another recipe for "my hero": vegan tuscan pasta
Advice on changing diets and walking paths, and a delicious low-sodium Tuscan pasta recipe
Before we get to today’s message, I just want to say thank you to everyone who emailed me or reached out on social media about the bat(s) in our house. I’m so happy you enjoyed the beginning this ongoing story. Part 2 is coming this weekend, and it’s not to be missed. 🦇 Click here for Part 1. Be sure to subscribe so that you don’t miss what happened after the bat… well… you’ll have to read it…
A question: Are you the type of person who can throw whatever is in your refrigerator into a pot or pan and produce dinner? Or do you need an exact recipe?
I have a few favorite meals that I simply throw together depending on what I have. Pasta is one of them, and sometimes—like this past Sunday night—I stumble upon a combination of ingredients that when thrown together is worth remembering for a future meal. So for you (and for future me), I’m going to list out the ingredients.
But first, an idea to re-energize your walks and how I decided on this particular combination of ingredients…
My husband and I are big walkers. And on weekends, we explore new areas or walk in places outside of our normal neighborhood. Sometimes we head off and go on an actual hike. Other times, we drive to a nearby town and walk around neighborhoods there. It’s fun to walk around old, established neighborhoods and look at pretty houses and gardens. I would say that makes us sound old, but we’ve been doing this for so many years, including when we were searching for a house to buy in our 20s. What better way to decide if you want to live in a particular neighborhood than to walk it on a Saturday or Sunday morning?
This past Sunday, I knew I wanted to hit a popular farmer’s market in Lexington, KY, to get some fruits and vegetables that are in season, so I enticed my husband to go with me with the promise that we would walk around one of our favorite neighborhoods, including taking a stroll through the University of Kentucky Arboretum.
Side note: The photo above is a memorial at the Arboretum for the people who perished on Flight 5191 in Lexington on August 27, 2006. 49 of 50 people on board died. One of the pilots was the only person who survived. I had indirect connections to several people on board, and I still get sad when I think about that day and the days after.
Anyway, we hit up the farmer’s market on Sunday for some zucchini, fresh corn on the cob, blackberries, blueberries, cantelope, and much more.
I love purchasing fresh produce with no idea of what I plan to make with it, but with the vow that none will get thrown out.
Now… remember last week when I shared my new favorite blueberry muffin recipe with you? One that is low in sodium for “my hero” who is required to eat a strict diet for Chronic Kidney Disease?
Well, I thought I would share with you a new recipe this week—one that I created on the fly after gathering fresh zucchini from the farmer’s market.
We’re going to call this one: My Hero’s Vegetarian/Vegan Tuscan Spaghetti. Here’s my non-professional food photo.
Ingredients (sorry the measurements aren’t exact, but you got this!)
Olive oil (we used a Tuscan blend olive oil, but you can use whatever you have)
Garlic & Herb Mrs. Dash (a teaspoon or so - this is salt-free!)
Italian Seasoning (1/2 a teaspoon or so)
Red Pepper flakes (1/2 a teaspoon or so to taste)
Black Pepper to taste
1 yellow onion
3 cloves minced garlic
2 small to medium zucchinis
3 to 4 handfuls of baby spinach (don’t make a big deal of it, just throw some in for the iron)
4 Beyond Meat sausage links (I talk about Beyond Meat below the recipe)
Alternatives to Beyond Meat: homemade chorizo tofu crumbles, cannellini beans, seitan, or leave out the “sausage” altogether. It’s fine! And it will be just as delicious without it. Promise!
Spaghetti or Linguini noodles or whatever noodles you prefer, Bow Tie would also work (Enough for 4 servings)
If you leave out the “sausage” above, you might want to use a higher protein pasta, depending on your protein needs.
Shredded Parmesan cheese to throw on top (To keep this meal vegan, you could use Nutritional Yeast instead.)
Instructions
In a large pan, cook Beyond Meat sausage links as directed. Once cooked, pull out, slice, and set aside. (See note below)
While sausage is cooking, boil water for noodles in a large pot.
In a large pan (same one you used for sausage, but cleaned), at medium heat, add olive oil to coat the bottom.
Chop onions and garlic, and add to olive oil.
Once onions and garlic have cooked for a few minutes, add zucchini.
Add Italian seasoning, Garlic & Herb Mrs. Dash, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Give that a stir.
Add noodles to boiling water.
Once onion and zucchini are cooked (don’t overcook the zucchini), add spinach. Then add sliced sausage back to pan. Let the sausage warm again while the spinach wilts.
When noodles are cooked, add them to the pan with sausage and vegetables. Add more olive oil and toss to coat.
Once everything is completely cooked and heated, serve with shredded parmesan or Nutritional Yeast.
Serves 4 (large portions).
Sodium: 547 mg
A note about the Beyond Meat Sausages:
Since “my hero” was placed on a low sodium diet at 19 years old and told to cut down on a lot of animal proteins, we have worked hard to eat a predominantly plant based, whole foods diet. These are HUGE changes for “my hero”. There is a large learning curve. And perfection is out of reach at this point. We’re working on it!
Beyond Meat Sausage is a highly processed meat alternative. However, it is plant based. The problem with highly-processed foods is that it tends to trend higher in sodium plus these foods often come with other added ingredients such as sugars, phosphorous, and possibly potassium. So you have to read labels. For us and for this meal, Beyond Meat Sausage was an okay choice because our main concern is sodium, and this didn’t harm our sodium numbers for the day. It is not a choice we will make often. In the future, we might try seasoned chorizo tofu or a can of cannellini beans inside this dish for a bit of protein. Or we might use a higher protein pasta and skip the meat alternatives altogether and just do a nice vegetable pasta. I’m just saying, this dish will be just as delicious without the sausage.
Look, if you are ever faced with diet being the only thing to help you thrive long-term, do the best you can. Talk with your doctors, dietitian, and others facing the same problems as you. I have discovered so many dietitians on Instagram and YouTube who have made it their mission to help people like “my hero” and me. But it is not easy!
Never stop reading labels and learning what is in your foods. We are definitely still learning, and probably will for a long time to come.
Have you or someone you love ever faced a major change in diet? How have you dealt with it? Are you eating low-sodium right now? I would love to hear your tips in the comments.
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My dad was on 5191 and I love to walk at the Arboretum and visit the beautiful monument! I eat a whole food plant based diet and it was a huge change when I made the switch, but it's gotten so much easier over the years. I love throwing things together from the farmers market, especially this time of year. I follow a number of people on YouTube and Facebook to get new recipes, but love to keep things simple. I mostly use beans for protein in order to keep the sodium low. Your pasta sounds yummy!