Rice & Grains

February 23, 2012

2012 Love Your Heart Recipe Rally

Let’s begin with the facts and the numbers, because that’s 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 more than the recommended daily intake of sodium, averaging over 3,300mg (and if you really consider the soy-sauced sushi, chorizo burrito, and milk swamped cereal…that number clilmbs even higher) More than 800,000 […]

February 16, 2012

On Top of Low-Sodium Spaghetti Squash

I really love a deeply meaty pasta sauce. There is something about lusciously simmered tomatoes mixed with browned chunks of beef (or pork in this case) and a sprinkle of fresh herbs that is just irresistible. To the point that I would almost rather eat the entire pot of pasta sauce rather than deal with those pesky noodles getting in the way. Waiting for them to boil is just too much. A spoon will do. Thank you. But when you add the delicate strings of spaghetti squash, which turn and tumble around a fork just like spaghetti should, suddenly, the […]

February 7, 2012

Low-Sodium Winter Comforts

Here are the things I learned this week: 1) Although I love being barefoot or in sandals, rain boots are definitely the right choice when it’s raining. 2) Madonna still totally rocks. Like, seriously. 3) Steaks can be made out of cauliflower (see: Thursday’s post). 4) Curling up on the couch with something warm (i.e. a blanket, freshly baked bread, breakfast for dinner, and soup) is the perfect way to ward off chilly weather. So below, find some of my favorite cozy, low-sodium recipes for when the temperature drops. Make one, two, or all three this week. And save your […]

May 17, 2010

Risotto, the San Francisco Treat

Creamy, warm, melt-in-your mouth delicious. I’m not talking about a chocolate fountain (although that sounds pretty good, even at 9am). I’m talking risotto, a traditional Italian rice dish that requires patience and love as you gradually coax the little rices to release their magical starch and create the illustrious, infamous texture that is good enough for the cooking gods. Now if you are anything like me, you probably think/thought/still think that risotto should be left to the professionals. And I’ll agree that yes, indeed, the professionals can make a mean bowl of delicately textured risotto while yours/mine/everyone else’s ends up […]

April 15, 2010

The First Supper

After five days of the pre-surgery, liquid-only meal plan, I was finally allowed to dig into something hearty that did not come served in a mug. I love you broth, but it was time to move on. Since I was still in recovery mode, my first meal out of the gate had to be something mild and delicate. Nothing with too much fiber or spice. But bland just isn’t in my vocabulary. So, even though the recipe I had in mind was somewhat colorless, I wanted to make sure it still had flavor. In the fridge, I had some leftover […]

April 1, 2010

The Last (Moroccan) Meal

No April Fool’s Day joke here, my friends. This is truly the last of the recipes from the low sodium, highly organic, and super flavorful Moroccan feast. May I introduce to you the evening’s piece de resistance: vegetable couscous and lemon, chicken tagine. I have to admit that, for a while now, vegetable couscous has been a quick-fix favorite of mine. Couscous is very easy to cook and it is a wonderfully forgiving grain. You can mix whatever veggies you have in your fridge with a few spices and a cup of couscous, and you’ve got yourself something hearty and […]

March 23, 2010

Risotto Cakes

I am sucker for texture. As a low sodium cook, it is essential to trick the senses with an unusual spice or unexpected crisp. When someone is overcome by food that is exciting, they do not have the time to miss the salt. It’s like a magician distracting the audience from noticing the cards already tucked up his or her sleeve. When it comes to noodles and rice, I also love to have a bit of broiled crunch on the top. Whether it is mac and cheese or in this case, risotto, the oven-fried pieces make the traditional “mushiness” all […]

March 18, 2010

Island Sides

Today, we continue our expedition into the world of low sodium Hawaiian cuisine. But first, a spoiler alert: Friday brings a big bang of a recipe for drippy, delicious, fall-off-the-bone Char Sui Spare Ribs. So leave your restraint and dignity at the door and grab yourself a bib for this one. Until then, I’m tiding you over with some low sodium Island sides that are as essential to a complete Hawaiian meal as a tropical drink with a miniature umbrella. First, Coconut Black Rice, or as it is also called, “Forbidden Rice.” This black grain turns a deep purple when […]

February 12, 2010

A Super(bowl) Makeover Story

I don’t know about you, but I rolled home last sunday full of chili, chips, and chicken wings. I love Super Bowl Sunday for a variety of reasons – mainly good time spent with friends and the excuse to be overly-gluttonous. But I forgot that on Super Bowl Sunday, even more so than on my second favorite holiday of the year – Thanksgiving – our eyes become much bigger than our stomachs. And I came home on Sunday evening with a tupperware tub full of spicy, ginger chicken wings that needed to be consumed. Now, wasting food annoys me more […]

January 18, 2010

Couscous, Sunny Side Up

First off, a gigantic thank you to Sodium Girl readers for passing on the link to Friday’s post. A big ‘ol check for $300 smackaroos is being sent off this afternoon to help recovery efforts in Haiti. And while I wish Ed Macmahon could be the one handing it over to the Red Cross, I think we can all be quite proud of participating in this necessary call-to-action. Now that our hearts are filled by good deeds, it is time to fill our tummies with good food. This rainy California weather demands something hearty and warm and this dish is […]

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