Vegan Macaroni and 'Chreese' w Kale and Shallot, Smoky Tempeh (No Added Fat)

We were lucky because we had two very nice visitors this evening. One of our friends was going out for the evening and asked if we would keep her sweet daughter, almost 2 years old. Another friend had her granddaughter, a year older than my daughter and, along with the younger child, friends with my daughter.

I wanted to get the two "older" girls to help me to make organic blueberry crisp and, while it was baking and cooling a bit, make a quick and appealing (to them) dinner. (The crisp came out great, by the way - they did a very nice job!) My daughter (like, it seems, most children) loves macaroni and cheese. I like Road's End Organics macaroni and "chreese", and had a box on hand. However, my wife doesn't like cheese (vegan or not).

So, my constraints were to make something soft for my Dad, make the macaroni and "chreese" for the girls and me, make something that my wife would enjoy, and do it all quickly. I think that I succeeded; I made the macaroni with kale and shallot, as well as hemp seeds; before adding "chreese", I served my wife. I also grilled some smoky tempeh. We are low on salad ingredients, but the younger girl's Mom brought some home-grown lettuce, which I served, as well. I made a simple soup, a second soup of refried beans cooked with water, and a nutritional shake (tasty and truly nutritious with lots of good ingredients) for my Dad.

Though this used processed ingredients, the macaroni and "chreese" has only 4g of fat in the entire box - even with added homemade almond milk (about a half cup -- maybe 2 more grams of fat), there is minimal added fat, so I am listing this as a no added fat meal. I didn't use any oil even in grilling the tempeh. Everybody was happy with dinner - especially the girls!