Some Seriously Good Mac N Cheese

Yesterday, my house had a Harry Potter Marathon Study Day.  The day before finals start at the University is a Study Day where no one has classes.  As academic chair, I felt it was a great idea to play every single Harry Potter movie and let people come and go as they want.  You can study while watching Harry Potter (especially if you are me and know every single line/scene without even looking at the TV) or you can take a study break to watch some Harry Potter.  Plus, this has been a goal of mine for some time.  I was able to get all the movies (1-7 Part 2) and I started Movie 1 at 10 AM.  Therefore, 7 part 2 ended around 4:30 AM.  Strangely, we went from having 2-3 people watching at 10 AM and ended with 8-10 people watching at the end.  It was epic!

I can't believe we actually watched every single Harry Potter! And, the best part is, I didn't have to study so I could just enjoy myself! Now, I am sitting at work, slightly sleepy, but totally satisfied!  Being a little tired, I am craving random foods.  I was thinking about some of the best foods I've had this semester and I decided that one of my favorites has to be this mac n' cheese dish that I made with my friend Emily for our Labor Day Pot-Luck.  It was all whole wheat and low-fat, but it was honestly some of the best mac n' cheese I have ever consumed!  (A close second is the frozen meals from Trader Joe's...seriously, it's so good that I forget it's a microwavable meal!)  Also, some of my friends have been requesting a good mac n' cheese recipe, it is finals after all.

Mac N Cheese with Caramelized Onions (adapted from Style That Food)


Indredients:
16 oz dry whole wheat macaroni
1 1/2 large white onions, sliced
1 tsp olive oil
1/8 cup whole wheat panko crumbs
1/2 oz shredded Parmesan cheese
Cheese Sauce:
3 cups unsweetened almond milk
4 oz light cream cheese, cubed
1 1/2 cups light shredded cheese (I used cheddar-jack)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp dry mustard
pinch nutmeg
salt & pepper to taste
3 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 3 tbsp cold water until dissolved


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat olive oil in medium skillet on medium heat and add onions, salt and pepper, cook slowly until brown and caramelized, about 15-20 minutes.
3. Cook pasta according to package directions, add salt to cooking water. Drain when finished cooking.
4. In a medium sauce pot, on medium high heat, heat almond milk to a simmer. Turn to low heat and add cream cheese, shredded cheese, onion powder, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper. Whisk until all is combined and cheese is melted. Once combined, add in cornstarch mixture to thicken sauce, bring to a simmer, then remove from heat.
5. Combine sauce with cooked, drained pasta. Pour into a 9 x 13 dish that has been sprayed with olive oil. Top pasta with caramelized onions, panko crumbs, parmesan, salt and pepper. Spray top with olive oil.
Bake for 20 minutes until top is golden brown.

Source: Delish
Enjoy :)