March 2010

March 30, 2010

Hi Ho Hummus

As we continue our journey through Moroccan cuisine, there is one Mediterranean staple that cannot be left off the menu: hummus and pita bread. Lucky for my blogger friends and I, the ladies from Farm & A Frying Pan whipped up a mean batch of both. Now, if you are anything like me, you have tried to make hummus many times.  Whether you decide to eat it as dip or slather on a sandwich, hummus is the perfect quick fix for a lunch or pot luck party. And with five simple ingredients – chickpeas, lemon, tahini, garlic, and parsley – [...]

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March 29, 2010

Morocco Had a Little Lamb

Let’s kick off this week with a simple dish that features one of Spring’s finest cuts of meat: lamb. As an “appetizer” for our Moroccan Feast, we decided to begin with something light.  Which in my world translates into a lamb stew cooked in orange juice, mint, and a bevy of other spices.  Served, of course, with a cool cucumber and yogurt salad.  It’s a palette cleanser fit for vikings. The trick, to making the lamb as succulent as it sounds, lies in two key steps: (1) marination and (2) slow cooking.  So this recipe does take patience, but little [...]

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March 26, 2010

A Moroccan Good Time

Mix two cups of couscous with a pound and a half of cubed, lamb stew meat and a few food loving friends and what do you get?  The second installment of the Cook Club and a Moroccan feast fit for a king.  Or at least four ladies who love to eat. After Ms. Anne Pao, of SF Tao of Pao, and I successfully dominated a Puerto Rican menu two weeks ago, we decided to put our aprons and thinking caps back on and attempt round two.  As a sucker for all things spicy, we picked Morocco as our next culinary [...]

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March 25, 2010

Old Spoon, New Trick

One of my favorite magazines is Real Simple and one of my favorite sections is where the editors show you how to use old appliances to do new things.  For example, wrap rubber bands around your easter eggs before dipping in dye to make perfect patterns.  Brilliant, right?  Or turn the back side of an old, scratched pan into a magnet board and hang in your kitchen.  A little more work, but still, pure genius. The point is, as much as a love William Sonoma and even that airplane magazine with the useless “inventions” – like a dog bowl that [...]

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March 23, 2010

Risotto Cakes

I am sucker for texture.  As a low sodium cook, it is essential to trick the senses with an unusual spice or unexpected crisp.  When someone is overcome by food that is exciting, they do not have the time to miss the salt.  It’s like a magician distracting the audience from noticing the cards already tucked up his or her sleeve. When it comes to noodles and rice, I also love to have a bit of broiled crunch on the top. Whether it is mac and cheese or in this case, risotto, the oven-fried pieces make the traditional “mushiness” all [...]

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March 22, 2010

Be A Boar

Today’s post is brought to you by Boar’s Head.  Well, not in the traditional sense – no advertising money here – but this deli meat powerhouse is launching an “assault on salt” and they want you to know about it. Boar’s Head understands that keeping a low sodium diet is difficult.  With over 2,300 mg of sodium in one teaspoon of salt, it is easy to reach your upper daily limits, especially when noshing on prepared goodies.  But these foods – like a delicious sub sandwich – are quick to purchase, making lunch and life easier. So instead of sayingy [...]

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March 19, 2010

The Grand Finale

Today, our Hawaiian journey comes to an end.  Time to pack up your bags and head back home to oven cooked risotto cupcakes and Moroccan lamb. What?  That’s not what you’re planning to make next week?  Cause I am. But before we close out this chapter of our low sodium Hawaiian adventure, I have one last recipe that will really set your tongues wagging and heart racing.  Low sodium, Char Sui Spare Ribs.  This is that illustrious, unnaturally colored Chinese pork meat that always sends a pang of jealousy my way.  Whenever Boy and I take a shopping excursion to [...]

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March 18, 2010

Island Sides

Today, we continue our expedition into the world of low sodium Hawaiian cuisine.  But first, a spoiler alert: Friday brings a big bang of a recipe for drippy, delicious, fall-off-the-bone Char Sui Spare Ribs.  So leave your restraint and dignity at the door and grab yourself a bib for this one.  Until then, I’m tiding you over with some low sodium Island sides that are as essential to a complete Hawaiian meal as a tropical drink with a miniature umbrella. First, Coconut Black Rice, or as it is also called, “Forbidden Rice.”  This black grain turns a deep purple when [...]

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March 16, 2010

Kalua Pork – An Interpretation

I am a big fan of a luau and one of the most well-known dishes served at these celebrations is the famed Kalua pork.  You just can’t have a luau without one – it’s almost as important as hula dancing.  Almost. The word kalua literally means “cooked in an underground oven” and this is how the pork is traditionally prepared.  Hot lava rocks lined with large banana leaves are used to form the underground oven, called an “imu.”  Then, a salted pig is placed inside, covered with more banana leaves, a burlap sack, and dirt, and left to steam all [...]

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March 15, 2010

Pupus, Pineapple, and Punch

Well if you haven’t guessed already…ALOHA and welcome to Hawaiian week on Sodium Girl.  The spring weather is beginning to creep in and with a few sunny days under my belt, I am itching to get to the beach and soak up some fresh air, and perhaps a few tropical drinks.  To celebrate the longer days of sunshine and lazy weekends ahead, I thought I’d hop off the mainland for a bit and try out some low sodium versions of island classics. Before we launch into spare ribs and papaya coleslaw, a bit of background first.  Hawaiian food tends to [...]

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