Decidedly Delicious: Mac & Cheese w/Chickpeas Recipe

Meal Monday

This was a first for me. Never before had I set out to try a recipe fully hoping that it would be a disaster.

I borrowed a certain cookbook from a neighbor. I selected a recipe that I thought the kids might actually like. I took the time to prepare it. And I secretly hoped it would all end up on the floor.

The recipe comes from the book "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld. I have never met Mrs. Seinfeld. I do not harbor resentment because I wish I had met Jerry at the gym and married into the Seinfeld fortune. I have no reason to dislike or distrust her. I'm just petty.

I mean, really, how hard can it be to get a book published when you're married to Jerry Seinfeld? As a writer with a partially written novel here, a cookbook idea there…it just didn't seem fair.

So I decided to put Mrs. I-married-Jerry-and-get-whatever-I-want to the test. Could her recipes appeal to my kids, who are becoming pickier eaters by the day?

I tried the "Macaroni & Cheese 2" recipe (p. 107), which is mac & cheese made with a chickpea puree.  The puree replaces flour and butter as the sauce's thickening agent. The babes love mac & cheese (except for that time I tried to sneak in broccoli pieces). And they loved pureed chickpeas when they started solids. It seemed relatively safe.

Preparation was super easy. It took me less time than the 25 minutes the book estimated. I must admit, I thought it was really tasty. But, as we all know, what I think doesn't matter.

When I put grainy noodles on their trays, they were met with three skeptical glances. I couldn't blame them—it doesn't look too appetizing. My brave Bitty took the first bite. Then a second, third, and fourth in rapid succession. Zeke took a cue from his sister, and started shoveling it in. The Dude wanted none of it. It went straight to the floor.

Ordinarily, an approval rating of two out of three triplets would have been good enough. But not with this recipe. I held it to higher standards. So I worked on the Dude.

I tried feeding it to him with a spoon. He spit it out. I tried putting one piece on his tray at a time. Singular projectiles. I ate a piece then tried to shove one in his mouth as he watched. He bit me.

But wait. As that bit of pasta slipped through his lips, I saw a flash of enjoyment on his face. It was now a battle of wills. I put a few pieces of strawberry on his plate, then tried the spoon again. He finally ate it. And ate it. Until there was none.

Jerry, you got a good woman there.  But my husband?  He's got a better one.


Macaroni & Cheese with Chickpeas
from Deceptively Delicious

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups elbow macaroni (whole wheat, if you have)
1 cup skim milk
½ cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp pepper

Preparation:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the macaroni, and cook according to package directions. Drain in a colander.

While the macaroni is cooking, combine the milk and the chickpeas in a food processor and process until pureed.

Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and set it over medium heat. Add the bean mixture to the pan and cook, stirring until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the cheese and cook until melted and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Stir in the salt, garlic powder, paprika, and pepper. Stir in the macaroni and serve warm.

Notes:

You can substitute navy beans or white beans for the chickpeas.

According to Mrs. Seinfeld, if you want to be extra deceptive you can add ½ cup cauliflower puree along with the cheese.

 

Comments

[Katherine]

I so relate to this post! (And not just because I lived near Jerry Seinfeld's gym and had the same "it could've been me" thoughts when he met Jessica.) Mac n cheese is my guilty can't-lose standby to feed the kids. I'll definitely try this one.

[Tigermom3]

hillarious:) post excellent post! here is a gluten free/meat free reciepe~(can be dairy free if you omit the chedder or use soy) Rainbow Rice~1 cup shredded white cabot chedder (or soy), 3 cups instant brown rice, 1can organic blk beans,1(ea)red,orange,gold,green bell peppers diced,1 purple onion diced~mix in lg bowl~topping~1 bag crushed organic blue corn tortilla chips~kids love this!:)