Snacks

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 [...]

March 13, 2012

Low-Sodium Nuggets for Nick Cannon

In case you missed it, there was big news in the lupus and kidney world last week. Nick Cannon, star of such films as Drumline (which I’ve watched three times in one night — thank you TBS), the host of America’s Got Talent, and hubby to Mariah Carey announced that his recent kidney troubles are due to a form of lupus that attacks the kidneys, called lupus nephritis. Sound familiar? What’s thrilling for the lupus and kidney disease communities is that Nick is so open about his diagnosis, helping raise major awareness about both conditions. But what is equally exciting [...]

October 18, 2011

Orange Tahini Popcorn Clusters

You have been so patient. You’ve watched me unpack my website boxes. You’ve kindly tapped my shoulder when something is not working right. You haven’t even complained about posts being a tad late or that they are slow to be emailed or that the corn dogs I gave you last week were a little cold. Thank you. Many of you have even taken the time to re-subscribe, which is amazing. And for all of you who have yet to sign your name in permanent electronic ink and declare your undying loyalty to low-sodium food, no worries. Please, take your time. [...]

September 16, 2011

Salt-Free Savory Doughnuts

It’s our final day of mini doughnut pan fun and I think–in my humble opinion–that we’ve saved the best for last. As soon as I bought the doughnut pan, I’ll admit that I did not think about sprinkles. Or sugar. Or frosting. Or apple fritters. Actually, I may have thought about apple fritters, but that had nothing to do with the mini doughnut pan. What did cross my mind, however, was chili pepper flakes, fresh herbs, and other aromatics like leeks, onions, and toasted garlic. Because a good low-sodium doughnut is possible. But a great one is made with a [...]

September 9, 2011

Low-Sodium Bagel Bites and Tid Bits

It’s been a long week since we last chatted and I miss you. Almost as much as I have missed bagel bites. And this is meant to be a compliment. You know, bagel bites. Those small nuggets of processed dough and cheese, topped with hard chunks of sausage-ness. I loved bagel bites. And in my childhood, they were a symbol of one thing: studying for final exams. My mother tried to keep a somewhat healthy household. But dear old dad would always sneak in KFC on a Sunday or take-out any other day. And I quickly learned that if you [...]

August 3, 2011

Sodium Girl in the Kitchn

Appetizers. They are like the loch ness monster of low sodium food–super hard to find. Especially when being catered to at someone else’s home. So I was delighted when the Kitchn asked me to do a piece on some salt-free, bite-sized snacks that would be safe for low sodium diners; seriously appealing to the other, non-restricted guests; and easily made with simple ingredients that any home cook might have on hand. But don’t hog these recipes. Feel free to share them with your friends. Not just for your or my own benefit. But because they really are fun twists on [...]

July 25, 2011

Salt-Free Dolmas

So I had a job. It wasn’t supposed to involve food — there was a lot more paperwork than stirring or standing over a stove. But nonetheless, it was a subject we always found ourselves gravitating towards. I also had a manager at this job, to whom I always paid a quick visit before heading to the nearest market to grab something for lunch. And upon said visit, I would ask, “is there anything you want me to get for you while I’m in the outside world?” To which I expected answers like: sandwich, coffee, maybe chips. But she always [...]

July 21, 2011

Pickled Chard Stalks, Rainbow Style

Oh hi. Remember that garden I told you about a few months ago. The one that made my heart burst (in a good way)? That looked out to the gorgeous city skyline? That was a mere, dirt-filled twinkle in my eye? Yep, that’s the garden. Well, only a few months later, our little plot is full to the brim. With squash, eggplant, budding asparagus, walking stick kale, monsterous amounts of collard greens, a splash of herbs, and you guessed it, tons of rainbow chard. But a funny thing happened. Not funny haha, but funny as in we had maggots crawling [...]

June 15, 2011

Pasta Pretzel Bites

Um…wait…what? Pasta pretzel bites! I made pasta pretzel bites. I’m still not sure what you’re talking about. I’ve never heard of those before? I know, neither had I. Until I made them 15 minutes ago. Still lost. Basically, let’s say that you have a serving of leftover pasta. Like two day old noodles that are facing the grim reality that, most likely, they’ll have to be tossed away. It gives a low-sodium green god or goddess like yourself a bit of a heart attack. But what can you do? First, turn on your oven to 400 dg F. Then, pour [...]

April 22, 2011

Pomegranate Molasses Granola Bars, Sort Of

I’ve always been pretty good at making up my own rules. When my grandparents babysat me, I convinced them that we always ate cookies before dinner. It helped prep the stomach for the nutrients to come. When it rained, I never wore shoes. What’s the point? My feet were going to get wet anyways. And in college, I pretty much majored in the art of rule making. They called it Creative Writing. From early on, I gave myself license to do what I wanted. Which, turns out, is a very important life skill. Because the truth is, most of the time, things [...]

Previous Entries