Macaroni and Cheese

I cannot begin to describe the love I have for macaroni and cheese. When food is associated with a wonderful memory, it is hard to stop eating it. My nana always made macaroni and cheese at holidays. It was so very delicious and my family continues this tradition of having macaroni and cheese at family parties and holidays.

I wanted to try a variation of the Macaroni and Cheese recipe in the FIXATE cookbook. I didn't follow it to the letter, but I did use it to inspire my personal recipe. The results was pretty good and my children went in for seconds and thirds! That's when you know you have a winner.

Macaroni and Cheese

1 box cooked whole grain pasta (penne, elbows, rotini, etc)
Steamed broccoli (I used half a family-sized frozen bag)
Cooked chicken breasts, cut up into bite sized pieces (I poached some chicken tenderloins or you could use a store-bought rotisserie chicken)

For the cheese sauce:
Melt 4 TBSP butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Add 3 TBSP whole wheat flour and whisk well.
Slowly add 3 Cups unsweetened plain almond milk, whisking it in (I usually use whole milk, so this was an experiment. The taste was great, but the consistency was more like Alfredo sauce. I will need to try again and see if I need to cook it longer next time.)

Stir often until mixture thickens, comes to a boil. Off the heat, add 1 tsp Sea Salt, 6 shakes of black pepper, 2 shakes of cayenne pepper and stir. Slowly stir in 16 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used the white kind today).
Stir in cooked noodles, chicken, and broccoli and stir to coat and warm through. Serve immediately.