Creamy Mac & Cheese, Gluten, Egg & Dairy Free

I swear that the weeks are passing faster than I can keep up as here we are again at the third Thursday of the month and it’s Improv Cooking Challenge reveal day.  Years seem to be passing quickly too as this post is also my 24th reveal in this challenge, so two full years and not a month missed…yay me!!

This month for the Improv Cooking Challenge our hostess Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker challenged the participating bloggers to make any recipe of their choosing using the specified ingredients of pasta & cheese!  Sounds simple enough but this was a tough one for me but shoot I wasn’t going to miss this month and break my posting streak.  The reason that this month was difficult was, I haven’t been eating pasta in any form, nor have I been eating cheese or any of it’s fake versions, Maisie has her allergies and only eats non-wheat pastas and non-dairy cheese and Eammon, well he eats pasta but doesn’t care for cheese at all.  Then I got to thinking about it and before we found out about Maisie’s allergies, one of her favorite foods was good old mac & cheese.  Well right then and there I decided it was time to make an old favorite for my girl in a Maisie “safe” version so that’s exactly how this recipe came about.  I added one of her new favorites to the dish for some added protein, sweet Italian sausage.  This dish was made exclusively for my Maisie and she just adored it, delighted to have an old and new favorite meal all in one bowl.

Creamy Mac & Cheese, Gluten, Egg & Dairy Free

• 8 oz. gluten free pasta, elbows, shells or small penne 
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk 
• 2 cups Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds, divided
• 3 TBS. non-dairy margarine 
• 3 TBS. golden flax seed 
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard 
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder   
• salt & pepper, to taste
• sweet Italian sausage, grilled and sliced

Prepare pasta according to box directions.  Once the pasta is tender, drain.  In the now empty pot melt the margarine and whisk in the flax seed, mustard and garlic powder until you have a thick paste.  Whisk in the almond milk until the sauce is smooth and creamy.  Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the Daiya and stir until completely melted.  This may take a while as Daiya cheese takes a lot longer to melt compared to real cheese.    Stir in the pasta and coat with the sauce.  Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of Dayia and stir to incorporate. Add salt & fresh ground pepper to taste.  Add sliced grilled sweet Italian sausage and serve.  

Enjoy!

My previous Improv Cooking Challenge entries:

August 2013  Vanilla & Chocolate:  Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats with Vanilla Coconut Frosting
July 2013  Peaches & Herbs:  Peachy Cola Ribs
June 2013  Fish & Chips:  Salt & Vinegar Crab Cakes 
May 2013  Cinnamon & Sugar:  Cinnamon Bun Cookie Bars  
April 2013  Bacon & Eggs:  Mini Bacon & Swiss Quiche Cups 
March 2013  Carrots & Peas:  Mom’s Beef Vegetable Soup 
February 2013  Hearts & Flours:  Three Ingredient Fudgy Nutella Brownie Bites
January 2013  Bananas & Nutmeg:  Baked Bananas 
December 2012  Chocolate & Marshmallows:  White Chocolate Marshmallow Cranberry Cashew Bark    
November 2012  Sweet Potatoes & honey: Sweet Potato Glass Noodles with Honey Garlic Lime Shrimp 
October 2012  Oatmeal & Raisins:  S’mores Granola Bars   
September 2012  Zucchini & Brown Sugar:  Zucchini with Onion & Brown Sugar 
August 2012  Tomatoes & Peppers:  French Fries Hash Browns 
July 2012  Corn & Butter:  Fritos Crusted Pollock 
June 2012  Cherries & Almonds:  Dried Cherry Almond Tart 
May 2012  Strawberries & Cream:  Strawberry Soup 
April 2012  Peanut butter & Jelly:  Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars 
March 2012  Potato & Cheese:  Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole 
February 2012  Ginger & Carrots:  Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing 
January 2012 Lemon & Sour Cream:  Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart 
December 2011 Eggnog & Cranberries:  Eggnog Popovers with Cranberry Butter 
November 2011 Pumpkin & Cream Cheese:  Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake
October 2011 Caramel & Apples:  Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

Easy White Corn Tortilla Pizza

Sometimes I make Maisie “safe” pizza dough and I try to keep some in the freezer but when I run out and time is short, I make “safe” gluten, egg & dairy free pizzas fast and easy using white corn tortillas.  Recently Maisie has said that she actually prefers these pizzas to when I make gluten-free dough so these may become her standard go-to pizza.  I’ll tell you, they are so simple, I’m happy not to make dough and the speed at which these can be made versus waiting for my dough to rise…well no comparison.

I lightly toast the tortillas in a dry cast iron skillet, on both sides, until they are just a bit crispy.  You can see the difference between the toasted and the uncooked tortilla. 

I then lay the tortillas on a baking sheet lined with either a Silpat, parchment paper or aluminum foil. 

I add Maisie’s favorite toppings and then it’s into the broiler to quickly bake the toppings on to the crust.

A delicious and “safe” pizza for my girl.

Easy White Corn Tortilla Pizza

• white corn tortillas (I used the 6-inch round)
• pizza sauce or tomato sauce
• Daiya cheese (for vegan) or mozzarella
• pepperoni minis

Heat a large cast iron skillet and lightly toast both sides of the tortilla.  Lay the toasted tortillas on a baking sheet lined with either a Silpat, parchment paper or aluminum foil.  Add light toppings* to the tortillas.  Place the pan of pizzas under the broiler and allow the cheese to melt, watch carefully as it only takes a couple of minutes.

* If you add meats and vegetables, they need to be fully cooked as they are really only warmed when the pizza is put under the broiler.

Servings:  Maisie generally eats 2-3 pizzas for a meal.  I layer the leftover pizzas with wax paper or plastic wrap between them, wrap and refrigerate.  To reheat, I arrange the slices on a plate and microwave just until hot.  The pizzas can also be reheated in a cast iron skillet, this re-crisps the bottom of the pizza.

Enjoy!

Maisie “Safe” Bacon & “Cheese” Zucchini Fritters (gluten, egg & dairy free)

Maisie has been gobbling these fritters down like crazy and I’m thrilled that she loves them so much.  Recently I made Bacon & Cheese Zucchini Fritters which were crazy good and they tasted more like loaded potatoes then zucchini and I knew that Maisie would love them but because of her allergies she couldn’t have any.  Well as I stated in that recipe, our garden is producing a lot of zucchini so I figured that I’d give this recipe another go but make it safe for my girl to eat…and am I ever glad that I did because she’s eating lots of zucchini, not knowing it and loving it.

Maisie “Safe” Bacon & “Cheese” Zucchini Fritters (gluten, egg & dairy free)

• 3 cups grated zucchini
• 1 medium sweet onion, grated
• 1 cup hot water
• 3 TBS. Chia Seeds 
• 1 cup potato flakes  
• 1 8oz. bag Daiya Cheddar style shredded "cheese” 
• 1/2 cup bacon bits
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• peanut oil or oil of your choice

Add the grated zucchini and grated onion to a cheesecloth lined sieve and squeeze & press out as much of the water as possible.  In a small bowl mix together the hot water and Chia seeds and allow a gel to form.  In a large bowl add the squeezed out zucchini & onion, Chia seed gel, potato flakes, Daiya “cheese” shreds, bacon bits, salt & pepper.  Stir to combine well.

Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat and add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan.  Using a large cookie scoop portion out the zucchini mixture into the hot pan, being careful not to over crowd the pan.  Press and spread the zucchini mixture just a little.  Cook until the bottom side is golden and then carefully flip to cook the other side.  Once both sides are golden remove to a paper towel lined cooling rack.  Serve hot, room temperature or chilled.

Enjoy!