As you can see, Emily LOVES her rice cheese (although admittedly the rest of us have a hard time with the smell)! She also loves trying to be like her older sisters. My middle daughter Nikki eats a lot of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (cut me some slack, some nights I have to cook 3 different meals to accomodate everyone) and Emily always used to look longingly at it and say "I wish I could have that" in her most pathetic little voice...the same voice that had spurred most of my creations for her. Well, anyway, here it is, Emily's dairy and gluten free mac and cheese. Who would have thought that was possible???
*Just for the record this dish will work better for a child who already has a safe cheese that they really do like than it will for a child who was just eating Kraft a few weeks ago before they were diagnosed with allergies...it is good...but it is different.
1 c Dry pasta (we use http://www.tinkyada.com )
4 oz Meltable dairy free cheese (PLEASE READ THE LABLE TO MAKE SURE IT IS ALSO CASEIN FREE) We use Vegan Rella, made by Panos, which is also soy free but is nearly impossible to find online. If you can have soy, I have tried Follow Your Heart brand and I loved it, but Emily doesn't care for it.
2 T Soy milk or rice milk
1 T Margarine
1 t Nutritional yeast
Cook the pasta according to the directions. Drain,rinse, and set aside. In the same pot (I am the queen of 1 pot dishes), over medium heat, melt the cheese with the milk substitute, the margarine, and the nutritional yeast. Once it is all melty and gooey add the pasta back in and stir until warm and well coated. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Now, like I said, my kids actually prefer this pre-fab looking version of mac and cheese. If you want a homestyle mac and cheese then lay this in a casserole dish. Mix together a pat of margarine and safe bread crumbs. Sprinkle it over the top of the mac and cheese and then grate a lttle more cheese over the top of that. Put it under the broiler for a few minutes and voila!
