Spaghettini with “Italian Sausage,” Green Chard, Lemony Tofu Ricotta

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!