Appetizers

August 9, 2013

Zucchini Tortilla Bites

There are exactly three things I am super good at: 1) putting two words together to make one new word; 2) feeding friends during spontaneous gatherings, and 3) finding awesome substitutes for high-sodium ingredients. And low and behold, all three of these highly-useful talents have finally come together in one small bite of food. The Zucchini Tortilla Bite. It’s a snappetizer (snappy appetizer) that can be easily thrown together when unexpected guests arrive, wowing everyone with the pure geniusness (and tastiness) of stringy, melty zucchini used in place of salty cheese. So I’m going to keep it short and spicy this […]

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July 25, 2013

Salt-Free DIY Dumplings

You better believe that a little soy sauce wouldn’t stop me from DIYing one of the most enviable bites around town: dumplings. Because if you’re like me, your relatives LOVE dim sum and as a result, you’ve spent a lot of time soaking in the sights and smells of these savory Asian bites. Dreaming of having a pile of salt-free dumplings to call your own. I’ve spent years now waiting, watching, and researching all in the name of recreating these tastes at home. And recently, thanks to one of my favorite food site, theKitchn.com  (if you don’t go there regularly, […]

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March 1, 2013

Eat, Meet, Write

I’m overwhelmed. Not in the stressy way. But in the “oh my god this is what makes life so grand” kind of way.  Because over the last two weeks, I’ve had the amazing opportunity to meet so many of you out there in the blogosphere. I’ve heard your stories. We’ve swapped low-sodium recipes. We’ve even had a hug or two hundred. And I’m blown away by the amazing low-sodium community that exists. And they waves that, together, we are creating in the culinary and health world. We’re changing the look of salt-free food, people. And things are only going to […]

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February 11, 2013

2013 Love Your Heart Recipe Rally

Let’s begin with the facts and the numbers, because that’s always 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 almost double the recommended daily intake, averaging over 3,500mg per day (and if you really consider the soy-sauced sushi, chorizo burrito, and milk swamped cereal…that number climbs even higher and adds […]

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February 11, 2013

Pigs In Salt-Free Blankets

I’m not going to waste much time here, because we have some little piggies who are cold and need to be wrapped in blankets. STAT. But I will take a moment to explain why I decided to makeover this little party treat. Between the piggy (mini hot dogs) and the blankets (prepared croissant rolls), one serving can equal over 1,760mg of sodium, more than the 1,500mg daily recommended intake for most Americans. And you haven’t even added in ketchup and other dipping sauces. Not to mention that these are appetizers, which means there is a whole sodium-filled meal waiting to be consumed […]

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November 7, 2012

I’m Back Broccoli Dip

So I had a heart-to-heart with a bushel of broccoli the other day. And here’s the deal — it’s tired of artichoke and onions getting all the attention. Understandable. And with all the football games and family gatherings coming up I figured this was a good time to switch things up a bit and show those tiny little green trees some love. By whipping them into a dip, of course. Now since this is my first post since bringing home my baby eggplant (pictures coming soon), I am a little rusty and I’ll have to keep this quick. But isn’t […]

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August 22, 2012

Salt-Free Oyster Mushroom Calamari

No. There’s no greater word in the dictionary. See? I just used it twice. And before you can say no to that claim, let me explain. Remember when you were little and your parents told you, “no,” and then you answered, “why not?” to which they replied, yet again, “no” and then the “no” and “why not” rally began, finally ending with you tiring out your parents and eating that strawberry shortcake popsicle instead of a nap? Remember that? Well that was the beginning of falling in love with “no.” Because, you see, even from early on you understood that “no” […]

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August 1, 2012

Good Taste and Good Dip

Good taste. In fashion, this means not wearing hammer pants with a bolo tie. In manners, this means not gawking at that guy wearing hammer pants with a bolo tie. And in food, well this is where it differs a bit. Good taste might just mean being daring enough to pair the culinary equivalent of hammer pants (zucchini) with a bolo tie (peaches) to discover newfangled, unimaginable ways to create flavor and excite the palate. This is where Karen Palmer enters. (Enter: Karen Palmer) As a past colleague at DailyCandy and a recipient of a culinary degree, she defines refinement, […]

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July 25, 2012

Baked Grapes, An Olive Alternative

I read books. As long as you count Fifty Shades of Grey. But my preference for literature lies strongly in culinary novels. Of every kind. Cookbooks, blogs, and most definitely magazines. And yesterday, I splurged. I bought four food glossies and spent an afternoon poring over every word. Every recipe. Every picture. And then I found this: Baked grapes. I thought my pickled cherries were a snazzy party trick. But man, Sunset magazine really raised the bar for olive substitutions. And when you pull these out at your next cocktail night or brunch with friends, you too will set a […]

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July 20, 2012

Salt-Free Banh Mi Oh My

This is for reals. But this is not for you. I know that it looks like this is for you. It should be for you. But trust me. It is not for you. This recipe is actually for that guy, or gal, who hears the words “salt-free” and almost passes out from boredom. It’s for that person who feels paralyzed by shock and awe that you eat food (presumably) without any taste, that probably looks like cardboard. It’s for all those people who have forgotten that hundreds of other spices, herbs, vinegars, jams, and ingredients too hot and spicy to […]

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