National Cheese Lover’s Day! Making a healthy mac and cheese | Recipe for kids
Sweet dreams are made of cheese! Who am I to disa-brie?!
Today is National Cheese Lover’s Day! We firmly believe that most food can be made better with a healthy serving of cheese (vegan or otherwise).
Some interesting facts on this most delicious of days:
- The USA consumes a lot of cheese; on average, every person eats about 40 pounds1 of cheese every year.
- There are over 1.4 Billion pounds of cheese2 stored in caves in Missouri. That means Americans will never run out, at least not any time soon.
- There are over 2,000 types of cheese worldwide, and each country has its type and method of making cheese!
- A person who loves cheese is called a turophile. Are you one?
- Cheese is rich in calcium, protein, and vitamins such as A, D, and K, which contribute to the developing of strong bones in children.
- While there is no clear indication of how this day came to be or started, it is the perfect opportunity to eat cheese with every meal!
If your kid loves cheese, classic macaroni and cheese is simple enough to teach even young ones. We’ve put together a simple mac and cheese recipe adapted from the good folks at America’s Test Kitchen and Tasty.
The recipes are easy, so easy. In fact, you will never have to introduce your child to the boxed stuff that often has processed, artificial, and unhealthy substances. Consider it an opportunity to sneak a few vegetables into the recipe, which your kid might not want to have otherwise.
We’ve also included a vegan version for those who prefer not to have dairy.
One pan of mac and cheese (17 minutes)
Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups of water
- 1 cup of whole milk
- 8 oz classic macaroni elbow pasta
- 1 cup American deli cheese (shredded)
- 1 cup Sharp cheddar (shredded)
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp. dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- ⅓ cup of Panko
- 1 cup broccoli
- ½ cup green peas (boiled)
Recipe:
In a saucepan, add 1.5 cups of water to one cup of whole milk and bring to a boil; then add in the pasta. Wait until the pasta gets done, reduce the heat, add the shredded American Deli cheese, and keep stirring.
Now add a tiny bit of cayenne pepper and dijon mustard, stirring until the cheese is melted. Switch the stove off, fold the shredded cheddar in, place the lid back on and set aside.
In a different pan, toast the Panko in a spoonful of olive oil and sprinkle over the top. If you want to add some vegetables, boil the broccoli and peas, blend till smooth in a blender and mix it in with the pasta just before adding the cheddar. You can adjust the thickness of the sauce with warm milk.
Vegan mac and cheese (25 minutes)
Ingredients:
- Elbow macaroni pasta (vegan)
- 2 potatoes
- 1 carrot
- ¼ white onion
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- ½ cup of cashews
- Water
- Salt and pepper
Recipe
Peel the potatoes, onion, and carrot, and boil them till they are soft. In a large blender, add 1½ cups of the boiled water along with the cashews, veggies, and seasoning. This will be the cheese sauce. You can also boil broccoli and peas and mix in the blender. Boil pasta in a separate saucepan, strain, and add the “cheese sauce.”
There you have it! Two simple recipes that are fun to make, delicious, and healthy!
Not just on this National Cheese Lovers Day, you can take inspiration from the above recipes whenever you run short of time and need a quick, healthy meal made.
PS: While these recipes are simple enough to follow and make by most adults, they might not be so for little children. We strongly recommend keeping your children from cooking anything in the kitchen unattended. You can have them help you and get them involved. Still, they require adult supervision at all times, especially around blenders, ovens, and the stovetop.
Sources
1. https://www.statista.com/ statistics/183785/per- capita-consumption-of-cheese-in-the-us-since-2000/
2. https://www.news-leader.com/story /news/ 2022/05/08/springfield -cheese-cave- missouri-dairy- companies-store-7-million-pounds/6785381001/Ware, Megan. MedicalNewsToday. www.medicalnewstoday.com /articles/299147. Accessed 30 Dec. 2022.
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