November 2009

November 25, 2009

Get Stuffed

My tummy is rumbling in anticipation of my favorite day of the year…THANKSGIVING! And don’t be fooled, just because you are limiting your sodium intake this festive season, you do not have to miss out on any of the rich earthy flavors that make this holiday so memorable. I was reminded again last night, as I was cooking dinner for a group of 8 stranger – Moroccan stew, couscous, and a cauliflower salad with apple and fig chutney – that it is easy to build rich flavors without salt. The limitation of your ingredients will force you to become a […]

November 24, 2009

On the Road Again

Off again on another whirlwind adventure! I decided to make the most out of my Thanksgiving holiday on the east coast and head out a week early to visit my ladies who left the warmth of sunny California for the fall chill of Boston, DC, NYC and beyond. And I have to admit, although I am a Californian to the core, the holiday spirit combined with the comfort of bundling up has my heart singing show tunes. Three plane rides, a train, and endless house visits along the way, I knew I needed to prepare a slightly larger-than-usual snack pack […]

November 20, 2009

Check Out My Cheese

Usually I try to come up with a somewhat intriguing title. But this time, the subject was so exciting that I had to rush past the presentation and skip to the good stuff. I made cheese. No seriously, I did. All by myself. Most amazingly, it was really easy. And most surprisingly, people who usually eat salt, lots of it, liked it. So the scenario goes like this: like I said in my last post, I signed up to attend the Jam It session at 18 reasons on Thursday night at which jamming, pickling, and DIY-fooding enthusiasts and professionals gathered […]

November 18, 2009

Pick a Pickled Pepper

Or carrots. Or fennel. Or grapes. On Monday night, I rushed home with vinegar in hand to prepare for the 18 Reasons Jam It event as well as create some down-home gifts for my relatives in Philadelphia. It’s Turkey Time people, and nothing says “thank you” on Thanksgiving like a jar of pickles. Am I right? I know I am. Let me tell you this – sodium free pickling is not only possible, it is easy and can be even more thrilling than your typically transformed cucumber. Without salt, you become more creative with your seasonings and spices. And if […]

November 16, 2009

Battle Citrus, No Sodium

There is a lot coming up this week: home-made pickles, homemade cheese (hopefully), an appearance at 18 Reason’s “Jam It” event on Thursday, and a starters list on how to create your own scrumptious and salt free Thanksgiving meal. But while we wait for the pickles to pickle and for the cheese to curd and whey, I wanted to write a quick post about a groundbreaking event that occurred last March: Iron Chef Battle: Citrus, No Sodium The culinary smack down was the second in a series of two Iron Chef competitions, originally hosted by our good friends Kwame (who […]

November 13, 2009

Bacar

The niners beat the bears (in a heart attack inducing finish) and it was date night. How could this evening get any more magical? I’ll tell you. A fresh, thoughtful, earthy meal at Bacar. I called the restaurant around 3:00pm, when most begin answering their phones for dinner service, and made sure to forewarn of my dietary needs. They had walu on the menu (a meaty and juicy white fish) and I asked them to please save me a cut. I also made sure to have a few veggies left aside so that they were not parboiled in advance. Tip: […]

November 12, 2009

This Spud's for You

I think potatoes are (a) utterly delicious and (b) really confusing to spell. I like them fried, baked, sliced, in soups and stews … but mostly, I like them fried. At first, I thought it would be impossible to find low sodium or sodium free versions of these beloved potato products and I took to making my own sweet potato fries at home (which, if I say so myself, was not a bad substitute…recipe below). But I had completely underestimated the possibilities of no sodium/low sodium snacking and in almost 6 years of searching for a salt free French fry […]

November 11, 2009

Mmm Mmm Murray Circle

I have to admit, it felt pretty silly to travel less than 15 minutes for a one night staycation at Cavallo Point but the experience went beyond any expectations I had. First of all, the property (set in old Fort Baker buildings) does an extraordinary job of fitting in with its natural surroundings – gorgeous fields of long, sweeping grass; seats strewn about the property to sit and admire a sunrise or sunset; fire pits for late night chatting with fellow guests; and simple architectural designs so as not to distract from the natural beauty of the surrounding hills, wildflowers, […]

November 10, 2009

The Ultimate Kitchen Utensil

I mean this with all my heart when I say it. Everyone needs one. The glorious IMMERSION BLENDER (cue solo spotlight and angels singing) is the culinary gods’ gift to cooking. I mean, it is seriously the nicest thing those guys have done since inventing the spatula or maybe Mickey Mouse-shaped waffle irons. And I liken the creation of the immersion blender to the brilliance of Velcro shoes. They are both simple, time saving devices that also happen to look pretty awesome. Do you want one yet? Just wait. In 1950, a Swiss genius named Roger Perrinjaque invented the immersion […]

November 4, 2009

Let's Make This Personal

Check it out Sodium Girl lovers – I have finally set up an official gmail account (and figured out how to take a sweet screen shot of it – no big deal) so that you can directly send me your sodium-free cooking questions, requests for tips and tricks, or recommendations for friendly restaurants. Just sent a cyber note (also known as “email” to those of you who are super tech savy) to sodiumgirl@gmail.com and let me know what sodium-free quandary has been plaguing you. And please, keep date requests to a minimum, cause this lady is taken. Let the email […]

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