"healthy" greek yogurt mac & cheese

my husband and i just finished a 24-day cleanse.  we ate very cleanly, took a ton of supplements, worked out 5-6 days a week, and ended up losing a combined 20 pounds!!!  we don't want this to be one of those fad diets, so we do plan to continue eating as clean as we can, for as long as we can. yay!!

that being said, i have missed cheese, pasta, and the two of those things united into creamy, gooey, heaven in my mouth.  with our first "official" cheat day landing on none other than super bowl sunday, i was hell-bent on making mac & cheese - but i didn't want to feel guilty after working so hard all month. i opted for a "healthy" mac with greek yogurt! it was simple, healthy, and (most importantly) cheesy!!

original recipes: once again, i gathered some inspiration from a couple of different pins on pinterest: mac and cheese lite from fitness magazine (repinned here), and a 3-ingredient skinny mac n' cheese (repinned here).  i really liked the simplicity of the latter recipe, but flavor components of the former.  taking ideas from each, i created my own recipe.  :)

i made the following changes/additions: 

• if you know me, you are going to be shocked to hear this, but we used gluten-free, wheat-free noodles!!  they were the organic brown rice fusili noodles from good 'ol trader joe's.  they were actually pretty good!!  
• i used WAY more cheese than either recipe called for.  maybe doubled, and then some (mostly due to the healthfulness of the noodles and the greek yogurt).
• i added a little bit of low-sodium chicken broth to the cooked noodles before mixing in any of the other ingredients - this helped with consistency AND flavor.
• for my primary cheese, i used cabot's sharp light cheddar cheese.  i love cabot reduced-fat cheese, because it is just as melty and flavorful as any other kind of full-fat cheese (and may i remind you that it is 50% less fat than the regular variety).
  
• i used a second cheese because it is delicious, one of our favorites, and so flavorful that you don't need very much of it: trader joe's parm cheese with black pepper  
  

what i'll change next time:

• i can't believe i'm saying this, but i would use less cheese.  the same kinds of cheese, just a little less of it (but still more than what is called for in either of my inspiration recipes)
• i would be willing to try this with regular pasta or even whole-wheat pasta, but i actually did not mind the brown rice pasta as a healthy alternative.  i would even (gasp) go so far as to recommend it!

final recipe!! (feeds 4 health-conscious adults, or 2 adults who lack portion control and have a hearty appetite)

ingredients

8 oz of noodles (for the health factor, use either whole-wheat or brown rice noodles)

1/2 cup of 0% fat greek yogurt (i swear by fage)

8 oz brick (about 2 cups) of cabot reduced-fat cheddar or sharp cheddar cheese

3/4 to 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup sodium-free chicken broth

dashes of the following (more or less according to what you like): salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, ground mustard

directions

cook the noodles according to the package directions, until they are al dente. meanwhile, grate the cheese.  here's a tip: if using a box grater (one you hold in one hand while sliding the cheese up and down it with the other hand), spray a little cooking spray on it. it helps with grating AND cleanup. most importantly, it doesn't affect the flavor or consistency of the cheese.

set your oven to broil, turn off the burner, drain the noodles, and immediately return the noodles to the warm pot you cooked them in. pour the chicken broth into the pot with the noodles and stir.  add the cheese by handfuls, and the greek yogurt by spoonfuls, little by little as such: handful of cheese > stir > spoonful of greek yogurt > stir > handful of cheese > stir (and so on and so on), being sure to reserve about half of the parmesan cheese for later.

once your concoction is creamy and making that delicious sound of gooey yumminess, pour it into a casserole dish (i used a strange one with no known measurements, but a small 9X9 or something like that will be fine).  sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese evenly over the top of the dish.  

put the casserole dish into the oven, set on broil, for 5 minutes or until the cheese on top starts to crisp up and brown just slightly. be careful not to burn it!!

wait a minute or 2 (just to avoid third-degree tongue burns), serve it up, and enjoy - with only a tiny bit of guilt!!

