jessg23

August 16, 2011

Salt-Free Cake Pops

I’ve decided to give up sugar. Just kidding. Have we met? I love my sugar. And to celebrate the fact that I adore sweets of pretty much any flavor and variety, I made cake pops. Salt-free cake pops, to be specific. Now you may have seen these little sticks of dough and frosting on Starbucks counters or on bookshelves (Chronicle has published some pretty rad guides on how to DIY the little suckers). But please excuse me as I toot my horn for a moment and say this: I have been popping cake long before it was popular. Or at […]

August 12, 2011

A Tahini Chocolate Pie for Mikey

It seems that sometimes food bloggers can get a bad rap. Some people are quick to draw a line between real writer and blogger. And many people joke at the enormous number of folks who now own a web address and talk about the delicious nature of food. Which is pretty on point. Because really, who doesn’t own a food blog these days? But over the past two years of being a part of this community, I have witnessed something extraordinary. Whenever a disaster strikes, no matter where or to whom, this group of strangers, all connected by their love […]

August 10, 2011

Chicken Thighs and Pineapple Relish

Cooking Light created a party on a plate and they’ve invited you to all join in. And eat. And enjoy. Party hats optional, but dancing pants required. Thanks to a little blogger love from the wonderful magazine, I get some of their latest dishes before they go to print. And the best part is that I can then share them with you. It’s like looking into a culinary crystal ball and seeing your dinner future. Which, this week, is a quick fix of Southwestern Chicken Thighs topped with a snappy Pineapple Relish. Beyond being glad that they didn’t call it […]

August 8, 2011

Through the Camera Lens

This is a camera. Taking pictures of low-sodium, salt-free Kale Kelp Salad. Which I made just for you. And this is the wonderful team behind that camera: Matt Armendariz (who among other things wrote a book about food on sticks) and Adam Pearson (who among other things is the genius stylist who so elegantly placed that food on the sticks). This past week, I was lucky enough to be invited to Matt and Adam’s food photography wonderland in LA. And as they twisted noodles and napkins, I sat excitedly on the sidelines, watching the two (and their trusty band of assistants) […]

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 […]

August 1, 2011

Bibimbap On Over

Very, very special meal! This is the very, very special meal I was so wickedly tempting you with last week. It is called Bibimbap. It is a super traditional Korean dish. It literally means “mixed meal” (because after it is placed in front of you, you best mix all those compartments of yum up). It looks like mother nature’s painting palette. And it is usually off-limits to low-sodium eaters–mostly due to the salty chili pepper paste that is so wonderfully and deliciously dumped all over it. For years, I watched as adventurous eater friends dove into authentic Korean food dives […]

July 27, 2011

The Incredible Edible Purple Egg

Yesterday I made purple eggs. Yep. Dr. Seussish, delicious purple eggs. Not because it was Easter, although I wish I had thought of doing this earlier this year. But because I was pickling cabbage (for something very, very special) and I had a tub of fuschia pickling liquid that just couldn’t be wasted. Seriously, can you imagine just pouring it down the drain? I couldn’t. So I quickly learned how to hard boil eggs — yes, I had to look this up, no judgment — and I plopped my freshly peeled gems into the cabbage container. A few hours later, […]

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 […]

July 20, 2011

Seven Layer Salad

Sometimes, food is good just because it looks cool. Like bagel bites and chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs. Or noodles made of zucchini. Or bananas flambe. Which is fruit on fire. So when it comes to jazzing up the basics, a simple twist in the presentation goes a long way. And the next time you think of salads, forgetting about mixing and tossing, and try some layers. This lovely bowl had stripes of chopped red onion, fennel, apple, raw asparagus coins, fresh dill, green onions, cherry tomatoes (heirloom of course), avocado, a twist of lime, a drizzle of vinegar and […]

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