Memories of going to my Grandma's house and helping her add mustard to the homemade cheese sauce are some of my fondest-- I'd get to taste the sauce after each delicate spoonful of Gulden's spicy brown was added, and always suggested we add more. Making cheese sauce with Grandma was a ritual that was ours alone; she was always good at finding special things to do with each granddaughter. I'm pretty sure they all involved food.
One of the first things I successfully eliminated during my lactose intolerance revelation was macaroni & cheese; this was before I truly understood what my lactose triggers were, and how much lactose was in the various dairy products. Since Cabot began marketing their cheddar as lactose-free (very smart of them, since all cheddar is essentially lactose-free), I have fully embraced eating it on eggs and pasta, which has been glorious. A couple of weeks ago I experienced a true mac & cheese craving... and gave in. This recipe is markedly different than my Grandma's (she used Velveeta, WTF), but it includes mustard!
Ingredients (serves 1)
1.5 cups dry pasta (I use a mix of whole wheat and tri-color)
1/2 cup almond milk (plain, unsweetened)
1-2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
salt and spicy brown mustard, to taste
Method: Cook pasta and set aside. Melt butter in small sauce pan and stir in flour; add milk in increments, stirring after each pour. Stir constantly to avoid clumps. Once all the milk is added and the sauce is thick, add cheddar and spicy brown mustard to taste. Add pasta to pot, stir to coat, and sprinkle with salt. Lactose-free mac & cheese, y'all!!
(Note: 1 tbsp. of butter has .01 grams lactose)
