Meal Planning and a new Mac 'n Cheese

I used to be so organized in my meal planning, but in the last few months, I've really slacked off.  We still eat well, mostly, but I tend to spend more at the grocery store and am far less creative.  I also feel more harried in the late afternoon on days when I don't have anything planned.

Soooo, I'm getting back into the habit of planning my menus and then shopping according to the plan.  For the next couple of weeks, I'll be using recipes from the Moosewood Low Fat Cookbook.  I've had this book for years and have enjoyed everything I've cooked from it, but as with most of my cookbooks, there are many, many recipes I've never tried.  So, I'm branching out in an old favorite!

The first new recipe I've tried is Moosewood's Lowfat Macaroni and Cheese.  Every time I ask Joel for meal suggestions, he requests mac and cheese.  I don't make it that often because it is such a high fat dish, but the Moosewood version replaces eggs and lots of cheese, with buttermilk, lowfat cottage cheese, and extra sharp cheddar.  These three ingredients give it a rich, smooth tang.  Grated onion and mustard powder add a lot of flavor.  The odd part of this recipe is that you add uncooked noodles to the cheesy mix.  I wasn't sure how that was going to work out.  I've always cooked the elbows first.  But it did work.  Quite well, in fact.  It was delicious and incredibly quick and easy.  Best of all, Joel loved it.  This is definitely one I'll add to the regular rotation, at least once a month, for the sake of warm, cheesy comfort and Joel's mealtime happiness!

1 1/2 c 1% cottage cheese
1 1/2 c skim milk or buttermilk  (I used buttermilk - that's what I'd recommend)
1 t dried mustard or 1 T prepared mustard  (I used dried)
pinch of cayenne (or more)
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 t salt
1/4 t ground black pepper
1/4 c grated onions
1 c grated sharp cheddar (4 oz.)
1/2 lb. uncooked elbow macaroni (or other tubular pasta)
2 T finely grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese   (Instead of this, I used a little more extra sharp cheddar on the top and no bread crumbs)
1/4 c bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare square baking pan with a light spray of oil.

In a blender, combine cottage cheese, milk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg, salt and pepper and puree until smooth. In a large bowl (actually, I did this right in the baking dish), combine pureed mixture with the onions, cheddar and uncooked macaroni. Stir well. Pour macaroni and cheese mixture into the baking pan. Combine the grated Pecoino or Parmesan and bread crumbs and sprinkle over top.

Bake about 45 minutes, until topping is browned and the center is firm.

Serves 4.

Sorry, no picture.  It disappeared too fast!