My enroller and I were talking a while back about the THRIVE Cheese Blend. The cheese blend was not something she had experimented with much and was curious about my thoughts on it. I realized the only thing I had really used it for thus far was to make "Mac and Cheese"-which my children love, and I love because it tastes better than anything you can buy in the supermarket (see my THRIVE Mac and Cheese recipe below). I knew you could use it as a base for cheese-based soups, but I decided at that moment that I was going to find many more uses for my Cheese Blend.
Last week I got the itch to make Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches from a portion of a chuck roast I had. I've made many cheese sauces before, so I decided to focus on THRIVE ingredients and make my own "Cheese Whiz" (a much tastier version, of course). The cheese sauce turned out incredible and I quickly realized that by adjusting the rue to liquid ratio I could create a cheese sauce for any occasion, so I did just that. Over the course of the week I made not only "Cheese Whiz" for our Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches, but nacho cheese sauce (also using the new THRIVE Green Chiles) to top our nachos (we also topped our nachos with THRIVE Taco TVP and THRIVE Instant Black Beans) and Mac and Cheese (creamy "Velveeta" style). Here's THRIVE Cheese Blend 4 ways:
THRIVE Mac and Cheese Sauce (creamy "Velveeta" style)
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. THRIVE White Flour
1 c.THRIVE Chicken Broth (1 cup warm water plus 1 tsp. THRIVE Chicken Bouillon)
1 c. THRIVE Powdered milk, reconstituted
1/4 c. THRIVE Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/4 c. THRIVE Cheese Blend
salt and pepper to taste
In a bowl combine shredded cheddar and chicken broth.
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook about one minute, until foamy. Slowly whisk in milk then broth/cheese mixture. Add cheese blend and continue to whisk until thickened and cheese melts, about 3-5 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve over 6 ounces of cooked THRIVE Elbow Macaroni.
THRIVE Nacho Cheese Sauce
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. THRIVE White Flour
1 c.THRIVE Chicken Broth (1 cup warm water plus 1 tsp. THRIVE Chicken Bouillon)
1 c. THRIVE Powdered milk, reconstituted
1/4 c. THRIVE Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/4 c. THRIVE Cheese Blend
2 Tbsp. THRIVE Green Chiles
salt and pepper to taste In a bowl combine shredded cheddar, green chiles and chicken broth.
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook about one minute, until foamy. Slowly whisk in milk then broth/cheese mixture. Add cheese blend and continue to whisk until thickened and cheese melts, about 3-5 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve over nachos or with tortilla chips as a dip.
THRIVE "Cheese Whiz"
4 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. THRIVE White Flour
1 c.THRIVE Chicken Broth (1 cup warm water plus 1 tsp. THRIVE Chicken Bouillon)
1 c. THRIVE Powdered milk, reconstituted
1/4 c. THRIVE Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/4 c. THRIVE Cheese Blend
salt and pepper to taste In a bowl combine shredded cheddar and chicken broth.
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook about one minute, until foamy. Slowly whisk in milk then broth/cheese mixture. Add cheese blend and continue to whisk until thickened and cheese melts, about 3-5 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve over sauteed steak and onions in a hoagie bun for Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches.
THRIVE Mac and Cheese (like "Kraft Mac and Cheese")
4 Tbsp. butter
1/4 c. THRIVE Powdered milk, reconstituted
1/2 c. THRIVE Cheese Blend
6 oz. THRIVE Elbow Macaroni
Cook THRIVE Elbow Macaroni in a saucepan according to directions. Drain noodles then return to saucepan. Add above ingredients and stir until combined. Serve.
Autumn Christiansen
Independent Consultant-Shelf Reliance
This is FABULOUS INFO! Great job! Trying this soon! Thank you so so much!
ReplyDeleteI am a very inexperienced Thrive consultant and I don't have a lot on hand but I do have the cheese blend and wanted to see if there was a way to make it using just basic milk butter flour
ReplyDelete