Carb-fest 2003

I just had the best dinner tonight: Southwest Cheese 'n' Macaroni. I got the recipe out of Betty Crocker's Vegetarian Cooking, Lori Fox, ed. New York: Hungry Minds, Inc., 1997.

The philosophy of the Betty Croker vegetarian cook book is basically this: vegetarian cooking can taste good. If you smother everything in one pound of cheese.

So this is my kind of cookbook. The cheese 'n' macaroni is centered around the vegetable known as corn. (You call it maize -- is this even a veggie?)

Here is the recipe, which I highly recommend. Not only is it ridiculously easy to make, it's great for colder weather, and if you have reckless abandon for consuming carbs in mass quantities.

Southwest Cheese 'n' Macaroni
Prep: 5 min; Cook: 17 min.
6 servings (or 4 if you're me)

Betty Crocker offers this editorial info: If you're on the lookout for recipes to please teenagers and younger children who don't eat meat, give this newfangled version of mac-and-cheese a whirl.

1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup green salsa (my store doesn't have this; I use green taco sauce and it works fine)
1 can (15 oz.) cream style corn
1 can (11 oz.) whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained (I use Green Giant "Mexicorn")
1 package (7 oz.) elbow macaroni
8 oz. process cheese product loaf, cubed (in lay person's terms, Velveeta)

1. Mix all ingredients except cheese in 12-inch nonstick skillet. (I prefer the large pot I use to boil spaghetti noodles). Heat to boiling; stirring occasionally; reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 10 to 14 minutes, stirring frequently, until macaroni is tender.
2. Add cheese, stir until melted.

1 serving: calories 405 (calories from fat 135); fat 15g (saturated 9g); cholesterol 40mg; sodium 1060mg (eep); carbohydrate 53g (dietary fiber 4g -- the corn i'm assuming); protein 18g.

So there you go. Enjoy!