Miracle Mac 'N Cheese

I've heard a lot of mixed reviews on Miracle Noodles, so I finally decided to try them and see for myself! Miracle Noodles, aka shirataki noodles, are calorie, gluten, and soy-free.  They are made of an indigestible fiber called glucomannan, so they are edible and leave you feeling full.  They're tasteless, but take the taste of whatever sauce you cook them in.  Most people use them in asian noodle dishes, but I wanted to try to recreate another comfort food--mac n cheese! I was never a fan of mac 'n cheese when I was younger (weird I know...I was extremely picky!), but I figured I'd give a homemade and healthified version a shot.  It turned out delicious!! Something I'll definitely eat all the time because it's quick and easy to make. I used low-fat cottage cheese, which I use in a lot of my recipes because it's high in casein protein (a slow-releasing protein), nutritional yeast and unsweetened vanilla almond milk, which gives a cheesy flavor without using cheese, butter, and milk. I also used Al Fresco's Chicken Sausage, hardboiled egg whites, and vegetables for extra protein and nutrients but this is optional/add whatever you'd like!

Ingredients (makes 1 serving)
1 package Miracle Noodles
2 tbs low-fat cottage cheese (I used lactaid because dairy tends to bother my stomach, still tastes good!)
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
1/4 tsp minced garlic
Chicken Sausage
2 Hardboiled Egg Whites, already made & chopped
Handful of Baby Spinach
1/4 Avocado, chopped
Red Bell Pepper, chopped
Mrs. Dash

Directions: Cook Miracle Noodles according to the directions on the package.  Beware--they have a fishy odor but I promise they don't taste like it! Coat a pan with non-stick cooking spray and set to medium heat.  While that's heating up, combine cottage cheese, nutritional yeast, almond milk, and minced garlic, and either mix it in a food processor or by hand.  Set that aside and cut up the chicken sausage into pieces.  Put the chicken sausage in the pan when it's hot, sprinkle Mrs. Dash, and cover but move it around occasionally with a spatula. When it starts to brown slightly (it shouldn't take long since it's pre-cooked), uncover and add any vegetables such as spinach and red pepper (I didn't add the avocado). Then after 1-2 minutes add the miracle noodles to the pan and mix everything around with a spatula for another minute or so.  Pour into a bowl, add the avocado and hardboiled egg whites if you're using them, and mix in the sauce.