Not Macaroni and Not Cheese

Not Macaroni and Not Cheese

Posted by Beth @ Kitchen Minions on 5/11/11

Labels: cheese, cous cous recipe, pasta recipes

Hello, my name is Beth and I’m addicted to macaroni and cheese.  Ever since I started making truffle mac n cheese, I haven’t been able to stop.  Now, I know this isn’t the best meal for a 30 year old woman to eat, so I’ve been trying to find an alternative. 

I’ve been seeing nutritional yeast on a lot of blogs recently, and the bloggers keep saying that it tastes just like cheese.  I’ve been skeptical, but this week I thought I’d give it a try.  Who can resist healthy mac n cheese!

My skepticism did not go away as I mixed the nutritional yeast into the pot of boiling water.  It smelled nothing like melting cheddar.  Not sure what to make of the final product, I let the pot sit for awhile on the stove after I cooked it.  It was definitely not gooey like my favorite recipe, but it did have a hint of cheesiness.  With some extrasalt and nutritional yeast, I think it could be a good stand-in for regular mac n cheese.  However, my next attempt will include a dash of truffle oil.

Not Macaroni and not Cheese

adapted from here

8 ounces of frozen peas, slightly defrosted in a colander

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous
2 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons garlic powder
3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast (more if you like it cheesier)
salt

pepper
 

Heat a Tablespoon of olive oil into a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the couscous and stir continuously for about five minutes. 

Next, add the two and a half cups water, two teaspoons garlic powder, three Tablespoons nutritional yeast and some salt and pepper.

Turn the heat up to high and stir well to combine all of the ingredients.  Cover and bring to a boil.

Once the mixture starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium and continue to simmer for ten minutes. 

Remove from heat and let it sit, covered for an additional five minutes.

Add the partially thawed peas and stir to combine with the couscous.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with some extra nutritional yeast or maybe a small glug of truffle oil.