My Favorite Low Pro Mac and Cheese

This has been one of the few low pro mac and cheese recipes I actually enjoy. That being said, I have never tried actually tried traditional mac and cheese so my frame of reference may be skewed. However, I did have my husband try it out, as he is a (regular protein) pasta connoisseur. He gave it two thumbs up! Success!

Also, it is not vegan because, as you guessed, there is butter in it. I just can't help myself! In PKU, butter makes the difference between a good meal and an excellent meal. I do try to live a lifestyle of low to moderate fat intake but certain recipes are so worth the splurge. As we all know, it is certainly not the key to weight loss. My goal is to live through variety and moderation. Those are both quite applicable to properly managing the PKU diet.

I do love mac and cheese leftovers, especially for my lunch at work. Nothing beats having a packed lunch that you actually look forward to. Heads up: this recipe makes a lot! I had four plus servings leftover. Fine with me, but you might want to cut the recipe in half if you do not care for or need leftovers.

There are a few things that make this recipe delicious. The base of the sauce is cauliflower, which prevents the dish from drying out. I also feel the Cambrooke Food's Alfredo powder mix added flavors that I was unable to recreate with a low protein roux. I feel the flavor is more consistent with a white cheese sauce than a fake cheese flavor. It is salty and adds a touch of parsley.

To summarize, this dish is the perfect combination of my three favorite things:

Cauliflower

Butter

and...

Leftovers!

Notes

Cauliflower is cooked very well-done. This makes for a smooth, creamy consistency. I would have loved to use a full medium sized cauliflower but was attempting to reduce the phe content.

You can use any combination of vegan or low pro cheese you like. One suggestion would be Chao's Tomato Cayenne or their Smoked Gouda. To be honest, I don't care for either of those so figured I would stick with the basics. Just make sure you use cheese you like because it can overpower the dish. No matter what cheese you use, I do suggest a mixture of two cheeses for full flavor.

You can certainly use more of the Cambrooke Food's cheese powder. I wasn't sure if mine was expired or not, so did not want to push it. I feared it would give a fake cheese flavor.

I could have used more butter for the breadcrumbs but felt that would be excessive. For kiddos or precon concerned about getting in calories I would suggest adding more butter (or phe free coconut oil).

Don't overcook the garlic/onion mixture! This will give the sauce a bitter flavor. I had to watch it closely as I tend to get eager beaver and hurry the process.

According to many foodies, you should always cook with unsalted butter. However, I always use salted butter as there is little salt in the basic PKU diet.

(Almost) Vegan Mac and Cheese

Makes 5 (large) servings

616 calories per serving

103 mg phe per serving

4 cups of your favorite low pro pasta (16 ounces)

5 tablespoons salted butter

1 onion chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

.5 medium-sized cauliflower chopped

1 can [full fat] coconut milk (~13 ounces)

2 tablespoons CBF Alfredo seasoning

1 teaspoon CBF cheese powder

1 teaspoon dry mustard powder

Dash of turmeric (for color)

.25 teaspoons cayenne pepper (if you like spice)

.5 teaspoon salt

.25 teaspoon ground black pepper

.5 cup vegan parmesan shreds (I used Follow Your Heart)

.5 cup vegan cheddar cheese (I used Chao)

.75 cup toasted bread

1 teaspoon garlic salt, more depending on flavor (because I did not measure! Woops)

Cook the noodles in salted water until al dente. At the same time, steam the cauliflower in water. Cook until very soft and set aside.

Mince garlic and chop onions. Cook onion and garlic on a low temperature in two tablespoons butter until it caramelizes. This will release a sweet flavor. Add the cheese powder and alfredo powder. This will form a roux and once thickens, slowly add coconut milk. Keep whisking. Once this is thoroughly mixed, pour into blender. Add spices, cheeses, and steamed cauliflower to the blender. Puree.

Toast bread and make into crumbs. If you do not have a food processor I suggest grating with a cheese grater. Melt the final one-tablespoon of butter and add breadcrumbs. Sprinkle in garlic salt and mix.

Pour sauce over the cooked pasta and stir until all noodle are covered. Top with breadcrumbs. Bake until bubbling hot.

Enjoy!