Category: Heart Healthy

Heart-Healthy Mango Tapioca Verrine

James Beard called tapioca pudding, “a most refreshing dessert…delicious to the taste.” This twist on the classic old-fashioned tapioca pudding recipe is heart-healthy and simply delightful!

Fat-free, cholesterol-free, and gluten-free yet creamy and satisfying this pudding pairs wonderfully with juicy fragrant colorful mango.

The cassava or tapioca plant is grown in the tropics and produces a fleshy edible root stock very rich in starch containing significant amounts of calcium, phosphorus and vitamin C. Starch is extracted from the cassava and formed into “pearls.”

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Garlicky Tahini Wilted Spinach

Fresh Spinach Tossed with Warm Tahini, Garlic, and Lemon
Garnished with Black & White Sesame Seeds

Packed with flavor as well as vitamins, minerals, and fiber. This is one delightful healthy satisfying side dish.

Tahini (Sesame Seed Paste)

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High Fiber Pasta e Ceci, Soup-Style

Back in December we made Frank’s recipe for Pasta e Ceci from his wonderful blog inspired by the home cooking of his Italian grandmother called Memorie Di Angelina. I had all the ingredients on hand; canned chickpeas, olive oil, garlic, pasta, vegetable broth, canned diced tomato, fresh rosemary, red chile flakes. Then in February we were equally impressed with Linda’s recipe for Zuppa di Ceci from her absolutely delightful blog about food and travel, Ciao Chow Linda.

I’ve enjoyed experimenting with the recipe for Italian chickpea soups. It’s high fiber and heart healthy, made with ingredients from the pantry plus fresh rosemary and garlic. The combination of these simple flavors produces an amazingly complex-tasting result. In about 15 minutes!

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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.

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