Indian Style Macaroni and Cheese

I'm not a huge fan of plain macaroni and cheese; however, I love it if there's something in it that makes it exciting!  This is a twist on mac and cheese that adds an Indian flavor to the pasta.  I used the veggies we had at home, but you can replace any / all of them with your favorites.

Ingredients

1 box macaroni and cheese (I use Kraft Deluxe Macaroni and Cheese dinner)

1 tbsp oil

1/4 cup onions, chopped fine

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 inch piece of cinnamon

1 medium potato, peeled and chopped fine

1 carrot, peeled and chopped fine

1/2 cup peas

1/2 cup corn

1/2 cup chopped spinach

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp red pepper powder or paprika

1/8 tsp turmeric powder

1 scallion, chopped fine

1/4 cup green pepper, chopped fine

1 medium tomato, chopped medium

Directions

1.  Cook the macaroni as per the directions on the box.  Drain the pasta, but do NOT add the cheese packet at this point (see Step 5).

2.  While the macaroni is boiling, saute the onions, garlic, cumin seeds, and cinnamon in the oil in a large saucepan on med-high heat for ~2 min (until the cumin seeds turn dark brown).

3.  Add the potato, carrot, peas, corn, and chopped spinach.  Cook for 7-10 mins (until the potatoes are done).  If the veggies start to stick, add a tablespoon of water (repeat as many times as necessary).

4.  Add the salt, red pepper powder or paprika, turmeric powder, scallions, green peppers, and tomatoes. Cook for 2 more minutes, the remove from heat.

5.  Mix in the cheese packet until everything is coated.  Add the cooked macaroni, and mix gently until all of the pasta is coated.