Maybe It's The Hunger Talkin', But...

Holy Mamba Jamba, this dish was good.

Not a mac n' cheese substitute by any means, but it hit the mac n' cheese spot for me today - and I didn't even know I was craving it!

I'll grant you that this shouldn't count as a "One-Bowl Meal," per se. Pasta with oil and spices, gluten-free though it may be, is by no means an exemplary dish as far as nutrition goes.

But hunger is hunger, and I promise you, it could have been worse!

I finally got The Nug to bed and had set about completing my To Do list (by which I mean forwarding 60% of the tasks to another day, delegating one to my husband, circling two as urgent/important and doing nothing toward accomplishing them, and leaving several blank in the hopes that they'd fall into place after the priorities) when suddenly I realized that Mama's gotta eat. They do, from time to time, you know?

I told myself I had too much to do to come up with anything "fancy" (I bet you can guess what my standard is there), so I boiled half a package of corn/rice pasta I'd had stashed away since a trip to Target a couple of months ago.

I wasn't sure what I was going to add to it by the time it was done, but I was aware I was getting stupider by the minute. That hunger had hit me like a bus outta nowheresville!

By the time it was done, I had decided no tomato sauce. If I used a new jar, I'd have to find a place for it in the fridge! If I looked for an old jar, I'd have to stand in front of the cold fridge, rearranging cold, ugly leftovers, and it would probably be moldy anyway (Aesop style, son!).

I ate about a quarter of the noodles bare, right from the pot, as I thought about my options. Finally, I decided on just a light coat of oil and a green herb, like basil. Or a mix, like Italian seasoning.

But once I got the olive oil evenly distributed, heavens to Betsy, my hand made for the nutritional yeast flakes instead. And then the granulated garlic, and then the smoked paprika. Some Himalayan salt followed shortly thereafter, grinding smoothly and calmly over the dish as though it never once believed I would leave it behind.

I ate it so fast I had to take a picture of the corner of the bowl because there were no more noodles left in the rest of it!

So I know it's not super healthy, but there are some things going for it: yeast flakes, garlic and paprika are more than just flavor enhancers; each has its own nutritional benefits.  And just think of all the terrible things I didn't put in there!

So if you try it (as part of a balanced meal, perhaps), let me know: was it just the hunger talking, or is this a mighty tasty munchie?