Cheese

September 23, 2011

Low-Sodium Spinach Leek Dip

Just in time for the weekend football lineup (there are games on Sunday, right?) here’s the second of my low-sodium, super healthy tailgate treats. And oh my goodies, is this one scrumptious. But don’t think I’ve lost my sense of modesty. It’s still right next to my love of watching horrible reality TV with my mother (a.k.a never going anywhere). No, no. The tastiness of this dish has nothing to do with me. I mean, I practically threw a bunch of delicious aromatics in a pan, mixed it with naturally tangy Greek yogurt, and called it a meal. Truly, the […]

September 19, 2011

Carrot “Cheddar” Chili

It is finally football season again. And even though that means Sunday afternoons (and my living room) have been taken over with grunts, guffaws, and (hopefully) giddy explosions of team spirit, it also means that my kitchen and belly are full of my favorite tailgating treats. In the short period between pre-season fun and the real deal, the likes of ribs, beans, dips, fries, and chips have all already made game-day appearances. And you better believe that these simple dishes are just a warm-up for the real masterpieces to come on my second favorite day of the year–the Super Bowl. […]

March 23, 2011

Low Sodium Taquitos

This is a Taquito tower. These are two taquitos, spooning side by side. And this was all that was left after the photo session. Here’s where the story begins: I’m eight. I’m hungry. And all I want to eat is a soft taco filled with spicy meat, crispy shreds of lettuce, cheese, and sour cream. Fast forward twenty years, and not much has changed. Except I’m taller. As a Bay Area native, eating Tex Mex was just part of life. Like believing in Santa (even as Jew), learning how to drive, or electing celebrities as Governor. If there was […]

January 31, 2011

Queso Fundido

Hello friends, as of late and longtime. This week we are training for the big event on Sunday – the Super Bowl – and we are starting with a dish that is loosely dedicated to Cheese Heads across the nation. Today, we are making a dip that will satisfy low sodium eaters and salty snackers alike. Today, we are putting the “o.k.” in queso and the “fun” in fundido. Traditionally, queso fundido is a creamy blend of cheeses that includes tomatoes, chorizo, and peppers and is often served with tortilla chips. So to make it low sodium, I needed to […]

November 22, 2010

Low-Sodium Mash

What you see above is not ground mustard or white pepper gone bad. Or gold. It is nutritional yeast. But we will have to come back to that in a moment. First, let’s talk about Thanksgiving and specifically about an important side dish: mashed potatoes. This one’s for you, Michelle. My mother is quite famous for her creamy, parmesan mashed potatoes. I remember eating them as a kid, scooping seconds and thirds onto my plate, and the only thing I can compare them to is a puppy with a mean streak – they are sweet and fluffy looking with a […]

August 23, 2010

You Say Potato, I Say Ricatto

This post begins with a lovely, late dinner at SF hot spot, Frances. Dim the lights, cue soft “yazz” music, and pour yourself a bottle of house wine. The densely packed, haute diner offers a slim menu of seasonal delights. And while impromptu creation of two sodium-free dishes blew me away – a refreshing consume of tuna, cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, herbs, and jalapenos and a bowl of perfectly roasted eggplant, zucchini, shredded basil, and tomatoes – it was really my dining partner’s plate of fluffy dream clouds (i.e. ricotta gnocchi) that had me drooling. Since I try to avoid being the […]

May 14, 2010

An Altered State of Mind

For some reason, we have no problem buying a pair of pants (that are obviously too long in the leg and trail dangerously past your shoes) and taking them to the local tailor to be shortened, cuffed, and fitted. But when it comes to following a recipe, we seem reticent (if not frightened) to change any detail to fit our needs, as if altering instructions from Julia Child’s cookbook is akin to telling Coco Chanel she got her pantsuit all wrong. But we have to get over that fear for two reasons: (1) adaptation is essential to low sodium cooking and […]

April 23, 2010

It's a Cracker, Jack

I’ve always been quite jealous, when watching TV cooking shows, to see chefs quickly whip up crispy, parmesan wafers, that add an inexplicable flare and crunch to even the most boring dishes. Like a Caesar salad. All it takes is a grater, a block of parm, and a non-stick baking sheet. But due to parmesan’s high sodium content, to make and enjoy this treat also requires a body that is not salt sensitive. So parmesan wafers were out. But as usual, when I’m told no, I become even more obstinate and determined to find a solution. It just so happened […]

December 16, 2009

Sticky Tummy Bread Pudding

Let’s start the morning with a shot of some beautiful, homegrown eggs. Cage free and totally enchanting with their varying shapes and colors. They were a most special gift from some good friends who are raising chickens of their own and I could not wait to use them. Well actually, I had no other choice. I am leaving for a bit of a holiday break and with two dozen eggs, a fresh loaf of no sodium bread, a whole block of Heluva good cheese, and a bunch of fresh kale, I was tasked to use up the goods as quickly […]

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 […]

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