jessg23

September 10, 2010

Toot Your Horn, It's Time For Corn

In the somewhat altered words of Steven Tyler, “it’s a-maize-ing.” And I’m not just referring to Aerosmith’s extremely long career, or Tyler’s obsession with scarves, but I’m also talking about the savory, sweet, and ultimately flexible culinary properties of a fresh ear of corn. While this vegetable may be best known for its simple work on the cob, there are many ways these little kernels can fill your plate – as a side, as a snack, as an entrée, and as a sweet treat to end the day. And as such, I’m planning to write about this ancient crop, and only […]

September 8, 2010

Toasts, Roasts, and BBQ Smoke

First of all, welcome back Sodium Girl readers! And thank you for the outpouring of love and lovely comments this past week while I took a brief hiatus to get hitched. The weekend was filled with dancing, laughing, and lots of low sodium treats. My feet are resting, my heart is bursting, and my stomach is most definitely full. All in all, I’d say it was a successful celebration. And as I jump out of the wedding whirlwind and back into reality, I thought I’d start off this short week with a quick recap of my favorite meal of the […]

August 30, 2010

Going to the Chapel

Did you notice that a post was missing last Friday? I sure did and I guess it’s time for an explanation. For long-time readers, this will not come as a shock. But if you are new to the blog, well, you better sit down. Sodium Girl is getting married. Hitched. Tied down. Wed to a wonderful man who wooed me with a home-cooked and salt-free meal of bok choy, chicken thigh, and sesame oil on our first date almost three and a half years ago. And now, as the journey down the aisle seems to be getting closer and closer, […]

August 25, 2010

Buy Me Some Peanut and Cracker Jacks

Hot dogs, burgers, and garlic fries – these were the treats that lured me to stadium seats when I was younger. I longed for the glutinous, processed, and salty flavors of ballpark fare and as such, I happily accompanied my father to any game that was accompanied by ketchup and squirt bottle of nacho “cheese.” My affair with these lip-smacking snacks, however, did not last forever. When my kidneys quit seven years ago, so did my fast-food addiction. But my love for a sports outing on a sunny (or recently, foggy) day? That remained strong. It was easy for me […]

August 23, 2010

You Say Potato, I Say Ricatto

This post begins with a lovely, late dinner at SF hot spot, Frances. Dim the lights, cue soft “yazz” music, and pour yourself a bottle of house wine. The densely packed, haute diner offers a slim menu of seasonal delights. And while impromptu creation of two sodium-free dishes blew me away – a refreshing consume of tuna, cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, herbs, and jalapenos and a bowl of perfectly roasted eggplant, zucchini, shredded basil, and tomatoes – it was really my dining partner’s plate of fluffy dream clouds (i.e. ricotta gnocchi) that had me drooling. Since I try to avoid being the […]

August 20, 2010

The Evolution of a Low Sodium Cook

As the Lupus Foundation of America ushers in part 3 of my guest blog today, I did a little reminiscing. I can hardly believe that only a few years ago, I took my first stab at low sodium cooking with a simple stir fry. A few ripe vegetables, a quick chop, a sizzle of vegetable oil (as I had not yet discovered the power of toasted sesame), some slivers of organic chicken, and a few dashes of salt-free granulated garlic and cayenne, and I had a dinner that was fresh, springy, unfussy, and sodium free. It was minimal, but it […]

August 18, 2010

A Quick Peek

While low sodium cooking began as a part of a medical routine, I can say with full honesty that it is now a true passion. Maybe that’s already obvious by the fact that I blog on my adventures three days a week. Or the fact that I own an apron that says “Sodium Girl.” But in a second bout of honesty, I’ll admit that low sodium cooking does take time and effort – at least at the very beginning. Your taste buds must adjust, you must adjust, your kitchen must adjust. Once you get started, though, and outfit your home […]

August 16, 2010

Sometimes You Feel Like A Nut, Sometimes You Don't

First came Justin’s: a simple solution for the peanut butter obsessed. These individual packages of nutty goodness are great for snacking, traveling, even packing your kid’s lunch. And although the cute logo and even cuter website seems to be amazing enough, the best part of Justin’s is that the almond and peanut butter pouches also happen to be absolutely sodium free. So, for the majority of you readers, this is jump-up-and-shout good news. But, if you happen to be like me, a sodium AND nut free girl (yes, I am allergic to macadamias, almonds, pea, wal, and anything else that […]

August 13, 2010

Take Your Tops Off

I apologize for getting a bit frisky this Friday morning. It’s just that last night I discovered something novel, something exciting, something that even some might call brilliant. While making a fresh batch of potato leek soup (sweet butter + leek + potato + blender), I was left with a bunch of hard, green leek tops. Unless you want some sort of Dr. Seuss-ish soup, it is best to only use the white parts of the leek and put the darker green parts to the side. But right there is the big dilemma. What do you do with the discarded […]

August 11, 2010

Sweet Thang

I love a Red Vine, a Twizzler, and even the absurdly long Red Rope. But all these licorice treats, whether twisted or pull n’ peel, contain too much sodium – usually around 50 to 100 mg per pop. So I let go of my licorice dreams and focused on other sweet nibbles, like dark chocolate and gummy candy, which generally fall into low sodium safe zone. But then, after years of longing for just one herbaceous bite of this magical candy, a low sodium cowboy unexpectedly rode into my life (slash grocery store) and came to the rescue. Turns out, Newman’s Own […]

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