Lunch (at home)

June 13, 2014

Salt-Free Chunky Carrot Dressing

Carrots aren’t just for rabbits. Or dips. Or stews. Or over-steaming in microwaves. Fresh carrots are a thing of beauty. They actually come in a rainbow of colors, which will easily jazz up a raw veggie party platter. And they are pretty much “in season” all year long. Which you can’t say for asparagus or cherries or white pants. Best of all, carrots are higher in natural sodium than most whole ingredients. It charts in at 50mg per large carrot. Seriously. Take a look at a bottle of carrot juice the next time you’re at the market. Which is why they […]

May 29, 2014

Cauliflower Rice and Corn Salad

Hold your lunch, things are about to change. Forever. I recently discovered the wonders of cauliflower rice, a darling of Paleo, raw, and vegetarian diets alike. And now, a darling of mine too. It’s a super creative solution for grain-free versions of things like sushi rice or couscous tabbouleh. You know, things like that. And while I was skeptical at first, after giving it a cauliflower rice salad try, I’ve become seriously obsessed. Not just because it is easy and surprisingly filling. But also because, once you ‘ve made it, there are so many ways you can use it. And note: even though […]

May 2, 2014

Avocado Sesame Dressing

I refused to eat avocados for a long time. Which now seems just weird and wrong. But when I was younger, the fact that they were green and mushy perked up all my childhood taste bud fears. But then, some creamy avocado dip landed in my mouth one day and everything changed. And I realized avocado’s are Mother Nature’s way of telling you to just go ahead and treat yourself. Which is what I want you to do this weekend. With this Thai-inspired cucumber and papaya salad, smothered in a very special Avocado Sesame Caesar Dressing inspired by Gaby Dalkin‘s […]

April 4, 2014

Low-Sodium Croque Madame

Today, we head to France. In first grade, I got to choose between Spanish or French classes. This was at a moment in my life where I had just learned to tie my own shoes and ride a bike. But was still totally dependent on my elders when it came to things like bathing, eating, and pretty much getting anywhere besides my front driveway. And it was at this exact moment, when I barely started to scratch the surface of big things to come, that I was given the great responsibility of choosing a foreign language. A choice that would […]

March 26, 2014

Falafel Wraps

There are two big lessons that I want to impart to you today: first, cabbage makes an amazing, low-sodium pita replacements and second, cooking with dried chickpeas is kind of amazingly more amazing than using the canned kind. Now I’m all for convenience. Trust me on this. I’ll happily buy peeled garlic, no-salt-added canned tomatoes, and pre-mixed no-salt spice blends. Anything that makes me low-sodium life and cooking easier. And when it comes to beans, I’ve never, I repeat, NEVER used the dried kind. I always rely on the trusty no-salt-added pre-cooked version and a can opener. But yesterday, I […]

January 30, 2014

Salt-Free Super Steam Buns

Happy almost Super Bowl Chinese New Year. If you’ve never celebrated before, it’s a very special time of year where people eat dumplings and chicken wings all in the same weekend. Or at least, that’s what is happening in my house. And if you’ve been on the Internet lately you’ve probably been bombarded with different recipes for dim sum, pot stickers, and egg rolls, all loaded with high sodium products (including those ready to use wrappers). Which is why I made something special for you: SUPER SALT-FREE STEAMED BUNS. All so you can celebrate, of course. First things first, I […]

December 18, 2013

Southwestern Quinoa Bowl

Right now, the world is filled with caramels, fruit loafs, chocolate covered what-nots, and sugar plum fairies. Everywhere I look, I see sweets and breads and sweet breads. And I’m definitely not complaining about this. It’s my favorite time of year and I enjoy every bite of it. But since the holidays bring with them a major candy and carb rush, it’s nice to find some balance in between all the parties and glasses of bubbles. And by balance I mean a Southwestern Quinoa Bowl, complete with homemade BBQ dressing. And blue corn chips. Yep, balance. It’s a lighter, healthier, more […]

November 6, 2013

Greens, Eggs, and Kale French Toast

Let’s talk about leftovers. Kale pesto leftovers, to be exact. After hosting three, yes THREE, parties last weekend, I had two big cups of kale pesto leftovering in my fridge. And after inserting the kale pesto remains into pastas and potatoes and potato pastas, I still had half a dozen globs or so to play with. Which brings me to toast. French toast, to be exact. Typically, french toast is made with a mixture of eggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and perhaps a pinch of cinnamon and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. In sum: it’s sweet. But as you […]

October 9, 2013

Chinese Five Spice Quinoa Meatballs

When’s the last time you had an Chinese Quinoa Meatball? TRICK QUESTION! Because the answer is probably never, because I totally just made them up. (Please note: no official research was done to confirm this statement). So I guess the better question then is WHEN will you eat a Chinese Quinoa Meatball? Let’s just make that a resounding, SOON! Because these meatballs are the perfect metaphor for satisfying low-sodium living. They’re all about not just losing the salt and sodium, but replacing them with interesting, intriguing, and attractive tastes. Taking salty ducks and turning them into gorgeous low-sodium swans. Or […]

September 27, 2013

Kidney Friendly Pumpkin Quesadillas

Fall. It’s the time of year that people go totally bonkers over pumpkin. Pumpkin spiced lattes. Pumpkin muffins. Pumpkin perfume. Pumpkin colored pants. Pumpkins in windows, on doorsteps, and pretty much every which way you look. Which leads me to this announcement: It’s officially gourd season, people, and we want to be a part of it. So I started thinking of new ways to get more pumpkin in my food and my life. Because as a kidney-friendly and low-sodium ingredient (both in the canned and fresh forms), it will help you spice up and switch up favorite recipes. Of course, there’s […]

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