Pasta dishes get a bad rep for being too carb heavy. And while this may be true, there is a way around it. You just have to be mindful of how much pasta you’re placing into your bowl and how much bread you eat with it.

“I can’t trust myself around bread and pasta so I avoid cooking or eating it at all costs”

This is a common healthy eating pitfall and I hear it far too often. It’s so sad because there’s a way to enjoy these things in moderation without having to give them up forever. It’s called balance:

1 cup pasta + ragu

1 slice of garlic bread

hearty side salad (greens, cucumber, radish, parsley, olives, oil and vinegar)

Balance is the key to happiness in eating. When we learn to balance our plate, we consume foods from several food groups and obtain health-promoting nutrients all along the spectrum. Balance will inevitably provide all the nutrients our bodies need to maintain health and a healthy weight. One you’ve mastered balanced, you leave restriction in the dust. For good.

Mushroom-Tempeh Ragu over Whole Wheat Angel Hair

serves ~4

What You Need

1.5 cups mushrooms, chopped

1/2 package (~3/4 cup) tempeh, crumbled

1 small yellow onion, chopped

6-8 cloves of garlic (don’t skimp on this!)

Handful fresh basil, roughly chopped

1/4 cup of dried oregano and thyme

2 TBS tomato puree

1-28 oz can crushed tomatoes

pinch of red chili flakes

1/4 cup red wine

2 TBS olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Extra basil and grated asiago for garnish

What To Do

1. Heat oil in large skillet or pot over medium heat. Once hot, add mushroom, tempeh and onion and sauté until onion is translucent, about 4-6 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

2. Add garlic, basil, and dried spices, and cook for another 3 minutes. Be careful not to burn the garlic.

3. Add red wine and cook until absorbed.

4. Once red wine is absorbed, add canned tomato products, red chili flake and another 2 pinches of salt. Cover with lid and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring periodically to be sure the sauce doesn’t burn on the bottom. If sauce becomes too thick, add a bit more red wine.

Tips:

Mushrooms: variety= flavor! The more varied you are in your mushroom selection, the more complex your sauce will taste

Choose whole wheat pasta for added fiber and protein.

Make your own garlic bread using whole wheat baguettes: slice baguette in half lengthwise and toast in the oven or on a grill. Peel and slice a garlic clove in half and rub the clove (sliced side down) all over the toasted baguette. Spread slices with butter or drizzle with olive oil.