Eight years ago, when a group of students from the Bay Area and an esteemed Executive Chef, Justin Everett from Cavallo Point Lodge got together, their task was to create a fresh, local, organic meal for $2 or less a person. This budget, which seems tight, is actually more money than is available for school lunch per child in the United States.
To boost protein, fiber and vitamins the team opted to use pasta made from quinoa, a nutritional powerhouse. The recipe was so successful that it became a staple in one of the restaurants at Cavallo Point and is a favorite recipe of Turning Green. We hope you love it too!
Quinoa Mac and Cheese
Serves: 1 Prep: 5 min Cook: 35 min Ready: 40 min
Ingredients
2 oz quinoa macaroni
1 oz cheddar cheese
2 oz heavy cream
2 quinoa greens (optional)
Directions
In large pot, bring water to a rolling boil. Once boiling, add enough salt so the water tastes salty. Add the 2 ounces of dried macaroni (per portion) to the water and cook (approximately 10 minutes). Pull macaroni out of the pot and spread out on a sheet tray to cool.
In a saucepan, add 2 ounces of cream, 1 ounce of cheese, and 2 ounces of macaroni per serving. Place the pan on medium heat and cook until the cream starts to bubble and simmer. Slowly stir and allow the pasta to thicken (approximately 5 minutes).
Season with salt, then scoop out the pasta onto the plate. Garnish with fresh quinoa greens.
A note on quinoa greens: More flavorful than spinach, but less spicy than arugula, quinoa greens are incredibly nutritious. They contain 23 times more calcium and seven times more iron than spinach.
Recipe from Conscious Kitchen: Conscious Kitchen addresses food equity, education, and access by shifting the paradigm around school food service, while cultivating a local, ecological food system, and building nutrition literacy into meals. CK is now meeting rising food needs during the pandemic by transitioning community food boxes from conventional to 100% organic ingredients. Learn more here.
