What She Had/What We Had

As many of you know the Scout is highly allergic to milk and eggs so I am always trying to find new recipes for her that will replicate what we are having for dinner. So here is what I fixed last night. My husband and the Peanut tried it out and said it tasted just like the Kraft Mac and Cheese.

So here is the recipe. I got a lot of ideas off of the Internet and then changed it up a bit to suit the Scout's likes:

Scout's Vegan Mac and Cheese

2 cups plain soy milk ( I use Silk)
1 tablespoon of dairy free margarine ( I use Nucoa)
10 oz. of vegan-soy cheddar cheese ( I use Follow Your Heart - available at Whole Foods)
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound of macaroni

Cook the pasta according to package directions and drain.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Combine soymilk, margarine, and salt over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
When sauce comes to a boil, keep stirring for about a minute or two. Turn heat to low and stir in the cheese. You can grate the cheese, but I just sliced it up really thin. It will slowly start to turn from yellow to orange. It will also thicken up quite a bit.

Put noodles into a 1.5 quart casserole dish and pour cheese sauce over the top. Stir to coat all noodles. Bake uncovered for 10 - 12 minutes.

Scout is about as picky as they come (I wonder where she gets that from) and she took two bites and said it was too sour. That's the breaks. So she ended up eating chicken nuggets instead. She is a challenge when it comes to eating, but I still have to keep trying to expand her food horizons. The husband the Peanut loved it, so at least I know it will get eaten. Since I am allergic to soy I also made another more grown-up version of mac and cheese which was also well taken by 3/4 of the Crew:

Cheddar Mac Beef Casserole
courtesy of Kraft Food Magazine

1 pkg. Kraft Mac and Cheese (The original - gotta love this stuff)
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) Italian style stewed tomatoes, undrained
1/2 tsp. dried oregano or dried basil (I used oregano)
1 cup Kraft Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare mac and cheese as directed on package, omitting butter.

Brown meat in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain.

Add tomatoes and oregano, mix well and bring to a boil.

Add meat mixture to mac and cheese and transfer into 2 qt. casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through.

It was pretty yummy. I also served it with a nice bottle of "Red Truck" wine. My new favorite table wine that you can find at Costco. Good stuff.