low FODMAP Mac and Cheese

First day of senior year! College flew by so quickly. I get to start every morning with a cycling class and end every day with practice, I am going to be in such good shape!

My best friend visited me over the summer, and I wanted to convince her that the food I eat doesn't suck. I decided to try a new dish; I don't often repeat the exact same meal twice. I searched for a Mac and Cheese recipe that didn't call for flour and didn't require fifty different ingredients,  not much luck. Needless to say I tested my food improve and chemistry skills in order to make a BOMB Mac and Cheese! No pictures, sorry! As a I mentioned in my introduction, and revealed in my second post about making breakfast hash, I do not use direct measurements when I cook. I am not Chef Boyardi, I am just a college student who gets tired of exact measurements after three hours in Chem lab.

Low FODMAP Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:
1 bag gluten free pasta (I like the brown rice pasta that comes in different fun shapes)
1:1 ratio butter to milk (dairy-free)
1/2 T baking powder OR Flour*
3/4 bag of grated cheddar or mexican blend cheese
however much Parmesan cheese you want
garlic powder
cayenne pepper
salt
dash of Frank's Red Hot

Utensils Needed:
sauce pan
large pasta pan
fork and knife (or hands)

follow the package instructions to cook the pasta, corn pasta takes two seconds vs brown rice pasta which takes 15+ minutes. I prefer to slightly under-cook my pasta, so that it doesn't turn into a mushy rice ball.
Melt your butter in a sauce pan, add in milk and bring to a simmer (keep burner low for stove-heated dairy products!) add in baking powder or flour. let simmer for 10-15 minutes, if you do not notice any thickening in your roux, add a SMALL amount more. baking powder thickens more than flour, so more flour will be needed than if baking powder was used. add In your spices.
Once the roux has thickened, add your cheese! If there are other kinds of cheeses you would like to use, do it! Cheese will make the sauce pretty thick. If it seems way to thick to mix with pasta, a little bit more milk will loosen it up. Once the pasta is done, drain it and mix it with the sauce. VOILA!
Some people love to get fancy with Mac. Bacon is awesome, but definitely not Kosher. spinach is not horrible. You could cut up some gluten free chicken nuggets, add in some more frank's red hot, and make some Buffalo Mac. If you find out that Garlic and Onion don't bother your intestines, or you make your own barbecue sauce using garlic and onion powder, barbecue mac and cheese is pretty tasty too.
If you stick to one cup of mac and cheese per meal and eat some veggies, this dish will be awesome left over! It is even good cold if you want to take it to work or the library.

*I'm sure baking soda could be used to thicken the roux as well, I have never used it so I don't have much experience to share. I HAVE however used so much baking powder in a gravy that it actually turned into jelly. Less is more with this stuff.

Up Next: the importance of indulging (once in a while)