It's not very common for JJ to request a specific dinner, so when he does I make it for him. His request was buffalo chicken tenders and mac and cheese, so I made the baked boneless tenders I always do, and I decided to try out a new mac and cheese recipe I'd had my eye on.
I love mac and cheese (don't we all?) so finding a lowfat recipe in a cookbook I love sounded great. I've tried quite a few low-fat versions that were not so good. This one was a little different, very creamy, and actually really good! I haven't had the full fat, good stuff in a long time though... However, I definitely would try this out. What makes it borderline healthy is the use of cottage cheese as the creamy base. It adds lots of protein and bulks up the sauce in a healthy way. Moosewood cookbooks often use cottage cheese as a sub for cream or a bechamel sauce.
I served the mac and cheese and tenders with a large garden salad for a complete meal.
Moosewood Low Fat Mac and Cheese
(I halved this)
1 1/2 c. 1% cottage cheese
1 1/2 c. nonfat buttermilk
1 1/2 c. nonfat buttermilk
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (omitted, don't like it in my mac and cheese)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 onion. minced
1 c. extra-sharp cheddar
1/2 lb. uncooked elbow macaroni (farfalle)
2 tbsp. grated Pecorino or Parmesan Cheeses
1/4 c. bread crumbs
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (omitted, don't like it in my mac and cheese)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 onion. minced
1 c. extra-sharp cheddar
1/2 lb. uncooked elbow macaroni (farfalle)
2 tbsp. grated Pecorino or Parmesan Cheeses
1/4 c. bread crumbs
Preheat the over to 375 degrees.
Prepare a 9 or 10 inch square baking pan with a light coating of cooking spray.
In a blender, combine the cottage cheese, buttermilk, mustard, cayenne, salt and pepper and puree until smooth.
In a large bowl, combine the puree, the onion, macaroni and cheddar cheese and stir thoroughly.
Pour the mixture into your pan.
Combine the Pecorino/Parmesan and the bread crumbs and sprinkle on top of the mixture.
Bake about 45 minutes, until the top is browned and the center firm.
In a blender, combine the cottage cheese, buttermilk, mustard, cayenne, salt and pepper and puree until smooth.
In a large bowl, combine the puree, the onion, macaroni and cheddar cheese and stir thoroughly.
Pour the mixture into your pan.
Combine the Pecorino/Parmesan and the bread crumbs and sprinkle on top of the mixture.
Bake about 45 minutes, until the top is browned and the center firm.
A Year Ago: Dog Friendly Birthday Cake (Pumpkin's 3rd B-day!)
And HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY to my Little Pumpkin Spice :)
5 comments:
I have been eyeing this recipe in Moosewood, good to know its yummy
I need to get my hands on some Moosewood cookbooks! I haven't had real mac and cheese in a while either, but I have a feeling that at this point I probably wouldn't even be able to enjoy it - it would just seem too rich for me! Have you ever tried making butternut mac n cheese, that's another good way to bulk up the sauce in a healthy way!
That looks great!
The mac and cheese looks unbelievably creamy!
Oh yum! This looks like a great sub to the full-fat version that I love so much :)
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