Food Shopping

November 15, 2010

Do You Fuyu?

While it may not feel exactly like fall (oh hey, 70 degrees and sunny in November), the market sure looks like fall. Oranges, reds, and tans line the produce aisle and all the fun, cool-weather fruit and veggies are just begging to be eaten. That’s how we find ourselves with the beautiful fuyu. Persimmon, that is. There are two types of these golden fruits that you will typically find in the grocery stores and markets: fuyu and hachiya. The fuyu is stumpier and looks more like a mini pumpkin. It can be eaten raw, like an apple, although most people […]

November 3, 2010

Backpacker’s Delight

Hiking boots. Check. Backpack. Check. Tent for two. Check. Emergency kit. Check, check, check (somehow I ended up with three – apparently you can never be safe enough). With piles of clothes and gear gathering on my bedroom floor, it seems like I am almost completely prepped for my upcoming adventure abroad. In a few weeks, I’m going down under for a trip unlike any other: thirty days of outdoor fun from fishing, to kayaking, to hiking through fields, mountains, and even glaciers. New Zealand, here I come. Now, a month-long vacation takes a lot of work for anyone, healthy […]

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 […]

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 […]

September 20, 2010

I Want My Baby Back

Is that a Jackson Pollock painting? Well I’m flattered, but the answer is no. Although I’ve always been known to have incredible creative talent. See childhood refrigerator. This masterpiece is in fact a succulent, low-sodium rack of BBQ pork ribs that I made in a flash (cooking confession: the preparation time was about 10 minutes, the effortless cooking time was an hour and a half, and cleanup took only ten minutes as well) in honor of the 49ers opening day. In yet another tale of low-sodiu tailgating, I knew I wanted something juicy, smokey, and manly to bite into before […]

August 25, 2010

Buy Me Some Peanut and Cracker Jacks

Hot dogs, burgers, and garlic fries – these were the treats that lured me to stadium seats when I was younger. I longed for the glutinous, processed, and salty flavors of ballpark fare and as such, I happily accompanied my father to any game that was accompanied by ketchup and squirt bottle of nacho “cheese.” My affair with these lip-smacking snacks, however, did not last forever. When my kidneys quit seven years ago, so did my fast-food addiction. But my love for a sports outing on a sunny (or recently, foggy) day? That remained strong. It was easy for me […]

August 16, 2010

Sometimes You Feel Like A Nut, Sometimes You Don't

First came Justin’s: a simple solution for the peanut butter obsessed. These individual packages of nutty goodness are great for snacking, traveling, even packing your kid’s lunch. And although the cute logo and even cuter website seems to be amazing enough, the best part of Justin’s is that the almond and peanut butter pouches also happen to be absolutely sodium free. So, for the majority of you readers, this is jump-up-and-shout good news. But, if you happen to be like me, a sodium AND nut free girl (yes, I am allergic to macadamias, almonds, pea, wal, and anything else that […]

August 11, 2010

Sweet Thang

I love a Red Vine, a Twizzler, and even the absurdly long Red Rope. But all these licorice treats, whether twisted or pull n’ peel, contain too much sodium – usually around 50 to 100 mg per pop. So I let go of my licorice dreams and focused on other sweet nibbles, like dark chocolate and gummy candy, which generally fall into low sodium safe zone. But then, after years of longing for just one herbaceous bite of this magical candy, a low sodium cowboy unexpectedly rode into my life (slash grocery store) and came to the rescue. Turns out, Newman’s Own […]

August 6, 2010

Highfalutin and High Flying

If it seems I am a bit punchy this morning, well I think it is because I am drunk with anticipation. I am about to head off to the airport to board one of Virgin America’s swanky 70’s lounge flyers (which always makes you want a cocktail and a disco ball at 7am) and join my friends in Southern California to celebrate a most special day – Miss Davies’ Wedding! Beyond the normal excitement, I will also be acting as the officiant – or the Pope as I like to refer to myself – so I am most definitely filled […]

July 16, 2010

Low-Sodium Pickled Beet Salad

For all of you who love the new “Biting Mr. Bittman” series, I have exciting news. I’m expanding it! Yes, it’s true. After consulting with my business development team (aka KMLake), I’ve decided to announce a new, weekly series called Salt-Free My Recipe. It’s like Pimp My Ride but for food. Without salt. And a lot fewer hub caps and decals. But there is a catch – it requires your participation. Just like Mr. Bittman has (unknowingly) been submitting his recipes to Sodium Girl for salt-free transformations, now you can send your favorite dishes to SG for a sodium-free make-over […]

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