Whole Wheat Spaghettini
Vegetable Protein Italian Style Sausages
Spicy & Garlicky Green Chard
Lemony Tofu Ricotta
Creating Heart Healthy dishes is a fun adventure for me. I feel like I have discovered a whole new cuisine! In this dish I use whole wheat pasta for the extra fiber, a green leafy vegetable, vegetable protein to replace pork sausage, and tofu to replace ricotta cheese. Eating vegetable-based meals several times a week helps me to control my cholesterol. And these meals are so satisfying, I don’t miss the meat or cheese.
Slice Smart Sausage on an angle. Brown in a non-stick skillet with a bit of canola oil. Meanwhile, cook whole wheat pasta in salted boiling water.
Heat olive oil in a pan, add a generous amount of minced garlic and red chile flakes. After about a minute add cleaned roughly chopped green chard. Sauté, covered, over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sea salt to taste.
Lemony Tofu Ricotta
Press one block of firm tofu through a potato ricer.
Mix the following ingredients with the tofu:
- 2 t. nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 t. lemon zest
- 1 T. olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Nutritional yeast flakes have a nutty-cheesy flavor, some think it tastes similar to Parmesan cheese.
We are so lucky to have fresh lemons!
When the chard is cooked, add spaghettini to the pan and toss together.
Plate the pasta chard mixture, top with Smart Sausage slices and a scoop of Lemony Tofu Ricotta for a super-satisfying heart healthy vegetable-based meal!
19 comments • Filed in: Heart Healthy
I just returned from sunny California, and I simply miss all of the fresh local fruits and vegetables that are available all year round! You are indeed lucky to have several citrus tress in your yard. I’ll have to try those smart sausages, this entree looks delectable!
Whoa, that is fantastic. I have to try that lemony tofu ricotta
I actually like veggie burgers and stuff, and the sausages do look good (don’t have the crumbly texture of Italian sausages, though).
This looks delicious! Love it with the chard!
oh my I have tried this and it is wonderful, especially for those of us batteling high Cholestral..My husband wasnt convinced since he is a flavor is fat person…I love the healthiness of this dish and it is wonderful, if we all started out this way no one would know its different, going backwards is the difficult thing….I love it!
Good luck to your husband. It is not low-fat, but it has healthy fats!
Firm tofu through a potato ricer: what a nice idea! Gorgeous photographs, as usual.
I am loving all of this – but are you sure I won’t miss the ricotta? The vegetables, yes! The sausage looks grand I actually do love vegetable-based sausages…. will need to try this to see how I fare. It all looks so stunning – you do indeed make me taste all with the eyes.
LL, you have been doing an outstanding job delving into healthy food. You make it look, sound and taste soooooo good!
Ohh… this looks so yummy… I just ate dinner but if u put this in front of me right now… I will definately finish it…
We are not vegetarians either but enjoy many meatless meals. I’ve being doing a lot with tofu, but have not yet tried it as a substitute for cheese – sounds interesting! Looks like a great meal.
Ever since my son turned 95% vegetarian I have felt compelled to follow suit: after all when he visits he consumes oodles amounts of food; that would be a perfect choice for all of us; thanks for pointing out these sausages, I had no idea such things were available! the pasta is fabulous with all the ingredients that we love around here, lemon, swiss chard, yes, yes,!!!
Lovely recipe! Iuse Field Roast vegan sausage but I have not used the one you used. The ricotta sounds fabulous!
Looks delicious, as usually, Lori Lynn. I’ve never been a fan of tofu, but I will have to give this a try (although I might just try it with ricotta!).
yum, delicious looking dish! i’ve never seen tofu used that way, very interesting.
a great and healthy dish.
LL,
Wow, what a pretty and healthy dish.
I love that you have been sticking to low cholesterol and lower fat main dishes.
I just discovered TVP and am thinking of making my own version of veggie sausages. The Ricotta looks like something I want to try. I love being creative and making great tasting food this way.
Very delicious ! Thanks for the wishes.
Love the tofu! There’s another site that has some great soy based recipes too: http://www.soyforlife.ca.
This recipe is awesome!