Macaroni & Cheese Two Ways (both gluten free)

In November of 2008 I was one of many Americans to lose my job. That was an awesome day - I started the morning by waking up late, then realized my sweater AND the shirt underneath it were both on backwards, and then I was laid off. It's never good to feel disposable, but at least I had known it was coming and had started the job hunt. I couldn't feel too bad - it wasn't personal. But after a few months of realizing that I was competing with THOUSANDS of people in my exact same position and most companies weren't hiring, I began to take it personally. I got depressed. To make things worse, my back kept acting up and leaving me lying flat all day. So I did what many other people in my position would do...I watched a ridiculous amount of television. And I watched a lot of cooking shows. One show in particular was called Cook Yourself Thin. Boy did I love that show. *sigh* They have some great recipes, and I modify some of them here and there to make them gluten free and then tweak them a little more to make them perfect for me. The following is my favorite Mac n Cheese recipe - a crude interpretation of Cook Yourself Thin's version, but delicious all the same.

Mac n Cheese:

Ingredients:
1 bag Trader Joe's Brown Rice Penne
1 package lowfat shredded cheese blend (or just shredded cheddar)
1 cup shredded lowfat or part skim mozzarella
1.5 cups lowfat milk
2 Tbsp olive oil
1.5 Tbsp soy flour

Instructions:
Cook the Brown Rice Penne per the instructions. In a separate smaller saucepan, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat, then whisk in the soy flour. Warm the milk in the microwave or another saucepan, and add to the flour mixture, whisking while you pour. Lower the stove to medium heat and stir the milk until well blended. Add the shredded cheese blend/cheddar a little at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Note - the cheese doesn't totally blend into the milk- just make sure it's nicely melted before you add more. Strain the pasta once cooked, add back to the pot and pour in the cheese sauce, mixing well. It will be very liquidy at first - that's good. Pour in the mozzarella and stir again. Done. Salt and pepper to taste.

Now, I promised you TWO versions. The second isn't a big change... I have issues with cow's milk (for some reason cheese is OK in limited quantities, but milk just isn't my friend) so I will often make this with Goat's milk and Goat's milk cheddar or goat cheese. If you are a fan of goat cheese, try it out! Alternatively, use Goat's milk and regular cheddar and mozzarella as listed above.

Zucchini Bake

My mother used to make a veggie sautee consisting of zucchini, onions, mushrooms and a can of crushed tomatoes. It was delicious, light, great with brown rice and it became a regular meal of mine for a long time. I decided to build upon (bastardize?) the recipe and that led me to the Zucchini Bake recipe posted below. The Zucchini Bake is pretty basic, but it is filling and yields leftovers. I like to make a batch on a Monday night and have the leftovers for lunch and dinner over the next couple of days. And I *think* it is South Beach Phase 1 friendly. Just make sure you watch your cheese intake during the day so you don't exceed your limit and maybe be picky about the sauce you use...

Zucchini Bake

Ingredients:
1 large zucchini (or two small) sliced into thin round pieces
1 onion, diced
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 jar of your favorite gluten free pasta sauce (Check out Classico - they specify on the back label whether or not they are gluten free. And I love their sauces)
1 package shredded lowfat cheddar (you might not use the ENTIRE package - that's up to you)
1 pkg (roughly 1 pound) leanest ground beef you can find
Olive Oil

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375. Coat a pan with olive oil, add the onions and garlic and sautee until onions are becoming translucent. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Meanwhile, pour half of the pasta sauce into the bottom of a lasagna pan. Layer half of the zucchini slices over the sauce, sprinkle with cheese and cover with the meat/onion mixture. Top with remaining zucchini slices, then layer the remaining sauce on top and sprinkle with more cheese until well covered. Bake for 25-30 minutes (until zucchini is soft and cheese is melted).