta into bowls and top with your favorite pasta sauce.
Notes * You may need to add more if your dough is too thick. TO STORE: Leftover pasta can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 2 days. Any longer, and it will begin to stick together. TO FREEZE: Once the drained pasta has cooled, transfer to a container and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Recipe loosely adapted from here.
The noodle recipe comes from:
Chicken thighs:
Seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder, Lawreys salt, pepper and smoked paprika.
Place in a frying pan with a little olive or avocado oil.
Cook about half way and then add your extras! (list of what I added is below)
Once your chicken is completely cooked and the rest of your veggies are close add the cheese sauce directly to the frying pan to heat up. Make sure everything is mostly cooked so you just have to warm up the cheese sauce. If the sauce gets too warm it'll get really thick.
Once it is warm scoop over noodles and enjoy!!
I Also added:
Turkey bacon
Jalapeño
Bell pepper
Red Onion
Broccoli