now, would i prefer the non-healthy variety of mac & cheese?  ABSOLUTELY. but this is an AWESOME healthy alternative to the butter, milk, flour, heavy cream, evaporated milk versions.  my myfitnesspal app says that this dish is 387 calories per serving (with 4 total servings).  these are calories that i don't mind splurging on.  :)

   

fresh shiitake mushroom mac & cheese

my dear friend's parents have a farm out in rural south carolina, on which they grow and harvest a variety of different (legal) mushrooms.  i was lucky enough to obtain 4 HUGE pounds of their recent harvest - and let me tell you - those suckers were gigantic and delicious!!!  

we loved experimenting with different recipes all week, but the fresh shiitake mushroom mac & cheese was my favorite (naturally). i used 2 recipes as inspiration for this creamy, cheesy, mushroomy goodness. 

original recipes: Alton Brown's Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese (repinned here) AND Stove-top Macaroni and Cheese from The Galley Gourmet (repinned here).

i made the following changes:

• i used one whole egg + one egg yolk (essentially combining the two recipes)
• i used a cheese variety!  both recipes call for 10 oz. of sharp cheddar. instead, i used a mix of colby jack and gouda cheeses - one of them was a "three alarm" cheese with "intense pepper flavor" of chipotle, habanero, and jalapeno peppers (to please my darling husband).
• i did not use ANY cayenne pepper (since i was using the spicy cheese)
• i added about a pound of fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped into 1-inch-ish pieces, sauteed in 1 Tbsp of butter

what i'll change next time:

• don't tell my husband, but i'll probably do without the "three alarm" cheese and go with regular colby jack or a sharp cheddar instead. 
• as a result of the previous omit, i would add a tiny bit of cayenne pepper, as called for in both recipes.

final recipe!!

1/2 lb corkscrew noodles

5 Tbsp salted butter

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

6 oz. evaporated milk

10 oz. of good, freshly grated cheese (sharp cheddar/gouda/colby jack recommended)

1 lb. of chopped shiitake mushrooms (the fresher, the better)

1/2 tsp. ground mustard

salt + pepper (to taste)

dash of cayenne pepper (to taste)

dash of olive oil (or an extra Tbsp of butter)

bring a large pot of salted water to boil, and cook noodles to al dente according to the package directions. drain and sprinkle with a dash of olive oil or a Tbsp of butter to avoid sticky noodles. return the empty pot to the stovetop.

meanwhile, add 1 Tbsp of butter to the pot.  once melted, add the chopped mushrooms and saute for a few minutes or until your preferred desired consistency/doneness.

while the mushrooms are cooking, whisk together the egg + yolk, evaporated milk, ground mustard, cayenne (if using), and a dash of salt + pepper in a medium-ish sized bowl.

when the mushrooms are done, turn the heat down to low and add the drained noodles to the pot, along with the rest of the butter (should be about 4 Tbsp).  mix it all together until the butter is mostly melted. add the evaporated milk mixture and stir it all up.  add in the cheeses - about a handful at a time - while continuing to stir.  once the cheese is melted and you are looking at a pot full of cheesy, creamy noodles and mushrooms, serve it up and enjoy!!

        

bourbon & bacon mac & cheese

so much has been going on in the past few months that i've hardly had time to experiment with new and delicious recipes!!  i put my foot down a few weekends ago, and committed to whipping up a drool-worthy recipe i found on pinterest.  

disclaimer 1: i made several modifications, and when i make this again, i'll make some more modifications.  i never follow any recipe to a T.

disclaimer 2: the bacon almost didn't make it into the mac.  my husband wouldn't get out of the kitchen after he smelled the bacon cooking.  and i nearly had to beat him with my spoon-ula to keep him out and away from the deliciousness.  i would suggest either locking others out of the kitchen while making this, make it when no one is home, or upping the amount of bacon if there is anyone in your home who you suspect might try to sabotage the end result by consuming the bacon before it's delicious union with the mac.

original recipe: jack daniel's and bacon mac and cheese (i've re-pinned it here)

i made the following changes:

