I made this recipe from the back of the box of the Ancient Harvest Quinoa Elbow pasta box. It is called "Mexaroni and Cheese ". I left out the green chilies,olives, and pimentos since I wanted a simple mac recipe. I also substituted the regular cheese with Soya Kaas Tofu cheese, the milk with unsweetened Soy milk, the sour cream with Follow Your Heart sour cream substitute which is a soy cream substitute. I then added smoked Paprika for flavoring and left out the corn chips to make a dairy free mac and cheese recipe. My husband who does not have to eat dairy free like I do actually ate this an enjoyed it. I did use Smart Balance 50/50 blend spread as the fat even though there is a vegan fat at there. Quinoa is gluten free for those who need that, I use this product because as a diabetic the glycemic index on it compared to regular pasta is lower and thus it doesn't raise my blood sugar as high as regular pasta. I have tried other pastas and found that this actually to be true for me. Here is the recipe as it appears on the box. You can make your own substitutions. I found this product at my Whole Foods store. If you are up where there is a Trader Joes, I imagine, that this store would carry this product. Some HEBs also carry this product. This recipe also cuts out a lot of the fat that you see in most mac and cheese recipes by using very little fat and making a cream sauce using corn starch and water with no eggs like most southern recipes call for. So, if you get a craving for the old fashioned mac and cheese and want a leaner version, I found this recipe satisfying.
Mexaroni and Cheese
1 pkg. Gluten free pasta 8 oz
1/2 sour cream
1 cup milk
1 tbs cornstarch
4 oz. Green Chiles, chopped
9 oz. Sharp cheddar, grated
2 tbs. butter or margarine
1/4 cup Pitted Black Olives, sliced
salt to taste
1 small jar Pimentos
Crushed Corn Flakes

Cook Pasta in slightly salted boiling water for 6 - 9 minutes or until done. Drain and set aside. Melt butter in saucepan. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with milk. Add cornstarch mixture to butter and cook until thicken, stirring constantly. Add cheddar cheese to sauce and stir until cheese is melted. Add sour cream, chilies, olives,pimentos, and salt to taste. Pour into baking dish or four small baking dishes. Cover with crushed corn flakes and dot with butter. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Not much new going on in my life this week. I am slowly getting back into logging my food and into my diet mode vs maintenance mode. I still have the nibbles at night, but at least it is down to just taking a bite of food and not a snack itself. I have been reading John Baker's book " Life's Healing Choices" where he talks about over coming bad habits an addictions. In the chapter I just finished he makes this comment," You take a lifetime problem, remembering you didn't get it over night, and you break it down into bite sized pieces. You seek victory one day at a time. God gives you enough strength to change for one day. He takes care of you for one day at a time, as you put your trust in Him. " I have been living this with my diet each and every day, especially concerning my night time eating habits. It will take a long time to make me feel comfortable to have an evening without food in my mouth because it has been a habit in my life for a long time. I have conditioned myself to relax with food at night for good and for bad. These were in part conditioned responses brought on by my choices in life. Sure, I must admit, some of them were because I related my happy moments with my family to eating around the TV at night growing up as we all sat around together to watch shows together. We would get some munchies and sit and watch a family show together. This was one of the few times my " family had a good time together. It was our " comfort time. So, at night, comfort time is eating and watching TV. Now, I must break this habit and turn at least the eating habit off. I certainly don't need the food or can substitute some hot tea or ONE bedtime snack during this time. Never-the-less, I have learned that I had to over come some deep feelings behind my behavior as well as the habit itself. Well, for everyone who has to overcome this habit too, just remember lifetime habits are hard to through out in a few months. Sometimes they take years to conquer. I have gotten this one some what tamed, but not conquered. at least I have days I win win the battle. Then there are the days I would rather forget, but the are becoming less frequent and have less food involved with them when they occur thank goodness.