Brooklyn Allergy Mom's Mac and Cheese Recipe

Ingredients:

8-9 oz. elbow rice pasta, if you can find it 1 15 oz. can navy beans (also called small white beans) or ¾ cup homemade white beans ½ head of cauliflower broken into florettes (approximately 3 cups loosely) 1 cup shredded soy cheese of your choice ½ cup rice milk 1 cup veggie broth (make sure it’s gluten-free) 1 tsp. Herbamare 1 tsp. sweet paprika 1/8 tsp. turmeric 1/8 tsp. sumac Dash of each: cumin, cloves, and nutmeg 2 tsp. salt Olive oil

Equipment:

8-by-8-inch Pyrex pan large pot for cooking the pasta Vitamix or high-powered blender smaller pot for warming the rice milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450º F.

2. Cook pasta in salted water until al dente, drain and set aside.

3. Place rice milk in a pan and set the burner on warm.

4. Puree ¾ cup white beans with a bit of their juice, cauliflower, and broth in blender until smooth. Add a bit more broth if you necessary. Add to the rice milk mixture.

5. Add to the mixture salt, Herbamare, and ½ cup of the shredded cheese, stirring occasionally. Then add paprika, tumeric, sumac, nutmeg, cloves, and cumin. Simmer, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or until the mixture turns color a bit and the taste of the cauliflower has melded into the white beans and cheese. The cheese, because it’s soy, will not melt perfectly, but it should be well mixed into the beans and cauliflower.

6. Once the beans and cauliflower are well mixed, taste and add spices if necessary, then toss it with the rice pasta until it is well coated. Pour into the pre-prepared 8-by-8-inch pan and top with the remaining shredded soy cheese.

7. Place into the oven and bake until the cheese has turned a bit brown on the top.

8. Take out of the oven and let cool a bit before serving.

 

Heidi Bayer, aka Brooklyn Allergy Mom, is the mother of a child with multiple food allergies, and blogs at bklynallergymom.com.

RELATED: Round Up of Mac and Cheese Recipes