By Shaista Tariq

Creating a meal with ingredients already at home brings it quickly to the table. Using simple, rather than exotic or complicated techniques, you can prepare it in less time.

Ingredients:
Light mayonnaise         1/2 cup
All-purpose flour          1/ cup
Salt                                  1/2 tsp.

Milk                                   2 cups

Cooking oil                      1 tsp.
Chopped onion              1 cup
Minced garlic                 1/4 tsp.

Can of tomato paste     5 1/2 oz.
Ground cinnamon          1/4 tsp.

Cooked elbow macaroni    1 ½ cup

A blend of 3 cheese            ½ cup
(Cheddar, Mozzarella and Parmesan)
Large egg, fork –beaten      1
Ground nutmeg                    ¼ tsp (optional)

Paprika                                 1/8 tsp

Directions
1 Combine the first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly until smooth for 10 mins. Set aside.

2 Heat cooking oil in a large frying pan on medium. Adding the next 3 ingredients., scramble-fry for about 10 mins until ground chicken         is no longer pink.
Add tomato paste and cinnamon. Transfer to a greased casserole.

3 Add the next 4 ingredients to the milk mixture. Stir and spread over ground chicken mixture.

Sprinkle with paprika. Bake, covered, in 350 degrees oven for 50 mins.

Serves; 4

1 serving: approx. 500 calories, Total Fat (11.7 g Mono; 3.7 g Poly; 8.3 g Sat);
46 g Carbohydrate; 37 g Protein; 4 g Fiber; 950 mg Sodium

About the Author

Shaista Tariq is an M.Sc., B.Sc. in Applied Science in Nutrition and a Registered Holistic Nutritionist.