Cooking

April 19, 2010

Crush It

It’s a question as old as time. Which came first? The shiitake mushroom or the shiitake mushroom dust? Whether or not we ever solve this conundrum, the message is still clear. Dried mushrooms can be manipulated in a variety of ways to add a unique umami flavor to your food. As we discovered last week, soaking shiitakes in water makes a wonderful low sodium, meat-free broth. But you are not limited to this single application or variety of mushroom – it just happens to be one of the cheapest. Any dirt-loving fungii, dried or fresh, will leech out its flavor […]

March 26, 2010

A Moroccan Good Time

Mix two cups of couscous with a pound and a half of cubed, lamb stew meat and a few food loving friends and what do you get? The second installment of the Cook Club and a Moroccan feast fit for a king. Or at least four ladies who love to eat. After Ms. Anne Pao, of SF Tao of Pao, and I successfully dominated a Puerto Rican menu two weeks ago, we decided to put our aprons and thinking caps back on and attempt round two. As a sucker for all things spicy, we picked Morocco as our next culinary […]

March 25, 2010

Old Spoon, New Trick

One of my favorite magazines is Real Simple and one of my favorite sections is where the editors show you how to use old appliances to do new things. For example, wrap rubber bands around your easter eggs before dipping in dye to make perfect patterns. Brilliant, right? Or turn the back side of an old, scratched pan into a magnet board and hang in your kitchen. A little more work, but still, pure genius. The point is, as much as a love William Sonoma and even that airplane magazine with the useless “inventions” – like a dog bowl that […]

February 23, 2010

A Question of Spice

It was a wonderful discovery to realize that a “low sodium diet” did not mean a “no spice” diet. Removing salt from my bag of tricks did not limit me from using the spectrum of flavors from around the world, but instead, made me more aware of their existence and willing to try their taste. Most spices are seeds or roots that are roasted, toasted, ground, or used whole which means they are naturally sodium free. But be careful, not all spices are created equal. Most commercial spice blends will add salt as an ingredient and even some of the […]

February 17, 2010

The Best Part of Waking Up

I was lucky in love this past weekend – trapped in the snowy Utah mountains with my best friends from high school for four glorious days. Conditions could not have been more ideal. We had gnar pow to ski in, a hot tub to soak in, and tons of fresh food to sink our teeth in. Our daily routine was simple: wake up, ski, eat, ski, tub, eat, sleep. Everything the body could possibly desire. On Sunday evening, dinner prep was in my hands. Or more accurately, I stole it from everyone else’s. The refrigerator was outfitted with steak filets, […]

February 8, 2010

Cooking with Kaz – The Preface

Last Friday night, I had an amazing low sodium cooking adventure where I learned to make a traditional, five-course, Japanese meal which included that beautiful ball of tofu sitting in a pond of orange beet puree that you see above. But before we get into this multi-volume thriller, a quick spoiler alert. This is a long post – actually, it will be broken into two posts – that is worth every minute of procrastination. So to prepare for the reading road ahead, I suggest we get our blood pumping and begin this morning with a little interactive blogging. When I say […]

February 4, 2010

Do It Yo'self

Tonight I’m heading to a fundraiser for Room to Read that is being hosted by Parties That Cook and Crushpad. Wine, food, and doing good? Sounds like a perfect evening to me. The big event of the night is a hands-on cooking class that will cover an asian-inspired menu: Curried Flatbread with Mango Currant Chutney Vegetable Curry Cups with Basmati Rice Peanut and Coconut Potstickers with Sweet Soy Dipping Sauce Coconut Blini with Cilantro Lime Creme Fraiche Indian-Spiced Lamb Burgers with Cucumber-Lemon Raita Lettuce Cups with Gingery Minced Pork Fiery Prawns with Mint-Jalapeno Chutney Chicken Skewers with Spicy Peanut Sauce […]

January 26, 2010

A Top Chef’s Top Five

A professional kitchen is usually quite hot. And a good restaurant? Most likely bustling and busy. The words frantic, sweaty, and generally overwhelmed all come to mind when I ponder the life of a talented chef, at a popular restaurant, during its busiest hours. So have you ever wondered what said chef might be thinking when you, the one who loves food but can’t eat salt, waltzes in and unveils a laundry list of dietary restrictions? I did. So last week, I decided to ask. Today I unveil a new feature on Sodium Girl – investigative journalism at its best […]

January 11, 2010

Get Fresh

When it comes to people, getting “fresh” can be a turn-off. But when it comes to your produce? It’s ideal. This past weekend was a festival of fresh, and between the Noe Valley Farmer’s Market and a surprise treat at Whole Foods, I found some extraordinary vegetables that, in their fresh variety, added punch to my ordinary meals. A quick note of warning. Buying fresh versions of your favorite ingredients will generally cost you a few extra dollars and a few extra minutes. But in terms of creating memorable, healthy, and low sodium meals, the big flavors you find in […]

December 19, 2009

Musings on the Market, Farmer Style

Be fairly warned. This is a miniature photo essay meant to invoke your deepest, most hidden inner chef. So do not be surprised if you end up cooking bok choy and Buddha’s hand for dinner. Farmer’s markets are a cross between a food library and a botanical garden tour: they are educational and aesthetically enchanting. In attending a farmer’s market, you will be introduced to an array of new vegetables, crop varietals, and artisan products which, if you so choose to take the challenge, will help expand your culinary repertoire. The more familiar you become with the abundance of colorful, […]

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