• i used jim instead of jack (jim beam vs. jack daniel's)
• increased the amount of cheese to 4 cups (i would recommend this)
• instead of medium or sharp cheddar cheese, i used 2 cups extra sharp white cheddar, 1 1/2 cups provolone, and 1/2 a cup of parm
• increased the amount of milk by about 3/4 - 1 cup (i would do this again).  i did this because my bechamel sauce, although lovely, was pretty thick before i even put the noodles in (that's what i get for using extra cheese).  i didn't want it to end up as a giant globule of noodles and cheese, and this helped to thin it out while still keeping it smooth and creamy.

what i'll change next time:

• more cayenne on the bacon
• less brown sugar on the bacon
• more parm
• no EXTRA sharp cheddar - just sharp cheddar will probably do, and i love the sharp cheddar + parm matchup
• i could live without the provolone - it wasn't very smokey, so it was pretty good with this recipe.  since it isn't one of my favorite cheeses, i'll probably try it with gouda or gruyere next time.  however, sharp cheddar and parm might be a magical enough combo for this recipe.

overall, the result was a drooling husband, one of my favorite mac experiments to date, , and one of the most amazing smells to ever fill my home.  there will DEFINITELY be a next time for this mac. 

the greatest annual event to ever exist

i don't know how, but it took me 30-something years to figure out how to have THE best birthday year after year.  last year i started the 1st Annual Stello Mac-Off, an epic event in which my friends bring mac & cheese to me and compete for prizes and bragging rights as a top mac chef.  this year, the 2nd Annual Stello Mac-Off took place, and i could not think of a better way to kick off my blog than by documenting this new tradition.

here's how it worked.

contestants:

• bring a mac & cheese dish
• give it a name - so that eaters can identify what they are eating (next year i'll incorporate a prize for coolest name - my husband's "cheese porn" would have won that this year).  
• write your dish's name on a provided numbered index card, and place it on/near your dish on the sampling table.
• no entries accepted (for an award) after a specific time

eat & vote!

• select your preferred sampling vessel (i found great disposable muffin tins at wal-mart that worked fabulously for this event)
• if preferred, jot down the # of the mac you are eating (so that you can remember the potential winners come voting time)
• sample to your heart's content, and feel free to utilize any of the provided uppers (5-hour energy) to stave off food coma symptoms
• at voting time, i created specific rules:
• DO NOT vote for your own dish - don't be that guy.
• vote as many times as you want (i did this because i'm completely incapable of choosing just one dish as my favorite).  i voted once for my 3rd favorite, twice for my 2nd favorite, and submitted 3 votes for my very favorite favorite.

winners announced!!!

3rd place: wisconsin habanero and smoked cheddar with bacon (3rd place was actually a tie, and the winner was determined by a best-out-of-3 paper/rock/scissors competition - my husband lost this)

2nd place: mama rat's mac (this was the winner of the inaugural 1st Annual Stello Mac-Off).  chef arden was just one vote shy from tying for 1st place this year!!  visit arden's blog for the recipe!!

1st place and CHAMPION of the 2nd Annual Stello Mac-Off: 3-cheese mac (gouda, gruyere, and cheddar)

         

3-cheese mac had all of the components of a perfect mac & cheese.  it was creamy (but not mushy), had a sharp bite from the gouda, and it was rich enough (but not too rich).  it was just a little smoky, just a little salty, a lot cheesy, and it had subtle bits of crisp "burnt" cheese from being cooked right there in the beautiful Le Creuset dutch oven.  

my own personal honorable mention goes back to my husband's cheese porn.  he had some general ideas leading up to this grand event, but nothing set in stone, and certainly no recipes bookmarked.  he had a long day dealing with some family health issues, and rushed home to make it in time for our mac-off.  he whipped up this mac & cheese dish in about 10 minutes, and it was cheesy, creamy, and seasoned well.  although he lost at paper/rock/scissors, he gets huge brownie points from ME for concocting such a scrumptious mac dish at the last minute - and without even following a recipe!!

and there you have it, folks.  the greatest annual event to ever exist.  to me, it's better than the mac-off that our great city of charleston, sc puts on (less crowds, less expensive, shorter lines, cheaper booze, and we provide uppers).  and for someone so obsessed with mac & cheese, there is no better way to celebrate a birthday than with friends, family, and lots of mac.