Hoping to impress your dinner guests with a well-presented meal? What if you could also let them know it’s good for their hearts? Well, you’re in luck!

Last night we hosted another one of our Heart Healthy Cooking classes – a monthly event during which a local chef teaches dozens of people from across the community a few heart healthy recipes. The March session was sold out – but we’re pretty nice here at Alegent, so we’ll still share a little for those of you who couldn’t make it!

Here’s Lazlo’s recipe for Heart Healthy Tomato & Smoked Gouda Bruschette:

     - 5 cups Roma tomatoes (remove seeds and dice fine)
     - 1 Tbsp. fresh garlic
     - 1/4 cup fresh basil, shredded
     - 1/4 tsp. salt (optional)
     - 1 tsp. black pepper
     - 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
     - 2 ounces smoked Gouda cheese (small dice)
     - 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
     - Slices of baguette French bread
     - Portobella mushroom caps (one 4 ounce cap per five slices of bread)

Combine everything except bread and mushrooms and refrigerate for 24 hours before use. To serve:

     1. Clean and remove stem of mushrooms. Grill until soft.
     2. Grill French bread until toasted and crispy.
     3. Slice Portabella mushroom thinly and divide evenly on the bread (one mushroom will         supply enough for five slices of bread).
     4. Top each slice with two tablespoons of tomato and Gouda mixture.

Nutrition Facts per serving:
Makes 16 servings – each slice with toppings is one serving
Calories – 58
Carbohydrate – 9 grams
Fiber – 1 gram
Fat – 1 gram
Saturated Fat - 0.6 gram
Trans Fat – 0
Protein – 3 grams
Sodium – 99 milligrams or (1.35 milligrams w/ added salt)

Find more heart healthy recipes here