Everything in Moderation

I'm so confused. I try to keep up with all of the most current advice on diet and nutrition and all that good stuff but it's hard, isn't it? Last I heard, fat was back in, but only good ones, the USDA food pyramid is now an upside down conical cylinder and carbs are still the devil unless they're 100% whole grain in which case you'll die later this week if you don't eat enough of them.

I don't know what to make of it. I try to make sure that the vast majority of the meals I make here at home are low in fat and sodium, high in both protein and vegetables and yet still delicious but sometimes that feels like trying to recreate the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel with the little 3-pack of crayons they give kids at TGI Fridays. It's enough to make you start trying to pass mac 'n' cheese off as a vegetable. Plus, sometimes it's just nice to eat something for no other reason than it tastes wonderful. Is that so wrong?

In this particular instance, it isn't wrong at all. Please read on and whip up this delicious pasta dish anytime you want because it is fast and easy and healthy and scrumptious. Notice its lean protein, whole grain carbs, green leafy vegetables and hard cheese, imparting flavor and calcium yet very little fat. Look at you eating healthy! Good work!

Of course, now my problem is that this "sauceless" pasta is so delicious and balanced that I am overzealous and my issue with portion control rears its ugly head again. It doesn't matter how good for you it is if you eat a 1/2 pound of it. It's always something, isn't it? The war with nutrition wages on, but at least we've won the dinner battle.

Spicy Sausage Pasta

Ingredients:
One 14 - 16 ounce box whole grain or nutrient enriched pasta (like Barilla Plus)
One 20 ounce package Hot Italian Turkey Sausage
3 - 4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp red pepper flake (or more to taste)
the zest of 1 lemon
the juice of 1/2 lemon
5 - 6 cups or more fresh arugula (it's a veg-e-ta-ble)
1/2 c. freshly grated hard Italian cheese like parmesean, romano or asiago

1/2 - 2 c. reserved pasta water, as needed

Instructions:
Bring water to boil to cook pasta per the manufacturer's recommendations. While the pasta is cooking, remove the sausage from its casings and crumble while cooking over medium-high heat. The goal is small crumbles. Since turkey sausage releases so little fat, you may choose to use a little cooking spray to get things going. Once the turkey is entirely browned, clear a little space in the middle of the pan and add the garlic and red pepper flake and bring it up to heat, about 1 minute. Keep it moving so the garlic doesn't scorch! Add the lemon zest and a squeeze of the lemon juice...feel free to use more if you like. Add a ladle-full of the starchy water from the boiling pasta and let it reduce down, stirring all the while. Repeat as necessary to give the sausage mixture a little body; just don't add so much that the mixture seems watery. The starch will help the sausage mixture to adhere to the pasta a bit better.

Drain the pasta and return it to its pot. Drop the arugula over the hot pasta. Working quickly, pour the sausage mixture over top and toss everything together to combine well. Immediately sprinkle the pasta with freshly grated cheese and toss to combine once more. The arugula really shrinks down to nothing but is scarcely cooked so it holds its nutrients...feel free to add more.

Serve pasta immediately. Like so many pastas, this one is even better the next day. Cherish your leftovers.