Bizarre Cooking - A healthy mac and cheese recipe

The time has come for me to lose the baby fat. So I am dieting, and working out again. I decided to do Body for Life after all. I needed a plan, and that was a plan. Besides, it worked before, and as they say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

I got my body fat measured at the health club Monday. I have an impressive 30% body fat, and am teetering on the edge of being officially overweight. I also took some "before" pictures of myself. All I can say is, "EWWWW"! I will do you the favor of not posting those pictures. The trainer dude worked the arithmetic; if I want to be at a healthy 21% body fat that means I've got to lose 15lbs and gain 3lbs in lean body mass (aka muscle). This is doable. Unfortunately, it does take discipline, and lots of exercise. Yesterday I was so sore I could barely walk.

I guess denial is no place to live, but it does have its perks. Cookies, for example. Here in Realityville I've been eating a lot more vegetables, and while I do like veggies, they simply are not as good as cookies, or lattes, or buttery toast, or brownies, or nachos.

One of my very favorite comfort foods is macaroni and cheese. Macaroni and Cheese has tons of fat and cholesterol, and very little nutritional value. Plus, I'm lactose intolerant. If I eat Mac and Cheese I pay. So I have concocted a yummy, seriously dairy reduced version that beats the craving and is pretty dang healthy. It's a little weird, so hold on. (also I cook by feel so this recipe is an approximation and can handle being tampered with)

1-2 tsp. olive oil
1 T. corn starch
1 c. water
1 cube of GF chicken bullion
1/2 c. cauliflower puree
1/4 c. carrot puree
1/4-1/2 c. reduced fat cheese - shredded
Salt and pepper to taste (you can also experiment with adding garlic, or spicy mustard, or balsamic vinegar)

Cook pasta while making sauce. Heat oil, and add corn starch. Stir. Slowly add 1 c. H2O and bullion cube. Stir on medium heat until bullion is dissolved and mixture thickens. Then, stir in purees and bring to a slow boil. Remove mix from heat and stir in cheese, till melted. Season to taste. Pour over cooked, drained (and in my case GF) pasta.