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Mac and Cheese

I am a homemade Macaroni and Cheese kind of girl. My hubby makes a very good one with a blend of 4 different cheeses, prosciutto and a bread crumb topping. But lets face it, not all kids will embrace this type of macaroni and cheese! My 6 year old likes it, my 2 year old will either put it on his head or throw it on the floor for the dogs to eat!

I make my own copycat version of Kraft’s “Mac and Cheese” because I have had Annie’s GF Rice Pasta and Cheddar and Trader Joe’s GF Rice Pasta and Cheddar and I personally do not like either of them. Mostly, it is because I don’t like the pasta. It is either too chewy or if you cook it a little longer to avoid the chewiness then it is mushy. My boys had gone without mac and cheese since we became a GF household simply because they would not eat it when I bought it. I know a lot of people do like it, but I am not convinced it is because of the taste, but rather because of the convenience!

I started to look around for other ideas to make this quintessential kid favorite and got the idea to use Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Topping in the blue can and just sub in my own pasta. Not bad but not great.

So looking further I decided to try  Frontier Natural Products Mild Cheddar Powder and Frontier Natural Products White Cheddar Cheese Powder (as you can see, it is A LOT cheaper, less shipping, on Amazon). I called the company and while they would not say whether or not these products were definitely gluten free, the woman I spoke to said they use Good Manufacturing Practices and clean the lines between products. She said what is listed on the ingredient label is what is (intentionally) in the product. She said because they do not test for gluten in the end product (from cross-contamination), then they cannot say for sure it is gluten free. This is where you will have to make a decision for yourself.

That’s the rub. Do you strictly buy products that are labeled “gluten-free”, and/or “made in a dedicated gluten free facility” or “no gluten ingredients used” or “manufactured in a facility that uses Good Manufacturing Practices,” etc. etc. That is a personal decision that each one of us needs to make until the FDA formally adopts a definition of “Gluten Free.”

After speaking with Frontier, I decided to accept the risk. I think both powders are tasty and thus far I have never had a gluten reaction. BUT, just because I haven’t exhibited any symptoms, does not mean my insides are not reacting… I do however get the celiac blood panel run each year to check my levels and I just had a biopsy in May that showed very happy villi!!

When it comes to pasta, Tinkyada is pretty much it for me, and I always buy the Tinkyada with Rice Bran. It has THE BEST texture of all the GF pastas I have tried. The pastas with Rice Bran also have 2 grams of fiber per serving.

I hardly use butter at all anymore…I use Smart Balance and so far, it has proven a worthy (if not better) replacement in just about everything I have used it in (not so much on popcorn though). I have fried, baked and used it on bread…

So here is the breakdown on making your own Mac and Cheese (I bought a box of Kraft a while back and cut out the directions and adhered it to a recipe card. I also weighed the packet of cheese).

GF “Kraft Style” Mac and Cheese

4 Tbs. Margarine ( I use Smart Balance)

1/4 cup milk (I use Skim)

1 1/2 oz. Cheese Powder

7 1/2 oz. GF Macaroni or other shape

Prepare macaroni as directed. Drain (Do Not Rinse)

Add Margarine, milk, and cheese powder to the pasta and stir well.