yummy - deceptively delicious mac and cheese

A little under a year ago, he stopped. Cold turkey. And though I'm obviously not thrilled I have to start sneaking around behind his back, I must do what I must do.

Cousin MomPreneur saved the day when she sent over Deceptively Delicious, a compilation of recipes by Jessica Seinfeld on creative ways to camouflage pureed vegetables into just about everything you cook. I was skeptical at first. Sweet potatoes in pancakes? You have got to be kidding me. Cauliflower in our mac and cheese? Yikes. With nothing to lose, our blender went on overdrive that very day. Here's a simple one we tried and loved:

Macaroni and Cheese, with Cauliflower

Serves 4

1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni

nonstick cooking spray

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/2 cup nonfat skim milk

1/2 cup cauliflower puree

1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

1/4 cup nonfat cream cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the macaroni and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain in a colander.

Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the oil, then the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture resembles a thick paste but has not browned, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the milk and cook, stirring every now and then, until the mixture begins to thicken, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vegetable puree, cheddar, cream cheese and seasonings and stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the macaroni.

Tato still gets a serving of vegetables on his plate. I continue to cross my fingers that he will fall head over heels in like with his greens once more. In the meantime I shall sit tight and wait. Last I checked Mak and Tato were happily devouring the pancakes, nuggets and pasta filled with sweet potatoes, spinach and cauliflower. And so was Mac Daddy. Who said cheaters never win?