I stopped at Harmon's for cat food on my way home and treated myself to this Dr. Pepper inspired kombucha. It's crazy how much it tastes like Dr. Pepper! I was never much of a soda drinker, but when I did drink it Dr. Pepper was my preferred poison. I love this stuff so much. As an added bonus it's one of the least expensive bottled kombuchas!
This house near my apartment has some of the tallest tulips I've ever seen! I should have gotten a better angle to really show how big they are, but I was rushing to catch my bus. But they're really tall and so cheerful! They gave me a much needed smile to prepare for the horror that is public transportation!
While I was getting cat food, I happened to walk down the bean aisle, and I noticed these white chili beans. It gave me an idea for green chili mac and cheese with white chili beans!
I used diced green chilis in the cheese sauce, and added the white beans at the end. This was one of my favorite mac and cheese creations I've made! It was creamy, with a hint of spice. Not too spicy for anyone sensitive to spice. Next time I make it I'll probably add more green chilis cause I like it hot! This would have been amazing topped with green dragon sauce, but sadly I had used the last of mine yesterday morning. Cholula stepped in for that added zing. I actually wrote down what I used so I could share the recipe. It's super duper simple.
Green Chili Mac and Cheese
- 1 can light coconut milk
- 1 4 oz. can diced green chili
- 1/4 C. nooch
- 1 1/4 T. tapioca starch
- S & P to taste
- 8 to 10 ounces pasta of choice
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup vegan shredded cheese (optional)
- 1 can white chili beans
While your pasta is cooking, whisk the coconut milk, salt and pepper, nooch and tapioca starch. Once it's all combined, add the green chilis. When the pasta is cooked, drain and add it back to the pot. Turn the heat to medium and add the sauce, stirring until it starts to thicken. This should only take two to three minutes. Once the sauce is thick and creamy, turn off the heat, add the shreds if using along with the beans. Put a lid on the pot and allow everything to combine and the cheese to melt for a few minutes. After that, enjoy!! This would be really delicious without the beans if you can't find the white chili beans. Or you could just spice up some white beans with garlic and cumin and add a little extra green chili. The beans were only eighty cents a can, and I found gluten free pasta on sale, so this was still very inexpensive to make, but tasted decadent and rich. VEGAN FOOD IS NOT EXPENSIVE! AND INEXPENSIVE FOOD DOESN'T HAVE TO BE BORING!!
Here's Afro in her favorite place, outside on the deck admiring the beautiful color of my green smoothie!
Yum, that mac looks so good! :D And yay for pretty flowers!
ReplyDeleteIt really was. Green chilis for the win!
DeleteI really love seeing all the tulips around!
Dr. Pepper was my second favorite soda. I was pretty much a loyal Fresca fan in my day. Not that I ever drank much soda, but when I get the craving, it's Fresca all the way (if I can find it).
ReplyDeleteI think I liked Fresca too. Isn't it the kind of citrus-y grapefruit soda?
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ReplyDeleteYay for mac and cheese! I wonder if your idea of 'not too spicy' is the same as my idea of 'not too spicy'. ;)
ReplyDeleteDoes Afro have any interest in drinking the smoothies? Or she just likes looking?
Probably not, I'm a very spicy girl, and have a very high tolerance. But the canned green chilis are definitely mild.
DeleteAfro is very grossed out by bananas, so as soon as she sniffs my smoothie she gives me a disgusted look and walks away!
Ha! Sahara was the same if I offered her some banana. She was always curious about what I was eating, but as soon as she got a whiff of the banana, she turned up her little pink nose in dismay. <3
DeleteThat's so funny, Afro is exactly the same. After she sniffs, she looks at me like how could you betray me like that!
DeleteI am trying to hunt down that Dr. Pepper kombucha! It's hard to find near me… it seems to mostly be available in Astoria, the city and Brooklyn… I think there are 1 or 2 places on Long Island that have it and I'm determined to get there, ha!
ReplyDeleteThe mac looks incredible! You've been really making some amazing meals and your experiments always look delicious. I love that you are having some fun in the kitchen, and we benefit from it with yummy recipes ;) Gorgeous flowers and Afro is too adorable watching over your smoothie.
I hope you can find it! It's so freaking good, I really don't know how they do it. They have a lemon lime flavor that's really great too.
DeleteI have been lucking out in the kitchen, knock on wood my experiments have been pretty successful!
Thanks for sharing your recipe. New to vegan, but what is nooch- I guess I could google it, but you're good @ this vegan thing. Has Afro tried your smoothie?
ReplyDeleteSorry, I guess I shouldn't have assumed everyone knew what nooch is! It's a nickname for nutritional yeast which is a deactivated yeast powder. It has a cheese-y taste and is really great for making cheese sauces, or sprinkling on things as a replacement for Parmesan cheese. It also has vitamin B-12 which is very important.
DeleteAfro is adamantly against bananas so no, there's no tasting for her!
I haven't seen the soda inspired BOOCH yet here...so thrilled DH is into KeVita now! He's not a fan of the GTs tho. I'm ok with most. I found some Hummm and that was stellar, too! YUM!
ReplyDeleteThat' awesome that he likes Kevita. Maybe the next time you're in Erie check the Target, I know they sell the Live Kombucha. That's actually the first place I ever bought it!
DeleteWe have been seeing more and more KeVita around here lately. He's hooked on that now. His favor by far is the tart cherry. He also likes the Pineapple Peach and the Lemonade Raspberry, too!
DeleteYour hubby has great taste, those are some of my fave flavors too. The lavender melon is really amazing too. And the grapefruit is super refreshing! I love them all as you can tell!
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