Bacon Quinoa Mac n Cheese
PIN IT!This creamy, cheesy and absolutely delicious bacon & quinoa mac n cheese is the perfect recipe for when you’re craving pasta but don’t want all of the carbs!
I don’t think there’s enough coffee in the world to get me through my daunting to do list today. I’ve got about 20 more Kenya photos to edit, an African travel story to finish, 4 recipes to make, a workout to squeeze in, a book proposal to begin and about 10,000 dishes to do. Granted these are things I could have done all week, but I’m nothing if not the world’s best procrastinator. In my defense though, I’ve had the worst case of writer’s block. I can’t tell you how many times this week I just stared at a blank computer screen with a blinking cursor, struggling to find anything to say.
Most of my writers block has passed like a thief in the night, but it’s not all gone. In fact, I’ve had trouble finding words to say since early this year. Writing is still my passion, still what I love, but I’ve stopped writing for me. I’ve been so focused on writing for work, writing for traffic or “viral” shares, and not for me. I can’t tell you the last time I sat down just to write what was in my heart. And I miss it so incredibly much.
I miss sitting down at my computer and pouring everything I had into dark poems, short stories and meaningful sentences. I had so much passion as a writer when I was younger, and I can’t seem to find it again.
There are things that help, like traveling, quiet weekends and peaceful moments where I don’t have any noise in my head. But those are only temporary cures. In a few days I’m back to staring at a blank screen again, trying to find the words that used to come so easily to me. And that’s embarrassing to admit, a writer who can’t, well, write. But it’s a part of life, sometimes you need to ask for help or find your own inspiration. I’m hoping to do both because the words aren’t gone, they are just having trouble coming to the surface.
Bacon Quinoa “Mac” n’ Cheese
Serves about 6. Inspired by Bakeaholic Mama.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: about 15 – 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup 2% milk
- 3/4 cup light cream
- 4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese
- 4 ounces part skim mozzarella cheese
- 3 cups cooked quinoa
- 5 slices of low-sodium bacon, chopped
- 2/3 cup bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a skillet over medium heat, add the butter and melt. Whisk in the flour until a paste forms, about 3 minutes. Add salt, pepper and chili powder. Whisk in the flour and cream. Increase heat to medium high and stir until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted.
- Mix in the cooked quinoa until it’s fully coated in cheese sauce. Stir in chopped bacon. Scoop the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Mix the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese together. Sprinkle over the top of the quinoa. Bake for about 16 – 18 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories:
Fat:
Carbohydrates:
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Protein:
Weight Watchers Points:
Claire
Tags:bacon recipes, cheese recipes, comfort food recipe, healthy recipes, mac n cheese recipes, quinoa recipes
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