A friend of mine, Zach Harris, asked me to help cook a Thanksgiving feast for a shelter that houses battered women and their children who are hiding from their abusers. It was a wonderful way to extend my passion for cooking to those who find themselves in dire circumstances.

I have to admit that I was scared to death because I found myself among professional chefs and wanted my dish to stand up. Zach asked me to make jambalaya, but my budget of $120 wouldn’t allow for a good one for 30 people. The shrimp alone would have cost that much. Plus with all of the other heavy dishes he was offering, I knew the young children would prefer to have something simple.

The menu was phenomenal, and although it included several dishes that were made from pork (which I never eat), there were also several vegetarian dishes that were delicious, such as Swiss chard tossed with garlic and olive oil, and stuffed pasta smothered in a homemade tomato sauce with garlic, eggplant and zucchini.

After hearing his menu of fried turkey, wild rice, three types of pork, ribs, a ribeye roast, chicken and rolls, I opted to make something that I knew all children love: Mac ‘n Cheese. And this time I didn’t stress my love for healthy Mac ‘n Cheese, either. I made it the good old-fashioned way with twisty pasta, light cream, a white sauce and three different cheeses. In other words, a true “cholesterol festival” that I only allow myself to eat every once in a blue moon.

Here’s my recipe, passed to me by my mother.

Old Fashioned Mac ‘n Cheese

Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 boxes of twisty pasta

1 cup whole milk

1 cup light cream

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese (grated)

1 cup Monterey Jack

½ cup Parmesan Cheese

¼ cup butter

3 tbsp flour

1 gallon water

Salt, pepper to taste

½ tsp onion powder

¼ tsp parsley flakes

¼ cup fresh parsley

½ tsp cayenne pepper

Paprika

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Bring water to a rolling boil and cook pasta for 7 minutes, drain and set aside.

Melt butter slowly in a saucepan and whisk in flour until there’s a smooth paste.

Slowly add milk and stir with a wooden spoon until sauce is smooth.

Lower heat and continue stirring, careful not to scorch the milk.

Add half of the cheeses until they are melted.

Add seasonings, except for paprika, and thoroughly mix together.

Coat a casserole dish with butter and pour in the mixture.

Fold in remaining cheeses, leaving enough to coat the top.

Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes.

Remove cover and sprinkle with remaining cheese and paprika. Bake until cheese is melted and slightly browned.

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We all love it.  But guess what? It really doesn’t love us back. In fact, Mac ‘n Cheese made the traditional way is truly not good for us because there’s too much cheese and fat, and it’s difficult to digest. Our youngest daughter would eat Mac ‘n  Cheese day and night if we’d let her. We don’t because as soon as she eats too much of it, she gets a giant-sized tummy ache because it just sits in her belly like a rock. It’s also a major source of constipation in some people. While we may all think that Mac ‘n Cheese comforts us, what it actually does is line our insides with oil, fat and mucous.

Sounds pretty disgusting, right? Well it is, and surprisingly enough there are other ways to satisfy our Mac ‘n Cheese cravings for about half the calories.

First of all, the traditional recipes usually call for four different cheeses plus cow’s milk and tons of butter plus white flour.  If you make it the way my family always did, you made a white sauce first and then added the cheeses. So, slowly but surely, I am weaning my family from that type of Mac ‘n Cheese. Although it has taken a while, they are getting used to my healthier version, which takes far less time to make and is much easier to digest.

I start with whole-wheat pasta, which has more fiber than white macaroni. I cut out the white sauce and only use two cheeses, one which is lower in fat, and add spinach. I admit that it took some getting used to by my family, particularly the pickiest eater who hates to eat anything green. Now, they all say they like this way of making pasta. Plus “Baby girl” doesn’t get a bellyache after she chows down on her second and third helpings.

Healthy Mac ‘n Cheese

Ingredients

One box of whole wheat penne  pasta or your favorite

1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup low-fat grated Cheddar cheese

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

2 cups of fresh baby spinach

1 tbsp fresh grated garlic

1/8  cup virgin olive oil

Directions

Bring 4-6 quarts of water to a rolling boil.

Add pasta and cover (leaving the lid open a crack to prevent it from boiling over). Cook for approximately 10 minutes and drain. Pasta should be soft and chewy but not mushy.

While the pasta is still hot, add baby spinach ( the heat will wilt it).

Toss with salt, pepper, cheeses, garlic and olive oil, and serve immediately.

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Over the years, couscous has become a main staple for my family and is very popular in the U.S. It’s very inexpensive, simple to make and I’ve discovered there are several types, including Israeli (which has bigger, pearl-sized grains), as well as many different brands. Some brands come in a box, but I find many of them are too refined. My favorite brand is Rice Select, which also packages the exotic jasmine and saffron rices in plastic containers (which of course I recycle many times over). You can also find couscous at co-ops, gourmet shops and stores that specialize in rices and pastas, and sell it by the pound.

What I love most about this dish is its versatility. Couscous is great under stews or soups, or served alongside salads, tabouli, and hummus and pita bread or simply alone.  It’s also great as a base in food martinis, and can also be served hot or cold, but I prefer my couscous served at room temperature.

I blend in all types of vegetables and spices to make all different types: curry, sun-dried tomatoes, cilantro, cucumbers, red onions, heirloom tomatoes or garbanzo beans. There are endless possibilities for flavoring couscous and the directions to prepare it are simple.

Curried couscous with dates (serves 5)

One dutch oven

2 cups of couscous

2  cups of boiling water

3  scallions thinly sliced

1/2  cup of finely chopped dates

2  tbs curry powder

2 tbs finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 package Sazon seasoning

Salt/pepper to taste

3 tbs virgin olive oil

Heirloom tomatoes and sprigs of fresh parsley for garnish 

• Bring water to a boil and add couscous.
• Turn off the flame, cover tightly and let sit for five minutes.
• Work through it with a fork or use your hands (with plastic gloves, of course), making sure that each grain stands alone.
• Stir in all of the other ingredients, and garnish with heirloom or grape tomatoes, and a sprig of fresh parsley

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