October 2010

October 28, 2010

A Pumpkin in the Oven

Last weekend was filled with one huge celebration after another. It was homecoming,my friends got engaged, and five years out of college…we are having our first baby! And by we, I don’t mean my manfriend and I, but my friend Dyani, her husband, and the rest of our girl gang. Baby doesn’t know it yet, but he has ten moms. Lucky boy. So to ring in the little muffin, we decided to take over our sorority house (sorry ladies and thanks for the punch) and throw Dyani a proper shower. And by proper I mean cakes made from diapers (see [...]

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October 27, 2010

Salt-Free My Recipe: Mama's Enchiladas

A few weeks ago, I received the following, lovely letter from Sodium Girl reader Cindra Fox: Dear Sodium Girl, I’m on a low-sodium diet to prevent complications from migraines. I’ve been on it for over a year now and have found a whole new world of food and flavor that I ignored back when I could just grab a burger at the closest drive-through. What I miss the most, though, is Mom’s famous enchiladas. I’m half-Mexican and we would make these at least once a week. Now it’s been over a year since I’ve had them. But here’s the catch: [...]

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October 25, 2010

Garbanzos on a Boat

This post goes out to all the moms and dads in the house. Holler parental units. With the school year well on its way, I thought it would be fun to revisit a classic lunch snack and give it a bit of a Sodium Girl makeover. Who didn’t eat Ants on a Log as a kid? Whether it was provided as fuel while hiking through Muir Woods or as a fun treat to enliven that lunch box, Ants on a Log was not only delicious, but fun to put together. It was one of the few childhood moments when you [...]

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October 21, 2010

Sunchoke Salutations

Happy Thursday everyone! Yes, I know that it is odd to see a post from me today but I have to make up for my lack of one yesterday. I apologize for the delay – I was preoccupied with doctor visits and as much as I wanted to talk about the delicious dish you see above, I just didn’t have the time. Excuses, excuses. But this morning, I do. And as I am hopped up on ample cups of caffeine – thank goodness coffee is sodium free – I’m ready to dig into the long-awaited recipe for sunchoke hash. Before [...]

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October 18, 2010

Redefining Flavor

Pardon me as I step on my soapbox. Today, I am excited to announce my first, truly editorial piece on CivilEats.com which explores salt policy and the state of the American palate. You may be shocked to hear me say this, but here’s the truth: for most people, salt has a place in the kitchen. True, there is a large population of people who, for health reasons, must shake the shaker – myself included. Over 75 million Americans over the age of twenty are currently diagnosed with hypertension. For a great percentage of this group – as well as those who [...]

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October 13, 2010

A New Groove

A low sodium education is a life-long project. Even after seven years of constant research, reading, and experimentation, I still find myself learning about new products (with no salt!) and discovering that others (which I’ve enjoyed for some time) have a higher sodium content than I would expect. Case and point: fruit juice. Now, a smart lady or gentleman (like myself) would most likely figure that fruit juices – which one assumes contains some fruit – would be virtually low in sodium, if not sodium free. But here’s the surprising truth: (a) many bottled juices do not actually contain real [...]

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October 11, 2010

Eats Shoots and Leaves

Good morning Sodium Girl readers. After a fun-filled, fall weekend (eek!) spent prowling the farmers markets, I have a few new items for your grocery lists, the first of which is the sweet, tendrilled plant you see above. Sodium Girl readers, say hello to the latest tool in your low sodium flavor arsenal – say hello to pea shoots. These often disregarded leaves of the pea plant pack a lot of flavor in their delicate bite. They are sweet like snap peas and creamy like spinach. They can be eaten raw or cooked, and a quick sizzle in hot sesame oil [...]

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October 8, 2010

Unusual Pearings

I had the pleasure of low sodium lunching yesterday at the always creative, always delicious Boulette’s Larder. With a table outside, ferry boats pulling into harbor, and Blue Angels soaring overhead, it was the most idyllic setting imaginable. And not to be outdone, the food was equally mind-blowing. What I love most about Boulette’s Larder is that head chef and owner, Amaryll Schwertner, truly celebrates ingredients in their most simple form. Dishes are not spectacular because of foams or foie gras or some other form of culinary acrobatics. They food is good – no, it’s great – because she matches [...]

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October 6, 2010

Chicken Fried Potatoes

To start, let me clarify something: I never said my food (or my restrictions) were about cutting the fat. That would be just plain silly. Because, in cutting out salt, my main goal is to find other healthy ways to heighten taste and flavor. And fat, when used in non-Paula Deen portions, is fine for the body and even better for food. So when you have an opportunity to use natural, tasty fats in your cooking, seize them. And this my friends is how we come upon these two pieces of oven-crisped chicken: Think it looks scrumptious? Trust me, it was. [...]

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October 4, 2010

Hot Off the Press

I found something quite exciting at Whole Foods last week and no, it wasn’t sodium-free macaroni and cheese. Instead, the surprise (and internal glee) came from the magazine rack – not the grocery store shelf – where I found the latest issue of Living Without Magazine which had…drumroll please…my article inside! Read ‘em and eat. The point of this post, though, is not to call attention to my own words (although, I did just do that). But to use this moment of printed satisfaction to call attention to the other wonderful writers and web providers who are also turning  ”living [...]

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