Weeknight Easy

April 23, 2012

Low-Sodium Kimchi Umami Burger

Did you ever think you’d see all those words together in the same sentence? Well believe it. Because it’s here. The low-sodium, salt-free kimchi umami burger. A creation that takes any notion that low-sodium food has to be tasteless and boring and gives it a karate chop in the pants. But let’s back up. Because I can’t take complete credit for this tower of power. Although I did make everything — from the buns to the BBQ ketchup — by hand. Just for the record. Before these burgers landed in my kitchen, their journey began in LA, where one dude [...]

April 12, 2012

Low-So NOJO Avocado Salad

Picture this: The dim light of bulbs and moon beams bounces off the recently rained streets of San Francisco’s cultural axis point: Hayes Valley. And tucked away from post-Symphony rush hour and late-night staples sits NOJO, a Japanese restaurant that makes traditional cuisine with careful hands. But no California rolls. Meaning “farm,” Nojo combines the art of yakitori (things on sticks) with izakaya (traditional bar food) and of course, fresh local ingredients. Like crisp asparagus topped with pink easter radishes and a hen-fresh egg. Or chewy duck neck sprinkled with the chef’s personal stash home-dried and crushed cayenne pepper. An [...]

April 10, 2012

SAVEUR This

Have you heard about all the crazy things you can do with salt? According to the book, Solve it With Salt, you can put that salt shaker to work to: remove water stains from your porcelain tub (if you have one); make grease, red wine, and ketchup disappear from your rug; shine up your favorite brass candleholders; clean up oven spills (in place of smelly, toxic cleaners); razzle dazzle art projects with home-made salt glitter; keep ants out of your house; and soak up that smelly odor from your shoes. But are you also aware of the number of crave-worthy [...]

March 28, 2012

Low-Sodium Citrus Pasta

What do you do with a bushel of grapefruit, oranges, and lemons? If you said juice, that’s a great idea (and, yes please, I’d love a glass). If you said pasta, that’s even better (and I’ll take a whole bowl, thank you). I can’t take credit for this idea. It’s genius. I was actually served citrus pasta while dining out at one of my favorite local restaurants: Firefly. They always do me right with incredibly thoughtful, salt-free food. And this bowl of noodles proved to be no different–and, I mean, I’m talking giant soup bowl that was twice the size [...]

March 22, 2012

Secret Low-Sodium White Sauce

Shhh. I’m going to let you in on a little secret. White sauce. It’s usually made of milk, cheese, butter, and other ingredients that can be full of sodium. But here’s what people don’t know. And please, try to contain your reaction as we don’t want to draw attention to this news. White sauce doesn’t need milk, cheese, or butter. (Are you sitting down?) White sauce can actually be made with one, simple ingredient: Cauliflower. Steamed cauliflower that gets pureed with a little bit of water and, if you’re feeling up to it, a head of roasted garlic. Amazingly, the result [...]

March 20, 2012

Low-Sodium Red Lentil Soup

I’ve got a case of the stressies today. The kind where the to-do list just never seems to get to-done. Where the laundry piles up as soon as I fold the last load. The papers I meant to file in 2011 are now buried under the ones I mean to file in 2012. I’m still answering emails from last November. And let’s not even talk about the ones that have come in since then. It seems like the only thing I’ve been able to finish in a timely fashion is the first book of the Hunger Games. (So good) And [...]

March 16, 2012

Low-Sodium Thousand Island Sliders

A few interesting things happened this morning. I lugged every piece of heavy cooking equipment out of the cabinets. Food processor. Stand up mixer. Blender. I covered my kitchen in flour. I whipped up salt-free burger buns in less than an hour. Really. And I totally dominated an all veggie, low-potassium, low-sodium slider with low-sodium drippy and delicious thousand island dressing. A recipe that not only completes this week’s run of drive-through makeovers for Nick Cannon. But also lends itself perfectly to introducing you to a low-sodium reuben sandwich recipe (made by my amazing sis-in-law and her boy-toy) that you can enjoy this [...]

March 8, 2012

Low-Sodium Corn Poblano Posole

When thinking about making posole, two things may seem to pose a challenge: time and the hominy. Now the whole “time” thing really isn’t much of an issue. While this recipe may seem complicated, it really just involves sticking things (peppers, chicken, soup) in pots and pans and letting them heat and cook. There’s no risotto-like ball-and-chain action here. Once you plop those ingredients in your cooking decive, you can seriously let them do their thing. On their own. While you do yours. So as for time? We’ve got that one covered. But hominy. That’s a challenge of a different [...]

February 23, 2012

2012 Love Your Heart Recipe Rally

Let’s begin with the facts and the numbers, because that’s a very good place to start: The recommended daily sodium intake for a healthy American is 2,300mg, which equals 1 teaspoon of salt The recommended daily sodium intake for over 50% of adults (due to health problems, age, and other needs) is 1,500mg, which equals just over 1/2 teaspoon of salt Nine out of 10 Americans (that’s 90%) eat more than the recommended daily intake of sodium, averaging over 3,300mg (and if you really consider the soy-sauced sushi, chorizo burrito, and milk swamped cereal…that number clilmbs even higher) More than 800,000 [...]

February 16, 2012

On Top of Low-Sodium Spaghetti Squash

I really love a deeply meaty pasta sauce. There is something about lusciously simmered tomatoes mixed with browned chunks of beef (or pork in this case) and a sprinkle of fresh herbs that is just irresistible. To the point that I would almost rather eat the entire pot of pasta sauce rather than deal with those pesky noodles getting in the way. Waiting for them to boil is just too much. A spoon will do. Thank you. But when you add the delicate strings of spaghetti squash, which turn and tumble around a fork just like spaghetti should, suddenly, the [...]

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