Bready Things

November 25, 2013

Thanksgiving Obsessions

I hope you’re wearing a loose pair of pants right now because I’m about to STUFF you full of Thanksgiving ideas, tips, and yes, some turkey. We are four days away from the big day, people. So it’s time to get seriously serious about all this holiday cooking stuff. But before we get to mashed potatoes and brine-free birds, I want to pass forward this piece of wisdom. To make the best Thanksgiving feast of your life, you only need to do one simple thing: MAKE WHAT YOU WANT. It’s that easy. Forget about recreating the soggy green beans and […]

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November 13, 2013

Pomegranate Blackberry Winter Tart

When the ancient philosophers of times long ago decided how things should work, someone silly came up with the idea that dinner always comes before dessert. And I guess I understand. If you served me caramel filled doughnuts before a hearty helping of vegetables, I might never make it to that cauliflower and broccoli course. Let’s be real. But let’s also break the rules. Because sometimes dessert needs to proceed the roasted meat and sautéed greens. Sometimes pumpkin pies need to be replaced with pomegranate and blackberry tarts. And sometimes, as we prep for the Thanksgiving meal ahead, we need […]

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November 8, 2013

Weekend Obsessions 11.08.13

This week’s theme: try it. We are three weeks out until my favorite day of the year, aka Thanksgiving. Usually, on this holy of holy food days, by the time dinner is finally served I’m so stuffed with stuffing and soup and tastes of turkey drippings (don’t judge) that I can barely finish my plate. But somehow I usually manage to finish two. Because did you hear what I said? Favorite. Day. Of. The. Year. Just wait a minute, though. Could things get better? By golly they could. Because on top of gravy and mashed potatoes and yes, turkey drippings, […]

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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 […]

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October 25, 2013

Weekly Obsessions 10.25.13

I love to eat out. With friends. Case closed. I am, however, also HUGE fan of eating out of my own low-sodium snack pack when dining beyond the kitchen. I think of it as a low-sodium emergency kit, a “starving SOS,” just in case I find myself somewhere with nothing to eat. And whether it is a wedding, a potluck, or the Oscars (someday), you’ll always find me with a little brown bag of something something that will keep me fed and feeling full. But hold on to your snack pack and restaurant reservation for a moment, because last weekend […]

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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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June 27, 2012

Kidneys, Cooking Classes, Scones

Pass it forward. Most of the time when I say this, I’m talking about shuffling that plate of spicy green beans in my direction. But today, I’m talking about experiences. And scones. But mostly experiences. Our lives are filled with them — good and bad; some worthy of pictures, some better left to a gossip session over tea; many part of our everyday routines and many others that are life changing. But all of them, moments in time. Our time. Many people keep their experiences to themselves. But over the years, I’ve learned that if you take these little time […]

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March 22, 2012

Secret Low-Sodium White Sauce

Shhh. I’m going to let you in on a little secret. White sauce. It’s usually made of milk, cheese, butter, and other ingredients that can be full of sodium. But here’s what people don’t know. And please, try to contain your reaction as we don’t want to draw attention to this news. White sauce doesn’t need milk, cheese, or butter. (Are you sitting down?) White sauce can actually be made with one, simple ingredient: Cauliflower. Steamed cauliflower that gets pureed with a little bit of water and, if you’re feeling up to it, a head of roasted garlic. Amazingly, the result […]

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March 16, 2012

Low-Sodium Thousand Island Sliders

A few interesting things happened this morning. I lugged every piece of heavy cooking equipment out of the cabinets. Food processor. Stand up mixer. Blender. I covered my kitchen in flour. I whipped up salt-free burger buns in less than an hour. Really. And I totally dominated an all veggie, low-potassium, low-sodium slider with low-sodium drippy and delicious thousand island dressing. A recipe that not only completes this week’s run of drive-through makeovers for Nick Cannon. But also lends itself perfectly to introducing you to a low-sodium reuben sandwich recipe (made by my amazing sis-in-law and her boy-toy) that you can enjoy this […]

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