Mac N Cheese with Vegetables

Here is a healthy, tasty recipe for macaroni and cheese. It is from the Petit Appetite cookbook, which I love. The recipe calls for either broccoli or cauliflower, but I highly recommend the cauliflower. It doesn't really affect the taste and it blends in so that little ones don't even realize it's there.

I always stop after step two, divide the mac n cheese into four containers, and freeze three of them. I never bother to do step 3, although I would if I were serving this a dish for the whole family.

The cheese seems to "settle" a bit in this dish, making it not the most attractive food to serve, but I think the health and taste make up for it. Christian loves it!

Mac N Cheese with Vegetables

8 oz whole wheat macaroni
1 1/2 c broccoli or cauliflower florets, cut into pieces
1 c whole milk
3 c (3/4 lb) sharp white cheddar cheese
Salt, to taste
1/4 t black pepper
3 T freshly grated parmesan cheese

1) Preheat oven to 350. Bring a pot of water to boil over high heat. Turn heat to medium and add pasta and vegetables. Simmer until pasta is tender and vegetables are cooked, 7-10 minutes. Drain and return to pot.

2) In a small saucepan, heat milk over low heat until hot. Add cheddar cheese and hot milk to veggies and pasta and toss. Season with salt and pepper.

3) Pour mixture into 8-inch square dish. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top and bake for 15 minutes, or until bubbling. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Still a Favorite

As I mentioned in a comment on Alison's pot pie post, I believe Elsa is going through a phase of texture anxiety when it comes to food. She will put something in her mouth -- like a cannellini bean, for instance -- barely bite down on it (if she even gets that far), and then immediately thrusts the offending food out of her mouth with her tongue and into her fingers, where she then usually smashes it and examines it closely. She will not eat unmelted cheese as of late because of this issue, and basically anything of substance that is not in the form of -- or on -- a carbohydrate, she turns her nose up at before even really giving it a try. She will eat certain fresh, cut-up fruit, but it depends on the day. Right now bananas and apples have the green light. I am sure many toddlers share this aversion to various textures, but it is quite frustrating when I spend the time to cook something for her and then she either spits it out or throws it on the floor (will I ever break her of this?!?!).

With hopes of getting something slightly more nutritious than bread and crackers into her, I went back to a broccoli and cauliflower puree, also from the aforementioned Feeding Baby by Joachim and Christine Splichal, that she loved months ago. She still loves it. She will not for the life of her put a steamed broccoli floret into her mouth, but she loves this puree. Apparently I just need to puree everything. But, then again, should she not just get used to all of these new textures?

And here is something that threw me for a loop this evening. If I covered bites of the chicken pot pie in the broccoli and cauliflower puree, that was okay for the most part. Who would have thought that I would be hiding food with vegetables. Things could be worse, right? So, without further adieu, here is Elsa's beloved veggie puree.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Puree

Makes 2 cups

1/2 pound broccoli florets, cut into 3-inch pieces

1/2 pound cauliflower florets, cut into 3-inch pieces, core trimmed away

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth, plus extra for pureeing, warmed

1. In a medium saucepan with a steamer, bring 2 inches of water to a boil.

2. Add the broccoli to the steamer, cover, and steam for 3 to 5 minutes until the broccoli is bright green and tender. When done, refresh the broccoli in ice water. Remove broccoli and drain.

3. Repeat the steaming procedure with fresh water for the cauliflower. Steam 5 to 7 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender. Remove the cauliflower from the steamer and set aside. Do not refresh it in ice water.

4. Melt the butter in a saute pan and saute the broccoli and cauliflower for 1 minute.

5. Combine the broccoli and cauliflower in a blender or food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until smooth. Add the 1/2 cup broth to the mixture and pulse again until smooth. You may need to add a little more broth, depending upon the consistency of the puree.

6. Serve warm or at room temperature. Freeze leftover puree that won't be eaten the next day.

Easy Whole Wheat Shells and White Cheddar with Broccoli

Last night I decided to cook a box of Annie's Homegrown Organic Whole Wheat Shells & White Cheddar that I had on hand. I made it according to the directions on the box, adding the optional two tablespoons unsalted butter for a richer flavor and simply for the addition of the good fat. In an attempt to get some vegetables into Elsa's little body as well, I also steamed some broccoli (about the equivalent of one broccoli crown) and then pureed it and mixed it in with the macaroni and cheese. The result? A decently healthy meal and a very happy Elsa. Whereas I cannot seem to get her to eat plain steamed broccoli as a fingerfood, she ate this without fuss and continued to sign for "more."